Variety (October 1907)

8 VARIETY London, Oct. 5. The tide of travel is still running out- ward, more and more artists getting away. We hope they all like America, and its vastness and resources will per- haps surprise a few. The biggest pending amusement event in London is the reopening of the Coli- seum, now definitely set for Monday, No- vember 25. A few well planned interior alterations will be made, and a number of boxes removed to make way for a promenade. The scheme is twice daily shows of three or three and a quarter hours, using about sixteen turns, with ad- vance booking of all seats, and popular cut prices to keep the house full at all times. It was rumored the highest seat will be two-and-six (two and a half quar- ters), but the fact is that admission fees are not definitely settled. The operating capital of the new company will be $220,- 000. On the board, besides Oswald Stoll, are Walter Battle of Leeds, H. J. Thomas of Cardiff, and F. W. Wyndham, manag- ing director of the Howard and Wyndham theatrical enterprises. There will be no more fanciful experi- menting with the Coliseum. Just first class variety will be given a good try. We think it will win out this time if things are done persistently in the right way. The new company is giving old shareholders preference, and Mr. Stoll thinks that all who are steadfast in their faith will yet break even, a theory quite in harmony with the saying that "where you have lost your money is the place to find it." The danger of a strike sterns blowing over, as most of the managers now be- lieve Mr. Stoll's lead very safe to follow, in view of the large foreign emigration, which might become a landslide with a little urging, as well as the undoubted earnestness of the Federation, the only sound policy for proprietors is one of conformity; to shape themselves to the Arbitrator's award as water shapes itself to a vessel. The majority of the man- agers have now seen the wisdom of hew- ing to the line, let the chips fall where they may. Hugh J. Brammall, of the Crystal Empire, Battersea, formerly of the Crystal Palace, has a rather unique form of contract that will have to go. One of his contracts was for $70 (penalty for breaking $500), and there were vari- ous jolly little specifications, such as a night's salary for a soiled costume, etc. Brammall's hall is a very palace of elec- tricity, with hundreds of crystals glitter- ing round the lights—a new and fine ef- 7ec£>- However, Award contracts are more important than electrical radiance. There has been considerable "crow eat- ing" lately in connection with theatrical libel suits. After telling the truth, whieh in certain cases is libellous over here, you are forced to explain in the papers that since the truth telling you have made fresh inquiries, and are now satisfied that when you said what you did say you were laboring under a misconception ('talking through your hat.") Quite a few shining shillings are sometimes saved by this rhetorical kowtowing, but some- times you must bump your bowed head nine times and hand out the boodle, too. The English libel laws, like charity, cover—and keep covered—a multitude of sins. Johnny Hanson, a famous London clown of an older generation, a link with the Grimaldi days, has passed away. In his time he was a huge drawing card in pan- tomime, and starred twenty years in that capacity at the old Alhambra. He had been on the stage altogether a period of half a hundred years, and once had a pull on the town like Dan Leno, though long before Leno's day. He died at Mid- dlesex Hospital, and leaves one daughter, Agnes Hanson, on the music hall boards. At Manchester W. H. Broadhead & Son have purchased from R. Flanagan, of the Queen's Theatre there, the Grand The- atre, Eccles, which will be renamed the Crown. At Oldham the Hippodrome is likely to be pulled down and reconstruct- ed. At Derby the Palace of T. Allan Ed- wardea has been splendidly refitted. Marstro and Aretta, a graceful equi- libristic duo you will see later with Klaw & Erlanger, have had a lively experience in France, where a railway, despite its high charge for the over weight, managed to mislay the greater part of their lug- gage, causing them to lose an engage- ment at Toulouse, as well as a six weeks' engagement at Lisbon. At last accounts the team were awaiting compensation from the railway company. Celeste, an American wire walker, who has been over here so long that he almost seems English, is making a very nice hit at the London Pavilion, where his en- trance is made by the transformation route, a large shell breaking at a pistol shot. His engagement has been pro- longed. Word reaches us that under pressure brought to bear by the General Federation of Trade Unions, Messrs. Rosen & Bliss have decided to adopt the Award form of contract. C. B. Cochran is no more exploiting Hackenschmidt, but has a Galician wrestler called Zbyski ("Bishco") whom he will put against Hackenschmidt if the deal can be arranged. His age is 25, height 5 feet 10 inches, and weight 204 pounds. Fatima Miris, the Italian protean art- iste, opens at the London Hippodrome next Monday. Her performance will be cut to twenty minutes, during which time she will do fifteen changes of costume, and as each change is timed for four sec- onds, it seems more like a case of pull the string and drop a dress than of being dressed by "twenty assistants," who would get in one's way, methinks. Fa- tima is getting $1,000 a week, and this statement can tye strictly depended on. WILLIAM MORRIS, "THE