Variety (September 1907)

14 VARIETY HAMMERSTEIN'S. - 'J'here is an elementary rule of dra- inutic construction that the stage "aside" is to be avoided in all but absolutely necessary instances. It takes the speaker out of the picture and tends to destroy the illusion. What then shall we say of the coarse and brutal expedient used by Robert Hilliard in permitting one of the characters in his really admirable dra- matic sketch, "The Man Who Won the Pool" to appear before the curtain in the makeup which he later wears in the sketch and make a bald announcement. "Mr. Hilliard wishes to state that the curtain descends for fifteen seconds dur- ing the action, and in this interval four days are supposed to elapse," observes 1-M win Holland to the audience with crush- ing directness, just before the curtain rises on the sketch. Then he appears in his same announcement clothes and wants the audience to accept him as a rich club- man. Ophelia might as well rise from her property grave to acknowledge ap- plause. That would be no worse a stage break. This bit of crudeness spoils a striking bit of dramatic writing, and if Mr. Hilliard can't see it this way, Mr. Hammerstein should make him. Which indignant outburst is prelimi- nary to the statement that with the ex- ception of this jarring note, the Hammer- stein bill this week puts up fast, concen- trated entertainment of a sort that is not often enough seen. The show starts off nicely with the Vedmars. This pair work with a lot of speed, and although they have nothing particularly striking to offer either in the straight acrobatic of com- edy department make an attractive item. Grade Emmett is universal in her humor. The Times Square audience en- joys its wholesome appeal quite as thor- oughly and openly as does the Pastor or the Union Square clientele, than which there could be no better test of the excel- lence of her Irish characterization. Monologists may come and monologists may go, but the unctuousness of James Thornton's solemn wit goes on forever. Thornton has nothing materially new to ■how, but he was received with open arms, and audible enthusiasm, even to a demand for a curtain speech. A new song called "The Great White Way," by Thornton himself, went splendidly. Mathews and Ashley scored a solid hit in the difficult position following the in- termission. The old act is in use up to the parodies. To this point it went nicely enough, but when the pair dealt out a budget of screamingly funny new parodies, the audience simply wouldn't let them go. There are three in the bunch, and everv one "splits the plate" as they say on the Polo Grounds "bleachers." The Four Fords are the only act that has survived the fall moving to the down- stairs house. The act remains unchanged and won as large a reception as it ever did. It is remarkable how deeply ingrained in the makeup of the theatre-going public is the enthusiasm for patriotic display. The Human Flags never got a more vo- ciferous burst of applause from a bur- lesque audience than from the usually blase patrons of the Victoria. They closed the show at 11:10 and accomplished the uncommon feat of checking the usual 11 <r*clock exodus. Ethel Levey and the Maharenkos are under Xev Acts. Runh. NEW, YORK. Four acts on the New York's bill this week played at the opening show, and have been appearing there since. This did not give much novelty to regular at- tendants, for there are but nine acts alto- gether, exclusive of an imported moving picture (New Acts). On Monday evening the house was well filled, but it did not contain a capacity audience. - although the matinee was packed. There is no "big name" on the program. Two unfamiliar foreign acts, CJus Klen and Claire Romaine, both of whom will probably become well known in time, have not the American reputation enjoyed abroad, and can not yet be considered drawing cards. They are reviewed un- der New Acts. It will probably develop that a more scattering change of program will occur weeklv at the theatre. The New York vaudeville public wouldn't object to see a particular feature in weekly succession, perhaps, but it is not educated to view almost the same show continuously. (•race Hazard, one of the hold-overs, still occupies the "No. 2" position, al- though just as big a hit in her third week as when she first opened. Miss Hazard is now wearing the tights in which she looked so well upon her vaude- ville debut. It seems as though fourteen shows each week were commencing to tell upon Miss Hazard's voice. Her comic- opera training did not insure her against this condition, and the young woman should be careful lest her voice be- come strained. She is singing a great deal during the day in a house where smoking is permitted. There are still five nationalities repre- sented during the entertainment on the stage. The Alexandroff Troupe was moved up to third from the closing posi- tion after the Monday matinee. They are active and a first-class Russian dancing act, but the stoutest woman of the com- pany is apparently impressed with her good looks since the successful opening. She overuses the stencil around her eyes and never tires of posing. A newcomer from the United States is James J. Morton, and Mr. Morton made them laugh. After the audience started, Mr. Morton kept the gait up to the finish. He had some new and amusing matter, and for the first time in history, Mr. Mor- ton did not comment on the act preceding him. This week it is Desroches and Bianca with the couple of dogs. "The London Fire Brigade" does not seem to catch on at the New York, and this shortened the comedy supply on. the bill. During its stay in other local thea- tres the piece proved a laugh winner of large dimensions. Dick McAllister, the short fellow, who was in the original cast, has been replaced, but even though his substitute is his inferior as a comedian, that is not the fault. There is something wrong with the piece as given at the New York. Either the audience is adverse to laughing after the rough play has been indulged in, or too much time is con- sumed in getting to the real comedy at the finish. The latter is probably nearer the correct solution. The closing position may have something to do with it. Ollie Young and