Variety (March 1909)

18 VARIETY HAMMERSTEUTS. The retirement of Willa Holt Wakefield from the bill after the matinee perform- ance Monday left the program one act ahort the usual number. The eight acts, however, are adequate as to quantity at least. The show runs well along after eleven o'clock. This doesn't mean that the quality is not up to the mark, for it is an entertaining performance. Era Tanguay is the star attraction and the perpetual motion comedienne drew a full house. Miss Tanguay seems to have lost some weight since last seen, but the fire and ginger remain. The count of the songs sung was lost at six. "I Don't Care" had to be given to satisfy the house. There were a couple of real hits in the body of the bill. Kajmer and Brown, in a revised dancing specialty, made one. When the pair first showed at the house some time ago in aa early position they gave promise of developing and they are traveling in the right direction. A very neat stage setting is now employed. The ballet girl bit is retained. It is in much better shape than formerly and got by. They will replace it eventually very likely. A new Scotch number is daintily handled by Miss Brown. The chatter song used by De Haven and Parker is well handled, the accompanying dancing being exceedingly well done. The finish, introducing the dances of nations, brought the couple back to an endless succession of bows. Kalmer an4 Brown are comers sure. World and Kingston, a real vaudeville act, opened after the intermission and carted off a big share of the honors. The act is practically new to the house and from the reception it would seem that a few new faces now and then might help some. World and Kingston really do things. The several bits shown, which give the act welcomed variety, are ell well done. Miss Kingston is a lively, gingery little person who works as though she enjoyed it. She afforded a real sur- prise at ths finish wjth a bully singing voles. Mr. World handles the comedy to Just about the right degree. Mr. and Mrs. Marie Murphy were on •No. 3" and carried a good percentage of laughs with them throughout. Mr. Mur- phy has his own peculiar style and the funny catch in his speech is always good for a laugh. Mrs. Murphy is still the good-natured "feedei," and hasn't lost any weight during tie past season. The Wroe Trio opened the program with a very good dajneing specialty. The Trio confine themselves strictly to danc- ing, and pass with i|. The dressing could be improved. Rajah continues at the south end of the program and manages to hold them in even after Eva Tanguay. Cook and Stevens were "No. 2." 'Trimmed," New Acts. D**h. BEST LESLIE RETURNING. The tour of "Fluffy Ruffles," in which Bert Leslie is the principal comedian, will close April 13. Mr. Leslie is preparing to return to vaudeville on the Monday fol- lowing with one of his comedy sketches. Both the vaudeville factions have ten- dered offers of time. The father of Miss Dale (Trainor and Dale) died March 5. AMERICAN. When a house holds a show playing as well as it looks on the billboards, the management ought to be highly pleased with itself. This is happening at the American this week, or at least did so on Monday evening, when a shift in positions after the matinee brought the results. The bill drew in proportion to its quali- ty. It was a capacity audience. One person in the management said the box office rush commenced so early, "the bill- boards" (passes for window privileges, etc,) were given "standing up seats." There were five or six large sized hits on the program, with no one leading. The Laurence Irving sketch (New Acts) and Joe Welch jointly headlined. Mr. Welch offered an entirely new Hebrew monolog, brightly written, with some of the points aiming high for immediate laughter, but it all "got over" in one way or another, and is about the best talk Welch ever had excepting that "dope" routine. Welch combines with his story- telling, character acting as the poor for- lorn-looking Hebrew, always with a tear or two in his voice, and he was a steady laughing riot. The American holds but twelve numbers for the current program outside the pic- tures. The bill runs its usual course, partly through the time occupied by Mr. Irving and Harry Von Tilzer. Von Tilzer is "plugging" songs. When he gave some variety to this last week with a couple of youngsters, it really became a part of his act. Now it is plain "boosting" with three "plants" for the "patter" cho- rus of "I Don't Care." It's three too many, for Von Tilzer doesn't need any. He is one of the big hits, singing his own songs and singing them as no one else can. Mr. Von Tilzer probably places more expression into a popular song than has ever been given to one before. There's too much "song plugging" in the show, led by the "pictured melody" turn, sung this week by one Lazarus in place of John Nestor, the slide and sheet fixture here. If the illustrated song number is to be allowed to take the usual "plug- ging course" with what that means in a first-class house, then it should either open the show or be thrown in the dis- card. The other "plugger" was Bill Dillon, who followed the whole bunch of singers at the bottom of the bill, and went through like a race horse considering his position. Bill is exposing "plugging" as Jack Norworth exposed imitations. Dil- lon sings "For Every Holler You Raise Me a Dollar," and says "Come on now with a hip, hurray." The house hurrahed its head off, which shows how "soft" it is. In the song (the only new one Dillon sang) he holds a "plugging" "ontest, hav- ing the audience yelling "hurrah" for Vesta Victoria, Maggie Cline and Emma Carus, forgetting a couple of hundred others. It's a very good idea, and a great finish for Bill, who is a great comic song singer with a capital G. Campbell and Barber (New Acts) sup- plied the lively start the show needed and Mayme Gehrue and Co. reappeared in the "western" sketch "June," a story well laid out with not an overstress of dramat- ics, but holding singing, dancing and fun. The finale seems to have undergone a change since first presented and might be improved, but the sketch was well liked, Miss Gehrue's good looks