Variety (November 1907)

8 VARIETY Oct: 19. From last Monday to Wednesday stock in the new Coliseum Syndicate, Ltd., was on sale. The object of this new company is to acquire the property, said to have cost altogether over $2,000,000, for $965,- 000 from the trustees of the debenture holders. The house will open Nov. 25 with a working capital of about $65,000. This is believed sufficient. A few struc- tural alterations are being made, and the stage brought forward to be within better earshot for sketches and talking acts. On the basis of the 1905 receipts the revenue is calculated at $375,000. Oswald Stoll, chairman and managing director of the syndicate, puts the approximate expenses at $250,000, leaving a probable minimum profit of $125,000. Straight vaudeville of the best order is now to have a run at the Coliseum. It is thought the house will get its second wind under the new direction. New underground railway facilities now make the Coliseum more accessible than ever. Concerning the Sharp Brothers engaged for four weeks at the Palace, and who stayed two, their friends desire a fair state- ment of the case. They claim that the orchestra, despite being one of the finest in London, found their tricky rag time music, with its curious waits and beats, a little too Americanese for their ultra-classical method. When the boys sought to get the matter adjusted the conductor rather rose in the air, saying: "I am the director of the Palace orchestra, and refuse to be dic- tated to." One night the boys got tangle- footed trying to keep up with the music, but the curtain did not fall on them, as they danced off the stage before the drop "came pitter-patter down." They then got their escape papers from the present manager of the Palace, whose name slips my mind for the moment. The American exodus seems to have stirred the managers to look for new ma- terial, and Stoll is advertising two trial matinees for new variety artists, the first at Hackney Empire Nov. 7 and the second at Shepherd's Bush Nov. 14. Mr. Stoll advertises for acts unknown to the management, "either because they are new to the stage, new to this country, or new to London." It is rather doubtful if these matinees will amount to much, judg- ing by the light of past experience. A for- mer venture of this kind at Hackney was very queer indeed, and so was one given by Barrasford at the Lyceum. Where these managers fail is in wanting everything so dreadfully "new," the practical result being that they get a lot of amateur riff-raff. The most really great artists are not "new," and Mr. Stoll would succeed better by giving a chance to some of the time tried talent that has been waiting years for a go at his circuit; but then—THEY want money. Winfield Blake and Maude Amber have made a nice success in their first West End appearance at the Oxford. The Tribune says, in quite an extended notice: "Their act is an affair of hurricane swiftness, In which the blatancies of cheap melodrama and the methods of grand opera artists are delightfully skitted. Both Winfield and Maude sing capitally in the "straight" way, but the spirit of grotesqueness and broad caricature prevails, and the turn is, to borrow a colloquialism from the other side, "a scream" from start to finish. Bennett and Sterling, refined comedy en- tertainers, played Richmond, the try-out house of the Stoll tour, very successfully, and open at the Liverpool Empire Oct. 28, with tour to follow. The Hippodrome is still booming, Fatima Miris offering $5,000 in gold to any one who can prove that she uses a double in making her mid-stage run behind changes. No doubt they will be able to save all that money, since we know what wonders can be done by pulling a costume string, with- out any alter ego. She has had a lot of booming, the truth seeming to be that the Hippodrome hired her last June, after which sensational cables flared in the papers, followed by statements that all the managers were after her, but the Hippo- drome had scored with $1,000 a week, the highest ever, etc. Still she is lovely and clever, and her quickness is accounted for by her being an American, that is, a South American. The Water Rats gave the first of three projected flying matinees at the Alhambra Theatre, Brighton, the program being a blaze of starry names, and will follow next Tuesday at the Birmingham Empire with an equally brilliant show. The Water Rats are an old and wealthy order, and are generally speaking an aggregate of pro- fessional tiptoppers. In Mammon Agent Hugh Jay Didcott writes about the order: "Joe Elvin is responsible for the inception of the Rats, whose story is curious. An ardent sportsman, he used to own a trot- ting pony called "The Water Rat," and, with a little party of friends, followed its many matches. The victory would be cele- brated by a little dinner, at which the at- tendants were mostly music hall celebrities. After dinner, many matters of import were wont to be discussed. Gradually the group was augmented, and so began an organiza- tion—convivial, commercial, charitable, above all, confidential; but, in the aggre- gate, the powerful domination of every music hall movement of the day." Harry Lauder is now on the ocean; you will soon be able to judge for yourselves as regards his voice, humor and smile. Harry's smile, by the way, is one of his most individual characteristics. E. E. Giles, who several years ago was very popular as manager of the Battersea Empire, has been reappointed to the same position by Humphrey Brammall, and as- sumes charge next Monday. He is well above the average as a "hustler," ana* has a large following of friends. Of the seaside places this queer season Blackpool came out best, and the Tower has declared a dividend of 6 per cent, with a