three brothers, open- ing the show, will be found under New Acts. 8imt PASTOR'S. There is very little new and nothing particularly startling on the Pastor bill this week. It is the kind of show which strikes Pastor's once in a while and which seems to occupy a longer time than it really does, making the bill draggy. Except in two instances, one a con- tortionist and the other a palmist, the numbers are in teams or more, with the acts in "one" shoved to the forward part of the program. The headliner, Lina Pantzer and com- pany (New Acts) closed the show lightly, and the Mozarts (Fred and Eva), return- ing after a European trip. (New Acts). Devlin and Ellwood offer a new sketch, and they with Gardner and Golder, and Gilbert and Gear are under New Acts. Another act on the program displaying an amount of progressiveness is The Vynos (Harry and Madge) in their nov- eltv number called "A Musical Farm- yard." The Vynos have returned to Pas- tor's with all current music, lamentably lacking the last time they showed here. Two medleys alone contain enough popu- lar airs to please an ordinary audience, but the entire repertoire has been brought up to date. The fault at present is it is too long, and the saxophone, together with the trombone, might be taken out without harm. Also if the Vynos should secure a back drop showing a garden of vegetable truck or a farmland in the perspective it would give more reality to the farmyard scene. Marseilles did his contortions, and Cole and Clemens call their offering "My Uncle's Visit," Miss Clemens becoming quite strenuous with shrill voice at the close. It is as well to remember when playing Pastor's that you are not in Madison Square Garden, and Mr. Pastor admits the accoustics of his theatre equal those of any house in the city. Kennedy and James play "Doctor Daffy," more so this time than ever, and Collins and Collins have a triple descrip- tion on the program telling what they do, which they do, and the audience liked them. It might be well also to remark in passing that Mr. Kennedy is entitled to credit for being the first to say any- thing about an "affinity." He did it on Tuesday evening. The expression is still wandering around 14th street looking for a landing place. Fred W T . Dun worth is improving his palming. He is well up with the best now as far as cards and coins are con- cerned, but seems to stand still other- wise. iSome new clo£hes and a few new expressions would go a long way towards a desirable end. Mr. Dunworth's "Dream of Wealth" once told is enough. To save time, it might be printed on the program. Harry Burns in bag punching exercises, opening the show, is the best dressed man on the bill. He has a neat athletic act, with a pretty opening. Simt The Orpheum, the renamed El Dorado at Atlanta, Ga., managed by Weber & Rush, will open on Monday. Jules Delmar, of the United Offices, will attend to the book- ings for the house. Its only opposition in the city is the Pastime Palace, playing the smaller acts. TWENTY-THIRD STREET. It is a well-selected and smooth-running show at the Twenty-third Street Theatre this week. The bill is straight vaudeville, with no dramatic sketch or other number away from the variety atmosphere to break into the light entertainment. The orches- tra, now increased to an imposing organi- zation ten strong, did not do its part, show- ing almost inexcusable roughness at times. Kitty Traney's act was seriously injured by the musicians failing to play the inci- dental music properly, and the pony be- came nervous at the erratic performances of the trap drummer. Marshall P. Wilder is featured in the billing. Mr. Wilder has an unerring in- stinct which directs his points to the ap- preciation of his audiences. The Twenty- third Street house is notoriously a difficult one to amu.se, but in three minutes Wilder had them interested in his quaint stories, and held their attention to the abrupt finish of his unique monologue. The matter has undergone no particular change over the summer. The prograjm was shifted about consider- . ably, Kitty Traney having the closing place instead of the programmed position mid- way on the bill. Hers is a bright act, with a brilliant tasteful dressing arrangement and a routine sustaining interest to the end. Miss Traney herself makes a charm- ing stage picture, and works with a grace- ful sureness that adds a good deal to the offering. Oterita has sifted down rather closer to the bottom of the deck, being this week in the opening place. Aside from her striking brunette beauty, the printed declaration that she is Otero's sister, there is not a great deal about the dancer to claim atten- tion. Her dancing is uniformly pretty and graceful, but she falls far short of being the sensation the program describes. The Five Majors, back from England, offer an interesting fifteen minutes. The act is quiet, although it has clean comedy values of a sort and the red jackets of the quintet add a pretty touch of color to the stage picture. During their occupancy of the stage something is doing every minute, and the five are working together in a well knit singing organization with a good deal of novelty in its arrangement. Mr. and Mrs. Gardner Crane scored their usual volume of laughter in the farcical sketch "Am I Your Wife?" It takes a good deal of rather obvious structural car- penter work to support the misunderstand- ing upon which the sketch is built, and one's credulity is stretched even to the breaking point to accept some of the situa- tions, but the action develops quantities of good natured humor of not too subtle a sort. The pair handle the familiar roles of a newly wed couple smoothly and with a certain degree of distinction. The "Six English Rockers" with Nellie Florede and their novelty singing and dancing numbers carried the .entertainment forward for eighteen minutes or so. The girls now make up a better dancing sextet than formerly and play with uniform skill, while Miss Florede does nicely as leader of the act. La Petite Mignon, impersonator, and Alexander and Goines, colored comedians, are under New Acts. Runh Mrs. Silbor, of the Four Silbors, this week became the mother of a son. Katie Rooney has been booked for 40 weeks by the United.