Variety (December 1907)

' VARIETY 89 ffLcrry Cbrietmae and f)appy JVew X FROM AND HIS MERRY Si NIGHT OWLS" COMPANY THE BIG LAUGHING HIT OF THE EASTERN WHEEL. THE SHOW THAT IS TALKED ABOUT EVERYWHERE. The Press and Public's Praise is Unanimous, "A REAL SHOW." "Welcome to Our City. With Open Arms We Greet Thee" Management of LOUIS IN LAST MONTH AT THE WINTERGARTEN, BERLIN THE ACT THAT IS MAKING ALL EUROPE LAUGH. LEONARD THE AUTOMOBILE COMIQUES Will be back in the spring, with the funniest quick action comedy act in this advanced stage of variety. LA VINE Regards to Mush. Remember us to J. B. Jimmie the Pig says he never will get wise to this foreign language. They are great choosers over here, but if they try to do this act they will have to buy a gasoline wizz wagon; and the pigs here have a union. They won't work for scab labor. ATLANTIC GARDENS 50-S4 Bowery, near Canal Street, New York WILLIAM KRAMER'S SONS, Proprietors The Grandest and Most Popular Family Retort in America O F» E IN ALL YBAR AROUND Every Evening and Saturday and Sunday Matinee Grand Concert and Refined Uaudeuille Only Playing the Best of Acts CHARLES ESCHERT, Booking Manager illy Noble "THE DIXIE BOY." Blackface Comedian, "20TH CENTURY MAIDS." Jeanne Brooks "THE GIRL WITH THE SMILE." Principal female part, Weber & Rush's "Parisian Widows" Co. ENGLISH MUSIC HALL OUTLOOK. (Continued from page 29.) quite good enough for any hall in the kingdom have grown disgusted at being kept waiting, winding up the matter by taking a quick boat to other shores. A little bolder booking and more intelligent risk running would be • a good thing for London. If it really wants good and won- derful acts it must "take a chance" occa- sionally. The Knglish manager is the most hon- orable in Europe; everybody says this, and it must be so. He has also rare courtesy and consideration, and as a gen- eral proposition wants to do the right thing. Those who break through the bar- riers and become established here are taken close to the British heart and treat- ed the best way possible, but London is so vast a world that the general trend is perhaps unwittingly toward the neglect of talent. The struggles here of poets, painters, geniuses, all go to show the hard way of this town with the gifted and as- piring. The most important coining event is the Coliseum opening, and an interesting breakaway from the older West End methods is the Stoll idea of discarding 'runs" and giving an entirely new show each week. Mr. Stoll has thought out this latest venture so carefully, and pro- jected so many improvements on old ways of doing things, that success can be safely predicted for this house of marble halls. One by one our outlying theatres are turning into halls, and variety is more than ever the rage of high, middle and low. During late years more turns have had royal commands than ever, and His Majesty King Edward and all the Royal Family have shown especial friendliness toward the once humble specialty artists. The knighting of Sir Edward Moss was meant to seal our class with royal sanction. The new halls of England are beautiful in the extreme, and are ages ahead of the older places, whose antiquated stages and sparse room belong to another era. Frank W. Matcham & Co., our leading music hall architects, are responsible for much of the improvement. In the leading halls close observers will see much transatlantic influence. Thus the Coliseum looks like a dream that was born after looking through Keith's Amer- ican establishments (excepting the Union Square and one or two others). The uni- formed attendants and door people at the Hippodrome and elsewhere look like transplanted articles. The blaze of lights outlining the Surrey Theatre looks like Fred Baugh's appropriation after his trip to Chicago. And so on. The refinement of programmes, elimination of waits, and various other things show marked Amer- ican influence. In return no doubt some European methods have gone to the U. S. A. theatres. Just now the pantomime boom is in the air, though in truth the biggest panto- mimes have been more or less in incuba- tion since February last, while scenes were, being painted midsummer. At Drury Lane when one pantomime closes the work on another one starts, and all must admit that these shows are put on in great fashion here. The chief pantomimes num- ber about 14, but each subject of course has many variant books. The best co- medians make a great deal of money from pantomime engagements, while (he lesser girl talent also has a chance at the game, and supernumeraries greatly thrive. The pantomime outlook was never bigger or Letter, and when that is over we trust to find the halls in better shape than ever, with award contracts every- where and artists and managers pulling with one stroke. When answering advertisements kindly mention Variety.