Variety (November 1907)

10 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation or First Appearance in New York City. ( NEW AGTS Or THE WEEK ) Harry Lauder, New York. Hanvaar and Lee, New York. Jean Clermont, New York. Schenck Brothers, New York. Hal Davis and Company, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street. Corinne, Colonial. Minnie Duncan and Arthur Godfrey, Colonial. Henry Horton and Company, Twenty- third Street. _ Eddie Leslie (Reappeuranoe), Twenty - third Street. Le Maire and Le Maire, Pastor's. The Pelletiers, Pastor's. Adama and Mack (New Act), Pastor's. Madrid and Merrelli, Pastor's. Mitchell, Willard and McCarthy, Pas- tor's. Robert Dailey and Company, Gotham, Brooklyn. Dave Lewis (Reappearance), Grand Opera House, Brooklyn. Arthur Nelson and Company. "A Racing Romance" (Melodramatic). Five Scenes; Special Sets and Drops. Twenty-third Street. At the second public performance of "A Racing Romance," which occurred on Mon- day evening at the Twenty-third Street Theatre, there were delays occasioned by the character of the piece and the settings, causing the act to run twenty-nine minutes. This will be shortened materially when working smoothly. It may mean that a number of performances will have to be given before the piece is in proper order. It is a melodramatic sketch written around an automobile race. The finish of the con- test is shown by a swiftly moving pano- rama, the machine remaining stationary on the stage. The tonneau is off and fire belches from the exhausts, which, with the noise, gives an intensely exciting effect. The final scene shows the automobile against the judges' stand, declared the winner. The opening details the story, and leads up to the race. Arthur Nelson is the star and author of the playlet, playing a professional driver in the sketch, which same capacity has brought him fame upon the automobile race tracks. Seventeen minutes in the first scene are required to bring out the plot, which includes a threat to blacken the reputation of Zack Claiborne (Mr. Nelson) unless he wrecks his machine, allowing the competitor's to win. Right prevails, how- ever, as might be expected, and Claiborne wins the race; also the girl, whose father he saves from ruin with the proceeds. In scene three, a drop represents a country road just before dawn and part of the race course, and here '"Neath the Old Cherry Tree, Sweet Marie," was sung by a young woman after her own fashion, and there is a musical number at the opening, besides incidental singing off-stage during the progress. The company numbers about twenty people, ■ with a colored steward supplying some comedy relief. "A Racing Romance" has possibilities as a playlet on the sensational order, without being terrifying in any way, but will have to be thoroughly worked our before complete success can be expected. Si'me. Six Brothers Luck. "The Demon in the Cellar" (Pantomime). 20 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). New York. The Six Brothers Luck are the latest Klaw & Erlanger European importation. They opened Monday afternoon in "A Night in an English Cafe," but changed to "The Demon in the Cellar" for the eyeningf show, the first named offering having sig- nally failed to please. "The Demon in the Cellar" is a pretty crude collection of rough knockabout comedy material, made universally familiar on our shores by the Hanlon Brothers' "Fan- tasma" and countless other pieces of the same sort. The Lucks have nothing to add to this style of humor as we know it on this side of the water. The inflated blad- der, seltzer syphon and slapstick have been relegated to obscurity and long since thrown out of burlesque over here, and only our visiting British cousins have the courage to bring them forth again. The sketch tells the story of a wicked uncle, who seeks to cheat his nephew of a fortune by means of a false will. The nephew dons a horned mask and red tights and haunts the old man into confession. The comedy comes from the clowning of a French waiter and an English soldier (Shaun Glenville Luck), who come a^ourting the uncle's house- maid, and are terrified by the appearance of the horned apparition. Shaun Glenville Luck makes a capital grotesque comedian and might, under more kindly circum- stances, be really funny, but the seltzer- bottle-bladder-slapstick mess that makes up "The Demon in the Cellar" leaves him stranded. The audience hoped for a min- ute that the introduction of acrobatics of some sort might enliven the proceedings, but they hoped in vain. It was just child- ish horseplay and buffoonery, almost with- out a redeeming virtue. *~ Rush. Hilda Spong and Company (a). "Kit" (Dramatic). 18 Mins.; Full Stage. Colonial. ■ A fairly compact, sketchy little story with a reasonably interesting plot is "Kit," but Miss Spong robs it of a good deal of its swiftness by keeping herself to the fore. At the opening she holds the stage alone for what seemed to be about five minutes in a sort of monologue which had but slight purpose in the preparation of the situation, which later was to de- velop into u climax. The time might much better have been employed in dialogue be- tween Kit and her father (Walter Hoew), a Western justice of the piece who is se- cretly a train robber. The sketch opens with Kit picking out a wedding dress from her trunks. She is to marry the sheriff, Bill Jessup (Arthur Behrens). A bearded face appears at the window and the father enters, removing his disguise. Upon the approach of the sheriff the father begs Kit to hide him, and she does, under the heap of her clothes. The sheriff explains the delicacy of his mission, which is the arrest of the father. The latter is dragged from his hiding place, but the girl begs that he be permitted to perform the mar- riage service before he is taken away to jail. The sheriff consents