Variety (March 1908)

14 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation, First Appearance or Reappearance in New York City. William Rock and Maude Fulton, Colonial. Richard Golden and Company, Hammer- stein's. "Casey's Court," 125th Street. The Four Everetts, Pastor's. Tippel and Kliment, Pastor's. Billy Court, Pastor's. Bailey and Girard, Pastor's. NEW ACTS or THE WEEK Nance O'Neil and Company (3). **The Jewess'* (Dramatic). 18 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). Fifth Avenue. Never again let it be said that dramatic subjects of sombre color are impossible to vaudeville. Nance O'Neil is enjoying a big success at the Fifth Avenue Theatre this week in a tragic episode adapted from **Leah, the Forsaken," a success that is as much a popular achievement as it is an artistic triumph. Miss O'Neil undertakes a tremendous task in attempting to tell the heroic story of "The Jewess" and clothe the tragic figure of Leah with its splendid dignity in the trifling length of time to which a vaudeville number is limited. That she accomplished this seem- ing impossibility is no mean tribute to her genius. The playlet sketches out the bare outlines of the old drama in a rather dull preliminary scene between Farmer Jones (McKee Rankin), Joseph (Dallens Anderson) and Dame Groschen (Clara Bracy), paving the way for the real scene, Leah's terrific denunciation of her faithless lover. Miss O'Neil's entrance found the audience restless and ill at ease after the prosy, rambling talk of the minor characters. In thirty seconds the tragedienne had fixed their attention and until the final curtain released them from the spell of her splendid acting the audi- ence was lost in breathless attention. One gets an impression of boundless reserve behind Miss O'Neil's emotion even at her tensest moments, and there is hypnotic suggestion of power in her deep, vibrant voice, a voice that matches the dignity of the quaint, almost scriptural language of the playlet. Miss O'Neil held the stage practically alone for ten tense, breathless minutes, working up to the teprific climax, which was as easily within her grasp as the earlier, quieter passage?. In fine, Nance O'Neil is altogether splendid and worth going to see, and so her New York vaudovillp audioiicos oxpressed tlipniselves this week in terms of unmistakable em- phasis. Rush. Isabelle Peyrant and Her Dogs. 22 Mins.; Full Stage. Pastor's. Isabelle Peyrant, with her dogs, is in New York probnbly for the first time this week. She should not return until her act becomes entitled to a metropolitan showing, and for that purpose should re- main on the smaller time. At present there is no marked trick or feature. The tricks are too often repeated, one poor little canine being compelled to jump back and forth, over and through objeets, until it seemed really pitiful, especially when the act is doing "three." That must be too many performances daily for any pni- mal act, rpgardless of its merits. Sime, Cecelia Loftus. Imitations. 29 Mins.; Four (Parlor, ig); One (10). 125th Street. That incomparable mimic, Cissie Loftus, has returned to vaudeville via Keith- Proctor's One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Street Theatre. Miss Loftus surprised all the knowing ones Monday evening by receiving a reception which caused her to extend the number of her imitations to ten. The surprise was in the 125th Street audience taking to Miss Loftus in the manner it did, the expectancy having been that her work would be a trifle "fine" for this house, especially as on that night Miss Loftus commenced with Oonnie Ed- diss in "The Girl Behind the Counter," following with Olga Nethersole, and hav- ing in her repertoire also Alia Nazimova along with Caruso "on the Gramophone," Miss Loftus accompanying herself upon the piano. The gallery was inclined to re- bel at the first two, but Miss Loftus' supreme art forced itself home. Her lighter numbers, including Alice Lloyd, Hattie Williams, Bert Williams, Geo. Walker, also one of herself singing "The Hoodoo Man," carried the day finely. Bar- ring a hat, cane and a shawl or two, Miss Loftus gave her imitations without any change of costume. She is just as girlish in appearance as ever, and has no diffi- culty upon her reappearance in justifying the claim made for her that she is the Queen of Mimics. While the applause could have been more voluminous and spontaneous at times, it was merely a matter of subjects. No doubt on Tues- day Miss Loftus rearranged her program. Sitne. Charles Mack and Company (5). "Come Back to Erin." 19 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). Novelty. "Come Back to Erin" is built along the same general lines as the old Callahan and Mack classic, but somehow lacks some of that piece's delicious humor and pictur- esque atmosphere. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that the semi-straight role of Charles Mack is brought more prom- inently to the fore. On its" own merits the sketch is genuinely likable, a faithful bit of character drawing and a capital ex- ample of fine humor, and it is only in comparison with the offering of the old team, whose separation must still be a matter of regret to vaudeville devotees, that it seems to lack something. Mr. Mack draws the type of the wide-awake, rollicking young Irish-American with a sympathy and conviction that no one else seems to catch. The role of second im- portance, "Kerrigan, one of the old sort," is nicely handled by W. P. Kitts, and Mrs. Charles Peters looks the old Irish mother to the life. Anna Frazor and Ella Bas- ledo make a vivacious pair of dancing and singing colleens, and the whole cast works together with a fine attention to pictur- esque detail. :Mr. Mack's Irish ballads, played on the pipes, gave the act an add- ed touch of sentiment, and a quiet singing finish turned a very pretty nimiber off neatly. Rush. Bert Leslie and Company (3). "Hogan in Society" (Comedy). 