Variety (September 1907)

10 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation or First Appearance in New York City. NEW AOTS OP THE WEEK "I walk" dances. There may be an artistic difference, but it's a matter of explana- tion. Sime. Mile. Murger, New York. Heras Family, New York. Kara (Reappearance), New York. Ida Fuller (Reappearance), New York. "Six Idols," Colonial. Tom Jack Trio, Colonial. Rosina Casselli's Dogs, Colonial. •The Modern Office Girls," Twenty-third Street. Will Lester and Alex. Clark, Twenty - third Street. William Dillon, Twenty-third Street. "Paradise Alley," Twenty-third Street. Ned Wayburn's "Nightingales," Pas- tor's. Sisters Hypothia, Pastor's. Katie and Edward Lovitt, Pastor's. Sid Baxter (New Act), Henderson's. Gua Elen. Character Songs. 35 Mins.; One. New York. In professional circles Gus Elen, the eminent English coster comedian, had been widely heralded over here and much was expected of him. On last Monday at the New York, his initial showing in America, Mr. Elen did not disappoint. The Eng- lishman gives to us types of the coster we are unfamiliar with, not the pearl-buttoned- Bowery-swagger sort of cockney, but char- acters he convinces are real by his forcible impersonations. Following to a consid- erable extent the style of Chevalier, Mr. Elen, who is in no sense an imitator or copy of his fellow countryman, will probably be more liked and readily under- stood by the vaudeville public. The rapidity with which Mr. Elen makes his changes becomes an effective part of his act, for it avoids long stage waits. Mr. Elen was wildly greeted Monday evening, and this led to a mishap, which the Englishman gracefully slipped out of. In a pleasant speaking voice Mr. Elen said in response to the applause he would be "pleased" to ning « 'E Dunno Where 'e Are" "with the audience kindly allowing me the time for the necessary change." Retiring to the wings, the orchestra, under the direction of Frederick Soloman, played discordantly to fill in the time while the leader vainly searched for the music of the number. Mr. Elen appearing in the character for the selection, Mr. Soloman informed him the orchestra had not the music, neither had they rehearsed that song. In one of the nicest impromptu speeches probably ever uttered from the stage in an emergency of this sort, Mr. Elen again retired, reap- pearing almost immediately in another cos- tume, concluding his act, without embar- rassment. Mr. Elen is a.hit here and will probably increase his popularity on each return engagement. Sime. Claire Romaine. Character Songs. 17 Mins.; One. New York. ft "Claire Romaine, London's Pet 'Boy,' appearing in the characters that made her famous in all the music halls of England —a song for each character," is the de- scription for Miss Romaine on the New York Theatre program this week, her first appearance in an American vaudeville theatre. It may have been the "charact- ers" which caused Claire Romaine to be- come famed in her native land, but the fame she will achieve here will be due mostly to her songs, and of the three heard on Monday evening, "I Haven't Told My Mother Up to Now" is an odds-on favorite. The things Miss Romaine as a boy told in song he hadn't told his mother about brought a great amount of laughter and applause. If the boy had told his parent when no older than Miss Romaine looked, someone would have received a spanking. The lyrics tell of infantile dis- coveries which usually causes a friend of the family upon getting an insight to a youngster's worldly knowledge to remark "That kid's pretty 'wise' for his age." "I'd Like to Know When You Can" is an- other boyish appeal to the audience for information if a lad of 17 isn't fit to start on a study of the world, without any in- tense desire to secrete the kind of knowl- edge he is after, and "That's What Little Willie Wants to Know," the second selec- tion Miss Romaine sang, was mild in con- trast to the other. It contains a conflict- ing verse with "I Haven't Told My Mother," the final number, which became the hit through the broadness, and a melodious chorus. Miss Romaine was evi- dently Americanized the first day off the boat, for she induced the house to join in for an encore. Three changes of boy's dress are made, the Englishwoman look- ing well in each, and in England they are likely quickly recognized. The Eton youth is easily caught over here. The singer has magnetism and perfect enuncia- tion, the latter especially beneficial to the songs. They are probably causing all New York who* have seen Miss Romaine to talk already. The New York Theatre is planned for a music hall, and in that or any other Miss Romaine's selections will be appreciated; in some vaudeville houses in sedate neighborhoods the man- agement might exercise the grand privil- ege of the blue pencil. In New York City Claire Romaine is certain of success, for she is a fetching impersonator of wild youthfulness, with "the goods," even though off-color, to back it up. Sime. Coccia and Amato. "The Mixer and the Maid" (Songs and Whirlwind Dancing). Three (Special Set and Drop). "Kentucky Belles." Aurelia Coccia and Minnie Amato are appearing as a number in the olio of the "Kentucky Belles." The setting repre- sents either the interior of a drug store or a cafe, with a very well painted back drop. The audience is given the impression from the opening, when Mr. Coccia sings "My Mariutch Maka Da Hootch a ma Kootch" far better than anyone else has, which is followed by a neat conversational-singing duet, that the sketch is purely a singing and talking one, but the couple go into a scries of whirlwind and fancy dances, com- ing as a surprise, the transition from the sketch proper into this being smoothly made. Both the participants are graceful, exceptional dancers, and depend more upon the correct execution than speed. Miss Amato would improve her stage presence by a dress more suitable to her good looks; that is the only defect It is a nice act, and the good looks of the principals are not the least. It could fit in almost on any bill. Sime. Ethel Levey. Pianologue. 