to this, but has no wedding ring. Kit suggests that the sheriff's handcuffs be used instead. Ac- cordingly she locks one bracelet over her own wrist and the other over that of the "easy" sheriff, and the curtain falls as the guilty father "beats it" to liberty. Miss Spong over-plays at nearly every point. Her methods are decidedly stagey and in addition she affects an indistinct, rapid enunciation meant to resemble that of Mrs. Fiske. Her support was quite ade- quate. Rush. Sampson and Douglas. "The Girl From Ware." 18 Mins.; One. Gotham, Brooklyn. They call it "The Girl From Ware," but the amateurish efforts of Mr. Sampson in a light comedy role, make the title M 'Ware the Man" seem more appropriate. The name rather suggests a sketch. This is false pretence, for the turn is merely a conversational act constructed along con- ventional lines. Miss Douglas gets a good start with a novel entrance. She appears from a basket presumed to con- tain a dog. Another novelty feature is the woman's return to the basket during a song by her partner. To the surprise of the audience she emerges presently, having made a complete change of cos- tume. There is a quantity of bright, snappy talk, the woman's end of it being handled exceedingly well. This is an un- usual circumstance. She is the real comedy end of the act, but her well- directed efforts are seriously injured by Sampson's "feeding." With a capable "straight" man, Miss Douglas could easily carry the number to success. Dash. Brown and Cooper. Talk and Songs. 15 Mins.; One. Pastor's. This is the Brown and Cooper's first real New York showing, although they have played several Sunday concerts here- abouts. Cooper has appeared at inter- vals during the last year with a various assortment of partners. In hi& present team mate he seems to have struck about the right party. Brown has a nice ap- pearance, a good voice, although not quite as good as he thinks it, and altogether has the makings of a tip-top straight man. At present he is inclined to over play. It may be the effect of the new material, or of the new partner; at any rate Cooper has improved a hundred per cent, since last seen. His Hebrew dialect is not dropped for a moment, and he is acquiring a style distinctly his own, al- though his appearance suggests his brother Harry strongly. The talk is fairly bright, and there are one or two new bits of business introduced which won solid laughs. The parodies as well as the song used by the "straight" man could be bettered. There is a third party em- ployed in a small way, who is just about good enough to be carried along. When the pair acquire an easy stage presence they should find desirable time. Dash. ' Carrie DeMar. Songs. 19 Mins.; One. Twenty-third Street. Carrie DeMar is in her first appearance this week as a single act at Twenty-third Street. Miss DeMar is singing songs, and changing costumes. The latter she does quickly, and as a "Fluffy Unfiles" girl brings to her credit, in the most difficult position on the program, a most emphatic hit with a song entitled "Lonesome Fluffy Huffle8." This is Miss DeMar's best num- ber and is an artistic bit of character work, the artist slowly transforming herself into a young woman with a "laughing jag" dur- ing the three verse*. The laughing is in- fectious, and the house joins in. For the final selection Miss DeMar is imitating one of those weird sopranos who crop up now and then on an "amateur night." but this could be dropped or replaced. Whatever is done with the act, "Fluffy Unifies" should be the finish, for not alone Miss De Mar's work in this is entitled to the very best of favorable notice, but she looks so extremely well that the impression left would be an additional drawing power for her on a return engagement. In another selection, "Sweetheart Joe." there is a rain- storm (picture) effect, but the comical point of the lyrics is not brought out. "The Kind of Girls Men Like" is Miss DeMar's opening number. The costumes worn are attractive to the women, and Miss DeMar seems to have discovered a new style in footwear. It is probably what is known as a "French slipper" with a high heel, but the heel itself looks like a thin strip of black it is so slight. Looking very pretty, and with plenty of spirit infused into her Sjpngs, Carrie DeMar comes under the head- ing one of the best single acts in vaude- ville. Simc. Alec Hurley and Company (17). "The Costers' Picnic" (Dancing and Sing- ing). 20 Mins.; Full Stage; Two; Close Full Stage. Colonial. For the number of people involved and the length of time occupied, "The Costers' Picnic" delivers a rather slight volume of entertainment. It is particularly lacking in real comedy, the dancing and singing being featured almost exclusively. The act is more of a rough character sketch. Dialogue is reduced to a minimum and very little interest is attached to the talk- ing. Mr. Hurley opens with a sentimental coster song, working in "one." The full stage is then opened up and a crowd of costers in characteristic costume is dis- closed. More singing and a dance step or two and the crowd starts for the" picnic grounds. A woodland drop is lowered in "two" and the members of the party are shown walking to the scene of the picnic laden with bottles. A midget dressed in ridiculous clothes furnished a light laugh, and Hurley was fairly entertaining in a "quarrel" song. The last scene is the pic- nic grove. A burlesque magician is intro- duced for a minute and the sketch closes with more dancing and singing, all of it rather listless and slow. To an audience interested in and familiar with the inti- mate habits of the coster the "local color" might serve to bolster up the act, but to the Colonial audience it was very much confused and a bit dull. Last week Mr. Hurley presented "The Costers' Concert" at this theatre. Rush.