bonus of 1 per cent. The Winter Gar- dens declared an untaxed 4 per cent, their gross profit for this wayback season being something over $55,000. NEW YORK REDUCES TO $i. Commencing Monday at the New York Theatre, the price of admission to that house for the best orchestra seat will be $1. Heretofore it has been $1.50. Announcement was made during the week through advertisements that during the en- gagement of Harry Lauder at the theatre "popular prices" would prevail. This in- cludes the dollar rate. It is unlikely that a return will be made to the present $1.50 scale, the prevailing opinion since the opening of the New York with "Advanced Vaudeville" having been that the prices were too high for a variety entertainment. — The matinee prices will be 25 and 50 cents. It is possible that a uniform price of the first figure will be established for the entire lower floor at the matinee shows. The advance sale of seats for next week has been enormous for a vaudeville theatre. The reduction in prices, together with the general interest shown in Mr. Lauder's debut, brought a steady line to the box office during the latter part of this week. PERTH AMB0Y CLOSES. The vaudeville theatre operated by Man- ager Rose in Perth Amboy, N. J., closed last Saturday night. All artists received salaries. The house has been running three weeks, bookings being handled by Jo Paige Smith, in the United Booking Of- fices. It was announced that vaudeville would resume in a few weeks, the closing being caused by the necessity of installing a heating plant and rearranging the elec- tric wiring of the building. The electric equipment was put in only recently and the fire underwriters refused to pass it. Mr. Rose declares that the house is not for sale, although he had under consideration an offer last week. MAY SHIFT IN MILWAUKEE. Chicago, Nov. 1. There is a rumor to the effect that when the New Majestic, Milwaukee, opens Klaw & Erlanger will transfer their vaudeville now at the Shubert to the Davidson. The New Majestic will be booked by the Western Vaudeville Association, some prominent managers of the agency controll- ing the new theatre. VIRGINIA EARL ALONE. After filling her contracts for the Poli Circuit it is probable that Virginia Earl will be seen in a single talking and singing act. Raymond Brown has written a musi- cal monologue for her. CRUSADER IN NEW YORK. Canon Chase, whose self-imposed mis- sion in life is to rescue this great and glorious land from the baleful influence of the iniquitous Sunday concert, has come a-crusading over into Manhattan. This week he addressed a number of public meetings. At one of them, in the Harlem Branch of the Y. M. C. A., he urged the young men to write letters of protest against Sunday amusements to Mayor McClellan. The mayor's clerical staff will be pleased at this novel method. A M0N0L0GISTIC MANAGER. Philadelphia, Nov. 1. Chummie LaMarr, the English singer, is no longer on the K. & E. Circuit. It is understood that Miss LaMarr held no con- tract from the "Advanced Vaudeville" man- agers. She had been playing engagements as booked weekly. Following an appear- ance at the People's, Philadelphia, last week, she was informed by the Morris Office the report from that house would prevent further time being given. MLss LaMarr had been successful over the K. & E. time, and from outside sources it is learned the house manager, Robert Watt, of the People's, perhaps though in- nocently, had much to do with the failure of Miss LaMarr in his theatre. Mr. Watt is a manager with a mono- logue. At each performance , he appears upon the stage, reciting to the assembled audience the excellence and merits of the bill for the following week. He has con- tracted a habit of terming the coming show as "the best ever in this theatre," which may or may not have an influence upon the reception received by the current attractions, the average audience not caring as a rule to rest under the impression that the best show is one week away. For a week before Miss LaMarr appeared at the People's Mr. Watt twice daily ex- tolled from the stage her virtues as a sing- ing comedienne, assuring the audience she was the only truly bona-fide rival of Vesta Victoria and Alice Lloyd. The patrons of the People's were keyed up to expect a sen- sation. Miss LaMarr suffered in con- sequence, and the house manager, who was also the monologist, sent in the adverse re- port. Whether he mentioned the other facts as here detailed is not known. ANNIE YEAMANS STARTS. On Monday at the Mt. Vernon Theatre, in the town of that name, Annie Yeamans, "the grand old lady of the stage," will make her vaudeville entrance as a monol- ogist. Miss Yeamans has other time to follow with her act, which will consist mostly of talk, closing with a song and dance. FIELDS AND WARD CANCEL. Fields and Ward cancelled their con- tract with Klaw & Erlanger at the Peo- ple's, Philadelphia, last week. One story had it that the pair had refused to jump from Philadelphia to Louisville. Another was to the effect that they quit after a dis- agreement with the Klaw & Erlanger New York office. It is said they were notified they would play the Academy of Music in New York for the Sunday night performance, receiv- ing extra compensation based upon a pro rata division of their weekly salary. The comedians refused to go for less than the amount they have been accustomed to re- ceive for Sunday night appearances. Dave Lewis will open as a single act on the Klaw & Erlanger time Nov. 4. Mr. Lewis, who recently was shot in the hand by a careless revolver which a stage man- ager handed him for a "prop," declined an offer from the Shuberts for "About Town." The Lutz Brothers will have a new act to show In about six weeks. It is now being prepared.