Variety (December 1907)

10 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation, First Appearance or Reappearance in New York City. ( NEW AGTS OP THE WEEh] Susanne Adams, New York. The Georgettys, New York. Six American Dancers, 12,")th Street. Clarence Wilbur and Company, Orpheum. Eugene Jepson and Company, Gotham, Brooklyn. May Irwin. Songs. 16 Mins.; One. Orpheum. Four songs of two verses each and a short recitation in which she feelingly de- scribed the pathos of becoming fat, made up Miss Irwin's offering. She is growing fat—no, "stout" won't do—and at her entrance looks like a sister team. She might bill the act as "Me and My Adi- pose," because her lack of visible waist line furnished the subject of the recita- tion. There was no other talk. Time was when May Irwin was "coon-shouter-in- chief to the American public," but since then she has lost a good deal of her unc- tion, and others have usurped her place. She employed but one "coon" numher. opening with "Much Obliged." Her clos- ing song went the best. It is a newly pub- lished novelty number called "I Couldn't Come Home in the Dark," with a good comic story and a "snapper" at the finish. This won Miss Irwin a recall, and came close to saving her from what threatened to be a decidedly indifferent reception at the Orpheum on Monday evening, Miss Ir- win's first appearance in vaudeville in New York. Rush. Miltcn and Dolly Nobles. "Married Flirts" (Comedy). 27 Mins.; Full Stage; (Interior). Pastor's. The Nobles are slated to play two new sketches at Pastor's during the course of the week. "Married Flirts" is the name of the sketch selected for the first three days. The story is along familiar lines. A husband (Milton Nobles) is carrying on a quiet little flirtation of which Rose Mundy (Dolly Nobles) the wife's (Perla Landers) friend becomes aware. She im- mediately informs the wife and the two women plan.to square matters by impro- vising a little flirtation for the wife and letting the husband in on it. He falls in with it as only a flirtatious husband can. After the usual complication everything is settled to the satisfaction of the audience as well as the players. Mr. Noble handles a light comedy role nicely, although he doesn't seem to be able to altogether aban- don the drunk character with which he has been identified for so long. Dollie Nobles plays with a quiet reserve and looks as well as ever. Miss Landers has quite an important part and compares well with the principals. With several small changes and about seven minutes judi- ciously clipped the sketch should make an acceptable addition to the Nobles' reper- toire. Dunk. Marcel and Rene Philippart. "Diablo." Hippodrome. Marcel and Rene Philippart, two Frenchmen, are appearing at the Hippo- drome in exhibitions of the game called "Diablo," of which they are claimed to be "the inventors and world's champions." "Collier's Weekly" a short time ago in an interesting article on the latest European fad, stated the game is a revival, as it was popular in France as early as 1S12. The Frenchmen may be the champions of the world, however, as far as America knows, but what is more important to the Hippo- drome audience, they put up an interest- ing and pleasing performance. "Diablo" is played with (for an understandable de- scription) what might be likened to a skipping rope fastened to two sticks; the sticks held in the hands. The loop is not as large nor the rope as thick, it being twine. A small piece of wood or rubber like two tops placed together, the smaller ends meeting, in looks resembling perfect- ly the old time hour glass, is thrown in the air, caught on the downward flight out the string, balanced by the quick jerking of either or both the sticks, keeping the string moving, or, as the men at the Hip- podrome play, it is rolled around the string and thrown once again in the air from the other side. By spreading the arms, thereby shortening the loop, the player can throw the double-top at an acute angle or cause it to make a wide circle. The Frenchman stanJ on opposite sides of the stage, making some of their throws very swift, and on a direct line al- most, catching all accurately, returning without a swerve. It is as interesting as club juggling, and "Diablo" will become a favorite in vaudeville, if it is exhibited by experienced players. The II<ppodroa.e per- formance pleased much, and the performers could probably have shown many other tricks had their time not been limited. Sime. Jimmie Lucas. Impersonations. 12 Mins.; One. Twenty-third Street. Jimmie Lucas is a Westerner. "Imper- sonations without the aid of make-up" is what the program says, and it is a fairly good description. Impersonations in this case, however, don't mean the imitating of several "-tars," but simply give the comedian a chance for showing how a dancing comedian, a German, Hebrew and several other familiar vaudeville types would deliver a popular song. A different selection is used for each character. With the exception of the first, they are well chosen. The opening number, as well as the character, a soil of George Cohan im- itation, should be replaced. Mr. Lucas las i youthful appearance. He lives up to it by putting plenty of life and snap into his work and was a solid hit in the "Number Two" position. nosh. Florence Gale and Company (3). "The Girl Who Dared" (Comedy). 