and dancing do- THIRD AVENUE. The Third Avenue's policy of giving six vaudeville acts and a reel of moving pic- tures for 10 and 15 cents, appears to have caught on quickly. Tuesday night, in the face of most discouraging weather, the house was comfortably filled. The boxes were all occupied. This week's en- tertainment is not up to the shows last week and the week before. It is irrepar- ably injured by "The Hook" (New Acts), a sorry attempt to manufacture a comedy act out of the "amateur night" vogue. The number put a "crimp" in the whole show, and the other five acts were not up to the task of pulling it up to a rea- sonable average. The Rice Brothers opened with a com- edy bar turn in which the comedy was a negligible quantity. For the finish they go through a short routine of straight work that indicated unmistakable ability in the acrobatic department. One of the men does a series of giant swings from bar to bar and turns off with a good flyaway. Why not scratch some of the comedy and work out a clean, quick routine of straight feats in its place? Harry Thompson came across with a life-sized hit. Down on Third avenue (where as he said he had appeared the lord bnly knows how many years ago when H. R. Jacobs owned the house) "His Honor" waa very much at home. He had the advantage of showing types familiar to his audience and every local prejudice worked to his advantage. Besides which the audience at the Third Avenue is strong for dialect stories. Mr. and Mrs. Murray Ferguson carried the good work along. They have strung together fifteen minutes or so of travesty that runs at top speed with a song or two interpolated to break up the monotony of continuous dialog. A dance step or two advanced the number and a ridiculous cos- tume on the man provoked laughter. A short, snappy finale in "one" closed the act nicely. Mrs. Ferguson makes a change for this part. She wears knickerbockers, and in place of boots was incased in hideous leggings to the knees. These were worn under the skirt at the opening and gave her a most awkward under-dressing when the hem of the skirt was raised dur- ing the dance. Vaughn and Peterson substituted for Taylor and Fabian. They are a colored dancing and singing pair, and likewise venture upon a bit of talk. The man has a fairly good eccentric dance for a finish, quite the best thing of the turn. Both do well enough with their solo singing, but the duets need attention. They are at odds with each other in the harmony. Deodato. magician (New Acts). Alice Fischer sings the illustrated songs, and thereby becomes one of the large ap- plause winners of the show. Ruth. ing the most, even if she did sing. The remainder of the cast is more fully capable as a whole than usually found in the highest priced playlets. The Taylor Twin Sisters dressed the stage with their bright costumes while roller skating neatly; Kelly and Adams opened; Willie Hale in next to closing held the house with juggling of light ob- jects, hoop rolling and other things and The Say tons closed. Sime. LINCOLN SQUARE. Just how far the show at the Lincoln Square would get this week without the name of James J. Jeffries at the head of it may be judged by the fact that the lower floor was practically empty as late as 9:30 Monday evening. The first three turns showed to the upper portion of the house only. The house filled, however, and there was a light string along the back rail after intermission. The pres- ence of several speculators in front of the house may have been responsible for the front rows filling up so tardily. The bill itself was rather a dull affair with no one paying any especial attention to it. There was a general exodus after the feature had appeared. A big feature of the Jeffries kind is likely to draw peo- ple into the house that are not accus- tomed to attend variety shows, and were they given something attractive, might think it worth while to drop in more often. Comedy should be the bait offered. In this respect especially the bill falls short entirely. There is only one real comedy act on the program. It was Charles Sweet's luck to be that one, and what he did was a-plenty. They fell for him in all directions. Sweet did so well a speech was demanded, and he appeared just before Jeffries at that. Sweet is funny, unquestionably so, and he makes a first-rate husky-voiced tramp, but there is no reason why he shouldn't dress the character cleaner. It would be just as funny and a great deal more sightly. Lucy Weston, moved from next to clos- ing to "No. 4," scored a big success, due almost entirely to a new song which gives the audience an open chance at shouting a catch line. They did it with a venge- ance. It was a good audience for Miss Weston's gingery lyrics. Miss Weston is wearing a new brown gown with a hct to match that shows her off to the best possible advantage. The Fassio Trio closed the show. The Trio appeared at the Hippodrome last December and they were with the Barnum & Bailey show at the Madison Square Garden last spring. There are four peo- ple in the act, although it is called a trio. One woman does nothing but hover around the stage in a long black gown. The other girl is the feature of the act. She does a one-hand stand on the head of one of the men while he walks up and down stairs that is quite a striking bit of bal- ancing. Mr. and Mrs. Lucas were on "No. 3," be- fore all the audience had been seated, and did very well considering. The couple, beside the unfavorable position, were be- fore a house knowing little of Dickens, and caring less, which made theirs a diffi- cult task. The Goyt Trio opened, playing to tho empty seats. It is a clean, fast-moving acrobatic and animal act that ordinarily would pass nicely. Mills and Morris en- countered the same condition second. Maude OdCll showed very little for the amount of time and preparation consumed. The Musical Spillers also appeared. James J. Jeffries (New Acts). Dash. Joe Raymond has left the booking offices of Wesley & Pincus. Mr. Raymond has located in the St. James Building, with Geo. Toner, a cartoonist, who will caricature in black and white for artist? desiring unique billing and lobby material