Variety (December 1907)

VARIETY NEW YORK. It's not an especially attractive bill considering the^ season, although it runs nicely in a mildly interesting way. The entertainment would be infinitely better for a larger proportion of comedy acts, the present selection running very much to straight and semi-straight numbers. The lack of a star feature and the close ap- proach of Christmas probably combined Monday night to bring about what was easily the smallest audience that has greeted an opening since the New York played vaudeville. Notwithstanding the absence of Trixie Friganza from the bill the show ran until after 11 o'clock. The only change in the order was a shift of Fred Niblo from opening the intermission to No. 4, follow- ing Josephine Cohan, both numbers being held over for the second week. Margueritie and Hanley opened the show with their acrobatics and equilibristic feats. The woman acts as undent* nder in a first-rate series of hand-to-hand feats. She is a stocky young person of extraordi- nary muscular development, and her weight seems to rob her of graceful bear- ing. The pair have a good closing trick and left the stage to real applause. Frosini, "the wizard of the aeeordeon," justly and aptly so termed, scored solidly in a poor position, and Josephine Cohan and Company did extremely well with the comedy sketch "The Girl of The Times,'" thanks partly to her peculiarly pretty and graceful dancing, of which the audience had only a glimpse. It would fain have had more of this. The sketch runs its course quietly with only a fair average of laughs in the dialogue, but a swift and unexpected denouement is ample compen- sation for the absence of rougher laughing values. Fred Niblo has changed his monologue for the second week's stay in this house. It was hard to get the audience started toward a demonstration of approval, but when he had wakened them up, they re- sponded cordially and forced a little cur- tain speech. In delivering his talk Mr. Niblo assumes a confidential attitude to- ward his audience that is immensely ef- fective. The new text bristles with point, and is handled with Niblo's old unetuous- ness of manner. Hardeen (New Acts), who plays his first Metropolitan engagement, closed the first half. Jewell's Manikins was one of the hits of the evening. A new opening has been arranged with pretty effects and a ridiculous "Teddy bear" dance, was a high- ly appreciated feature. Jack Norworth is singing two new songs of a topical flavor with no end of up-to- the-minute verses. One verse of "This Is No Place for Me" will be subjected to cen- sorship in some houses. The text of his discourse is the same mingling of new and old Norworth patter. It went extremely well. Hill and Silviany closed the show. The routine is away from that of most of the other cycle turns, and the presence of an especially attractive woman, an alto- gether charming figure in white tights, goes a long way to make the number in- teresting. Arthur Hill handles a striking specialty with smoothness and certainty, and dresses for his semi-acrobatic specialty as well as though he were playing a "straight" speaking part in a legitimate comedy. Rush. UNION SQUARE. "The Star Bout" is the attraction at the Union Square this week. There is just about enough melodrama in the playlet to satisfy. Taylor Granville gives a first rate performance and the supporting cast is adequate. Laura Pierpont a»* luayine Brady is pressing the star hard for first honors, her work standing out boldly. Joe Welch is rather hurting his other- wise splendid dialect stories by going in for parodies at the finish. Mr. Welch is a finished artist and the decent to parodies has a tendency to cheapen his offering. It may be that the comedian has found the present material, which is not up to his usual standard, is not strong enough to carry him through alone. If such is the case new material should be the an- swer, not parodies. Land has a few new scenic changes to offer. He is now using a short film of pictures to fill in the wait before his final dance. There is also a new costume cre- ation for"Flie opening number that is a wonder. The impersonator had no diffi- culty in holding his audience, and the buzz in the house after he removed his wig more than made up for the lack of ap- plause. Vinie Daly showed a couple of corking costumes. Miss Daly carries her own vel- vet drop which sets off her dainty cos- tumes to the best possible advantage. Her dancing, of which there is a goodly variety, was received enthusiastically. Hassan Ben Ali's Troupe of Arabs put an amount of life and dash into their work that is nothing short of amazing. The fast work at the finish with every member of the troupe in action had every- one in the house sitting on the edge of his seat. Much of the pyramid work could be cut to make way for the ground work. Ethel Macdonough, the "Girl Behind the Drum," has a pleasing specialty that makes its strongest bid through its nov- elty. Her xylophone was in bad voice Wednesday afternoon, at least something was the matter; it may be just possible that the orchestra was at fault. There were two or three other numbers on the bill with whom the orchestra didn't agree. Rather late in the week to be having trouble with the music. The Althea Twins when they got down to their acrobatic dancing were well liked. They are not very strong in the voice de- partment, but the acrobatics and dancing easily makes up for the shortage. The McCarvers have redressed and im- proved their specialty greatly since first shown early in the season. In its pres- ent shape the offering will stand compari- son with any in its class. Two Juggling Barretts introduce a bit of a novelty in their boomerang hat throwing. The work has been shown be- fore, but never in as advanced a form as by the Barretts. It forms the main por- tion of the offering and it passes through rieelv. Harry Corson Clarke and Company caught a fair percentage of laughs with their more or less amusing skit "Strat- eay. n Lvons and Parks are under New Acts. Danh. PASTOR'S. A glance over the various vaudeville