24 Mins; Full Stage (Interior; Special Set). Fifty-eighth Street. Anybody nowadays who puts on a corn- ed v talking sketch which is not a drama- tized family row and in which there i# no plate-breaking, husband-baiting or such like breach of the public peace, does a public service. When, in addition to these virtues, the sketch delivers a concise lit- tle plot, illumined with consistent and in- telligent humor, the producer becomes a public benefactor. Miss Gale is this and a rather clever comedienne besides. The I heme of her story is rather familiar, to be Hire, but its virtue is in the telling. Miss Gale plays the daughter of a rheumatic Ger- man general. He has selected an unknown husband for her. Daughter is not in for this sort of canned, predigested matri- mony. She disguises herself as the £on- in-law-elect, who is a lieutenant in the army, and presents herself before papa determined to disgust her parent with the bogua suitor's rowdy manners, so that when the real lieutenant-suitor pays his expected visit on the morrow he will be turned away. The scheme i# working beautifully, when lo, the real lieutenant arrives inopportunely. But "The Girl Who Dared" has been assigned to the only guest chamber, and so it comes about that the pair (both young men as far as the servants know) are placed in the same room. The real soldier asks the girl about hi,s bride-elect, whom he has never seen, and receives a rather shocking description of her from her own lips. A duel is narrowly averted, and the inoi- • lent makes the girl think rather well of her fiance. The situation is neatly worked up and lias good comedy value. "The Girl Who Dared" is finally forced to dis- close herself, and the curtain finds the pair headed for the altar. Miss Gale ha,s made a veritable production. The setting Itat a German massiveness and gloom which throws the blue, white and scarlet of the military uniforms into bright re- lief, and the whole piece has the attrac- tiveness of distinctive and picturesque dressing. The three men, father, lover and a man servant, play quietly but well, and the young lieutenant (the program unfortunately did not give his name) was ;i splendid looking figure in his lieutenant's uniform and made a graceful lover. It ush. Joseph Sheehan, the tenor, opens De- cember 30th at Ciwise's. Washington. The ad w.is booked by Alf. T. Wilton last week, at a large-sized figure for a single act in these times. The condensed version of "Carmen" is not ;ii ihe New York this week. It ap- pears :it the Grand Opera House, lirook- lyn, commencing Monday. Pike Brothers. Songs and Dances. 11 Mins.; One. Pastor's. The brothers are showing a singing and dancing offering of the familiar type. The Hinging is about on a par with the brand usually heard in this kind of offering. The dancing is fairly well handled, the team dancing especially standing out. The boys wear rather good looking white suits, but Spoil the effect with ugly blue stocks. There is a noticeable lack of ease and grace which should be overcome with work. The act did much better than the usual opening number at Pastor's. Dash. Milton and Dolly Nobles. "Like a Thief in the Night" (Dramatic). 20 Mins.; Full Stage (Interior). Pastor's. "Like a Thief in the Night," the second of the pair of new sketches Mr. and Mrs. Nobles are "trying out" on the down town audiences this week, shows the players in a different light. The playlet is dramatic, meant to be intensely so, but in this it falls short by a goodly margin. There is no action to speak of. At one time it seemed as though some- thing would happen. The story is of Dick Logan (Milton Nobles) who breaks jail and comes to the house of John Fowler (II. S. Sigginp) bent upon killing the man who had prosecuted and convicted him of murder fifteen vears before. He meets Fowler's wife (Dolly Nobles). She learns his purpose and later finds out that the convict is her brother. Upon the lawyer's entrance the ex-convict secretes himself behind a screen, learning that by the in- fluence of the attorney he was pardoned. The sketch is nicely put. Dash. >H t Pauline Pauli and the "Bowery Boys" (5). Songs, Talk and Dancing. 16 Mins.; One. Pastor's. Although the billing reads "Pauline Pauli and 'Hoys' " it should be "Boys and Pauline Pauli." During the sixteen min- utes the act runs the girl sings one song I'nd is on the stage al>out three minutes altogether. Most of the time is spent in an argument between two of the young men as to whose girl Miss Pauli is. There rrc five boys employed, and at one time it looked as though it were to be a singing i'umber, but only two of the youngsters Sang. Neither possessed a voice good enough to hold down a job in an average quartet, liven though the boys represented street i'i chins, it is not necessary that the cos- t iimea he unclean. Miss Pauli also of r ende<l iii this regard. Dash. Mirza-Golem Troupe. Acrobats. Hippodrome. The Mirza-Golem Troupe are announced as Persian*. They were the feature of ItingHug Brothers' Circus the past season. This is their first showing in New York. The act occupies the Hippodrome stage alone while performing. Several extra per- sons costumed similarly Appear, but there seem to be only eight people concerned in the acrobatics, seven men and boys and one woman. Some minor ground tumbling by the youngsters affords breathing spells, but the fine points of the troupe are brought out in the "Kisley" work, also on a perch, the pole being balanced on the un- derstander's shoulder, unsupported. In this, for the first time wen over here, two people work on the upper part of the pole—first a man, who is afterward given a boy to hold, the boy passing to him from the top of another pole. Several new tricks in "perch" work are shown, and the .same is true of the "Kisley." It is a big and fine act. . Simc. Jos. McShane has a sketch written bv Sf Allan Lowe, and named "The l'.oo,ster." Three people will be concerned in the production, which will shortly be made.