ACTOR." There will be two "William Morris" in vaudeville shortly. The other is William Morris, "the actor," as he is known, to distinguish him from William Morris, "the agent." The acting Mr. Morris, who played the principal role in "Mrs. Temple's Tele- gram" in that success' run on both sides of the water, has a high grade comedy sketch written by Frederick Fern, who wrote "'Op O' My Thumb" for Maude Adams. Mr. Morris is rehearsing the piece, and will shortly show it to the metropolis. "NAVASSARS" MAKES 3 ACTS. The Navassar Band, an organization made up entirely of girls, which played a Summer engagement at Riverview, Chicago, has been split up into the three acts which were assembled for the forma- tion of the band. "The Four Seasons, 1 ? "The Navajo Girls" and "The Vassar Girls," musical acts, will be booked separately. Time is being arranged by Arthur Hopkins, of Hopkins & Ingersoll. PROTECTS "PROFESSIONAL COPIES." Kansas City, Oct. 18. "Chambers* Place" on West 3rd street contains a grand ball room, eight wine rooms, four pianos, and is open night and day. The management has made these details perfectly plain through a rubber stamp which is pressed upon each "professional copy" of sheet music received from New York publishers. The four pianos in "Chambers' Place'-' pequire considerable music. The manage- ment discovered that the "prof, copies" were being stealthily removed by the male visitors to the resort. The rubber stamp was invented to inform the women folk at home where the music came from. It has remedied the light thefts. Kan- sas City men are not bragging about their midnight visits to a dance hall with "eight wine rooms." . BALLETS FOR "ADVANCED." DUPLICATE MOVING PICTURES. Philadelphia, Oct. 18. Mark A. Luescher visited the Forrest Theatre on Monday, bringing over from New York the film for the moving pic- tures called "The Dieppe Circuit" (auto- mobile races in France) and the pictures were shown for the first time in that Announcement has been made by Kh*w" ^v w . , A . „ . ., , . . J " Jnouse on Monday afternoon. hrlanger that a large and important ad- <^ ; f The same series has been on view for the past two weeks in Keith's and in use & Erlanger that a large and important dition to "Advanced Vaudeville" will soon arrive in the form of ballets, to be given as the closing number of the shows pre- sented in the larger cities on their circuit. Through arrangement with the Empire, London, several of the si>ectacular danc- ing productions made there will be im- ported. An American idea will be em- bodied in the "Ballet of America," which may be presented at the New York within six weeks, and before the first of the for- eign subjects, to he "Les Papillion" ("Butterflies") is shown. Alfred E. Aarons, who, while abroad last summer, commenced the preliminary negotiations with the Empire manage- ment, will be the general director. About 300 girls will be employed in each. This is the scheme mentioned in Variety some time since when it was said that numbers of females would be gathered to- gether by K. & E. in one act. Ballets will play the K. & E. vaudeville theatres in Boston, Chicago and Philadel- phia, besides New York, interchanging. For Boston "Monte Cristo" will be the first seen; in Philadelphia "Ballet of the Diamonds," and Chicago "Coppela." When these take to the road, as fast as a vacancy occurs will be given "About Town," to be followed by "The Press Ballet." The last two will be purely American productions, although 50 coryphees, ior- nierly principal dancers at the Empire, will he brought over here. A school for dancers will be opened on the New York Theatre roof this winter, and the young gentle American taught graceful steps gratis to keep the ranks supplied. at several houses on the Keith circuit. Mr. Luescher claims the American rights for this film were secured by Anna Held on her last visit to France, for which she paid $2,000. It is probable that some ac- tion will be taken in the matter. When asked if the film used in the Keith house was a "copy," Manager H. T. Jordan stated that he knew nothing about the matter except that the pictures had been in use for some time. NEW ACTS IN WILMINGTON. Wilmington, Del., Oct. 18. On the bill at the Garrick this week are three new acts, "breaking in" here. Johnny Ford, with a company of seven persons, is playing a condensed version of "Lovers and Lunatics," the former piece he and Mayme Gehrue were featured in. Geo. K. Fortesque has "A Tale of a Goose" with four assistants. Clarence Wilbur is making a first ap- pearance in "The New Scholar," with a company of eleven. Veda, of Veda and Quintarouw, broke his arm while playing at Greenville, O. The act will be obliged to lay off for six weeks. Duncan and Godfrey, an English team playing a sketch called "Me and *Er," open on the United time Nov. 4. CARRIE DE MAR'S SINGLE ACT. On October 28 at the Keith-Proctor Twenty-third Street Theatre, Carrie De Mar will appear as a single act in char- acter impersonations and songs. Her hus- band, Jos. Hart, has written all the musi- cal numbers which Miss De Mar will sing. There will be several changes of cos- tumes, and Miss De Mar will confine her stage presence to "one," excepting for a few moments when she will be in "two." Mr. Hart describes his wife's act by say- ing "Altogether new. One in 'one.'" Time beyond the opening engagement has not been taken. Mhirphy, Whitman and Company, in "Old Friends," have accepted time over the Sullivan-Conajdine circuit. They open this week inSrfnnipeg.