17 Mins.; Full Stage; Open and Close in One. Hammerstein's. Miss l^evey comes back to us with an entirely new repertoire of songs, a grand piano and a frock that is an act in itself. Who but Miss Levey could wear a Quaker- like monotone of solid gray and make it as racy and breezy as a fresh baked Mar- cel wave—a very cocktail of a gown. Miss Levey's whole offering is as chic and smart as her new frock, but alas, she gives us but a glimpse of her "chiffon- esque" dancing. The opening song which has to do with a Parisian shop girl, is a neat bit of Frenchy composition, while a later number, which may or may not be named "Put Me Among the Girls" has a touch of the same sort of sprightliness. The part in which the piano is involved concerns an amateur performance at Miner's Eighth Avenue Theatre, with imi- tations of the amateurs. The imitations were not very lifelike, but the audience understood and approved. Rush. Ollie Young and 3 Brothers. Hoop Rollers. 12 Mins.; Full Stage. New York. On a prettily dressed stage Ollie Young and his three brothers are showing a few new tricks in the handling of hoops this week at the New York. Especially in the rapid passing do these boys excel, and the general work is nicely finished off. One throws boomerangs, giving a spectacular closing, and there is some handling of large hoops, but not sufficient to make this portion noticeable. Solo hoop rolling on different occasions leaven the stage partly idle, and it would be much better were the boys at all times engaged, if only "faking" while the actual tricks by the soloist were performed. Opening the program, the act is a novelty feature of the bill. Sime. La Esmeralda. Spanish Dancer. 6 Mins.; Full Stage. New York. La Esmeralda, away from "The Con- gress of Spanish Dancers," appearing alone as she was originally booked, is billed as a "Spanish Danseuse." Granting that this is correct without consulting a French dictionary, any title around these parts with a "sense" attached rightfully belongs to Ida Rene, who first handed us "diseuse." Even so, however, the "seuse" doesn't help La Esmeralda much. As the feature of the Spanish group, she stood out boldly, probably because the others were so ordinary as dancers; alone she is Just a trifle above that classification. In the days of Carmencita ocean travel had not improved to the present point of speed, and, any way, since then we have had the "cooch," "rag time" and "eake- The Mosarts. "Canadian Snow Shoe Dancers." Open in Two; Close Full Stage (Special Set). Pastor's. Returning from a European trip, Fred and Eva Mozart are showing at Pastor's this week a new finish to the former act presented by them called "Heine, the Cob- bler," and the entire piece is practically new. The novelty lies in the dancing on regulation snow shoes, the first of its kind ever seen on a stage here, with an ap- propriate and pretty setting. The danc- ers are dressed becomingly in cold weather attire of the far North, and with a proper trimming down of the opening the Mozarts will be in possession of an act which can play any time. Sime. "A. B. C. and D." Songs and Dances. 14 Mins.; One. Henderson's. Four good looking girls, whose voices blend nicely and who dance well enough to carry them through, make up the quartet, calling themselves "A. B. C. and I)." Three work straight, while the fourth handles the comedy. The comedy is well enough and should be retained, but better results would be obtained did the comme- dienne dress "straight" instead of in character make up. As it is, the audi- ence likes the odd make-up at once and is looking for the comedy at all times, expecting in this way too much. The costumes worn by the other girls are dainty, rich and, above all, becoming, but a change could be made for variety. The young women have hit upon a novel idea, and properly worked out, it will be in de- mand. La Petite Mignon. Impersonations. 14 Mins.; One. Twenty : thjrd Street. As an impersonator La Petite has a long way to go before she catches other artists who have shown the same sort of specialty in town recently, but she makes a strong appeal as a pretty, lively sou- brette. She is a tiny young person, with an engaging plumpness, not to say chunkiness, about her, and works with a vim and the enthusiastic energy of her dancing carry her through, where her im- personations, as serious bits of mimicry, are unconvincing. It was possibly be- cause the George M. Cohan impersonation gave her just this opportunity for faHt dancing that she used the item as the closing number. It won her an immense volume of applause in spite of the worn- out subject. Her Eva T&nguay was the best of the series and went nicely, but the ^<&nna Held song was far, far from an ae- / curate reproduction. Ifuxh. Moving Picture. "The Derby Race." 8 Mins. New York. The English Derby race of 1907, won by Richard Croker's "Orby," is a new film series brought over here by Ted Marks, and shown at the New York The-