bills at the local theatres for the past couple of weeks would seem to indicate that there is a scarcity of acts in "one." Pastor's has not been unaffected. A Pastor bill of more than average, merit is suffering en this account. Harry Thomson is the only act on the program all in "one." "The Mayor" is following pretty much the same routine as when last seen and was the usual riot at this house. Williams and Melburn were a substan- tial hit with their musical and talking specialty. Miss Melburn has a pleasing voice, handled with judgment. She is in- juring her appearance by wearing an un- becoming gown. Mr. Williams makes a good light comedian and contributes a quantity of first rate banjo playing. His dressing is a little out of the ordinary, being exaggerated just about enough to be funny. Le8 Jundts, a special feature, offer a neat equiiibVf&iic act, well liked. T'we young woman is a bright, snappy little worker, with plenty of magnetism. Her willingness and engaging smile put the pair in the good graces of the audience, and the several striking head balancing tricks did the rest. Murphy and Dunn are back again, well down on the bill, where they belong. The Irishmen are big favorites, and had no difficulty in holding down the position. They are among the last of the old-time Irish comedians, and the reception proved the audience liked this style of entertain- ment as well as ever. Flatow and Dunn were the only ones of the early acts to gain distinction. They cling pretty closely to the old style minstrel blackface, but manage to make it go with some first rate soft shoe dancing. The woman has a good "coon" dialect, and contributes most of the dancing. She should take more pains with her make-up, and the dressing could also be improved. Mr. Flatow does some simple tumbling and handles the negro character nicely. The pair do better than the average early entertainers at Pastor's. Harrington and Martellea, in a sort of a Mistress and Slavey arrangement, devote much of the time to travesty. The Mistress is stage struck and has a few minutes to run over her lines before somebody comes or the play begins or something like that ij about to happen. She presses the slavey into helping out, and what follows is sup- posed to supply the fun. The Pastorites get no less than two of these travesty things a week, and they have to eome pretty good to reach at all. The Misses Harrington and Martelle missed. It was hard to tell just what the Turn- ers were trying to do. The man put on a short skirt, perhaps exacted to cause much mirth. The woman did some rather good acrobatic dancing and high kicking, a saving grace. The Two Ilcnnings opened. The Zoy- arras, Zaniloch and Company, the Charron- Moran Company and Una Clayton and Company are under New Acts. Dash. TWENTY-THIRD STREET. It was the night before Christmas And all through the hou^e Nothing but empty seats. That's a Billy Inman bit of verse, for the most part deliberately stolen from some one who must have composed ihe original after visiting a theatre on Dec. 24. That day should be declared a na- tional holiday for thespians. Tuesday evening at Twenty-third Street it seemed more like a convention of under- takers than a vaudeville audience. The few people in the theatre had a lonesome look. Whether they chanced in the house to dodge their creditors or to evade the purchase of Christmas presents, of course, one couldn't tell, but their very presence might have been deemed antagonistic to the performance. Frankie Bailey drifted in, occupying a stage box with a couple of escorts, and watched the mournful proceedings. In the rear of the house a manager from a New Jersey town followed the show closely in order to obtain a "line" on the acts. It might surprise the manager to know the only act he expressed himself about said they would not play his town if he paved the stage with thousand-dollar bills. Mr. New Jersey manager remained for all of the show, and at least he was in New York City. That fact must have been a balm to the artists on the bill also. What must Christmas Day be in the tanks? Some of those places where the inhabitants break loose once yearly, selecting Christ- mas as the occasion, when they can safely drink a glass of cider. And the artist must listen to the prominent citizens telling each other what the children said when they saw their presents, and how Joey screamed at 5:30 a. m. with joy, waking up the family, who then arose to see the pin-wheel papa had bought Joey for use next July. It can't be quite as bad in a large city, but the Twenty-third Street crowd was little short of frozen. They seemed to be dreaming, but none of the acts com- plained. It was expected probably. Another point in favor of the actors was that they did not slight their work. Applause and laughter were both there, but it did not sound real, for who can be in a theatre and still be happy and sober on .Christmas Eve? New Year's sobriety is held back on probation until after the performance, but that is different. In "Taking Chances," the Dolan and Lenharr sketch, there is a Christmas tree as a 'prop," but the audience was so ashamed of itself, it declined to notice the coincident. The bill at the Twenty-third Street house this week is composed of Maddox and Melvin MeKenzie and Shannon, Hatty's Bears, "Big City Quartet," Dolan and Lenharr, McMahon and Chappelle and their "Pullman Porter Maids," Walter C. Kelly and "Our Boys in Blue." *S'ims". The Darnett Brothers and Miss Sylvia, a foreign act imported by Richard Pitrot, opens on the Western States Vaudeville Association time at the Empire, San Francisco, Jan. G. The engagement of Harry Cooper, the comedian of the Empire City Quartet, to Dora Lazarus, a non-professional, is an- nounced. A reception will be held next Sunday, Jan. f>, in the ballroom of the Alhambra, Harlem, and the wedding has been get for next June. Gussie Nelson, of Hanson and Nelson, had a visit from a reversible Santa Claus this week. The Santy who remembered Miss Nelson removed her $100 fur muff, and she will give up her hopes for next Christmas to know where it is.