18 Mins.; Full Stage. Colonial.-;,, ■-^^; .•, ^-',--y :"'■':.. Bert Leslie offers a new chapter in the "Hogan" series, written by himself and Junie McOee. He is provided with a complete new outfit of "Hogan" slang, a bit forced in places, but as picturesque and startling as the old line of mangled English. One trouble with "Breaking Into Society" is that it attempts to tell too much obvious story. The characters speak for themselves, and a great deal of the explanatory dialogue is superfluous. The opening, too, is rather drawn out, and some little time is wasted before Leslie's entrance. After he gets into the dialogue with the girl (Maude Emery), however, the number runs entertainingly to a ridiculous finish, that brought a startled laugh from the audience. The sketch tells the story of "Hogan, a bartender," who conducts one Tom Edwards (Ed Gillispie) home after a frolicsome night, and goes to sleep on a sofa in Edwards' house. He is found there in the morning by Ed- wards' sister, and mistaken for the girl's sweetheart in disguise. Under this mis- apprehension he is asked to dinner, and at the instance of Edwards, shows the girl by his rowdy table manners that he is "a rank outsider." Leslie stands be- side the dinner table to deliver a semi- pathetic speech at the finish, ending with "I'd go through anything for you, kid," and thereupon walks through the trick table. The sketch should work out into a fairly good successor to "Hogan's Visit." Rush. Brockman and Ford. Songs and Talk. 18 Mins.; Three (15); One (3). Keenej^s. This is the first metropolitan showing of the new firm. Brockman was formerly of James Brockman and Company, while Ford was until recently the "straight" end of Ford and Swor. The two men should be able with a little care and thought to frame up an entertaining specialty. Their present act has the appearance of being slapped together in a hurry. The pair de- pend almost entirely upon the singing, devoting little time to talk, and in this they are wise. Mr. Brockman has a splen- did voice, and if he can convince Mr. Ford that the one who makes the most noise is not always the best singer, Mr. Ford will be of value in the act. The pair could just as well frame up the entire offering in "one," where it belongs. The opening number has been poorly chosen and a se- lection that would better show off Mr. Brockman's voice should be utilized in place of "Money Won't Make Everybody Happy," a mushy song full of George Co- han "philosophy." The Italian number at the finish, when properly worked out, will give the act a good finish. Mr. Ford's Italian get-up is unconvincing. He takes the trouble to make a complete change and even dons a moustache, but neglects to change his patent leather boots (with light tops). The act was liked at Keeney's Tuesday night. Danh. Ameta. •,■■•, ^ ■^ ■■ ■ Fire Dancer. -S-'. 12 Mins.; (Full Stage). : Keeney's. _ Although Ameta could hardly be called a "new act," it is some time since she appeared hereabouts, and she has never been reviewed in this department. Four dances are shown, the first a Spanish num- l)er, which allowes her a much wider scope than is usually granted in the terpsicho- rean line in acts of this nature. The "Butterfly" dance is the second, in which the light effects are more in use, and several pretty effects are shown. The third is the fire effect, worked up nicely to a strong finish. This was the best liked. The closing is the "Lily," and earned several curtain calls. The light effects are nicely handled and well devised. No clashing of colors is allowed to creep in, and the Stars and Stripes, pictures of President Roosevelt and the like, are gratefully omitted. There are more op- portunities for seeing the dancer than in other similar acts, and Ameta strikes one as being far ahead of the usual run. The act easily held and pleased the Keeney audience. Dash. Mile. Murelli and Scott Snowden. Songs and Dances. 15 Mins.; Three (Interior). Pastor's. No sooner had Mile. Murelli commenced to sing "That's What the Rose Said to^ Me" than one-half the audience at Pas- tor's Tuesday evening must have mentally inquired why she titled herself "Mile." It was unsolved at the finale of the sing- ing and dancing act the young woman, •'assisted" (another query) by Scott Snow- den, presents down town for the first time in the city. The singing is all by Mile. Murelli. Besides the "Rose," there is "Just Someone," the pretty number and hit of "Lonesome Town," but which "died" on ,14th Street. Miss Murelli has not a strong voice. Mr. Snowden at the opening is a "wench," wearing a brown half-mask. Changing to civilian's clothes, he is pre- sentable, and does his best work with simple sketching in chalk, the dancing not reaching very far. The girl looks well in a change of dress towards the closing, but the best which might be said for the offer- ing is that it is a pretty little act, and should work in "one." The setting, sup- posed to be a studio, was quite sparse and unnecessary, as there is not suflTicient story to follow. Sime. "The Three Vagrants." Musical. 18 Mins.; Two. Pastor's. A guitar, flute and accordeon, played by "The Three Vagrants," gave a composite imitation of a hand-organ. It was a funny musical combination, only offset by the very excellent tenor of one of the men. A comedy makeup is attempted by each, and that is also funnv, while the little cr>'n- edy striven for fails to catch on. The men have endeavored to emulate the "street trios." They might do for the small time. Sime. (Continued on page 25.) Caused by a cold, Estelle Wordette and Company were oblip^ed to cancel Orpheum, Yonkers, this week.