Variety (March 1909)

12 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial Presentation, First Appearance or Reappearance in or Around New York City. Andrew Mack and CO., Hammerstein's. Oecar Loraine (New Act), Hammer - etein's. Henry Helme, Lincoln Square. Mabel Bardine and Co., Alfaambra. Minnie Selifman and Co. (New Act), Orpheum. Peelaon, Goldie and Lee, Greenpoint. Cnbanola Trio, Columbia. Zarrow Trio, Columbia, Fillers and Vinton, Bijou, Brooklyn. Mme. Sire, Perth Amboy. J. C. Mack Co., Perth Amboy. Ditiel and Mclntyre, Perth Amboy. HaDam and Stanton, Bayonne. lfada Morea, New Brunswick. NEW AGTS Or THE week] Ifance OTfeil and Co. (3). *?i^eo Seward" (Dramatic). 16 Mine.; Fall Stage (Special Set Interior) sesth Street Of the many from the dramatic field who hare at intervals invaded the vaude- ville territory, giving nothing more than a name, Nance O'Neil is one of the bril- liant exceptions. She has shown before this that a dramatic playlet properly placed and played could be made a success in vaudeville, and Miss O'Neil is demon- strating the fact at the 126th Street house this week. "$1,000 Howard" is a dra- matic incident with many commendable points. It tells a thrilling little story, contains some action, and allows plenty of opportunities for Mfas O'Neil's wonder- ful speaking voice, that lingers with you long after the playlet ends. The piece is bound to "get to" an audience, for it holds suspense to the finish, as does Mi«^ O'Neil's acting. Nance O'Neil is force- ful at all times, but never theatrical. She resorts to no stage trickery, some think necessary in the vaudeville, but plays the piece legitimately. The story is of the West. Miss O'Neil is married to a pros- pector who believes he has been cheated of his share in a big paying gold mine. He holds up the train which carries the frst large shipment from the mine. A search for the man is instituted and $1,000 reward offered for his capture, dead or aKve. Hearing his wife is very ill, he re- turns to his shack, where he discovers the message to be a ruse by the officers. The wife pleads with him not to leave again without taking her with him over the border. He consents. She leaves to se- cure a horse from her father, who owns the adjoining property. During her ab- sence ( the sheriff and his deputy enter the hut, and in trying to escape the man is shot. The Sheriff believes that when the wife returns she will readily identify him as her husband. She returns, takes in the situation at a glance, and denies any knowledge of who the apparently dead man is. The Sheriff, half convinced that Ha has znada ju- mistake, leaves to bring back the girl's father for confirmation. When he ha§ left the woman revives her husband, dragging him from the hut. Whether they cross the border safely is left to the imagination. William Ronelli and John McKee as "The Man" and "The Sheriff," respectively, gave excellent sup- port. Some of the success that the sketch achieved may also be attributed to the short time required in the playing. Dash. Johnny Bush Trio. Acrobatic and Talk. 13 Mine.; One. Hudson, Union Hill, N. J. (Week March 8). You have probably seen a great many cute youngsters both on and off the stage who could sing and dance or speak a piece and in a way that would do credit to many older people, but when you hear a child seven years old tell humorous stories in an intelligent manner, getting his points over besides carrying the proper facial expressions and gestures with them, it would seem the limit had been about reached. This is what seven- year old Johnny Bush is doing, and even in Union Hill where the saloons are twenty paces apart and the women don't know that there is such a thing as a millinery shop, they recognised something cut of the ordinary in him. The act proper is acrobatic, with Papa Bush doing acro- batic work on a specially arranged tra- peze, and the little girl of the trio, only ten years old, doing some capital contor- tion stunts. Johnny doesn't figure in the acrobatics to any extent. He stands on the outside making remarks and clown- ing. The "kid" is just a natural born clown, with a style of his own. He is nway ahead of the talk that has been handed to him and deserves better ma- terial. The present dialog gets away solely because of Johnny. The act was on early ("No. 3") at the Hudson, and held up the show. Dash. Brothers Wynne. Acrobatic 11 Mine.; Full Stage. American. The Brothers Wynne have added great value to an excellent acrobatic offering of the hand-to-hand balancing kind through a novel manner of presentation. The two men wear street clothes of a foreign cut. They meet in a casual man- ner on the stage, exchange salutations in the usual way, going directly into acro- batic work in a quiet, deliberate manner that is both amusing and interesting. Each trick is finished up in the same way, the brothers coming to the position and walking slowly about the stage, appar- ently deeply interested in conversation. The tricks, while most are of the more difficult sort, have been seen before, but never have they been shown with greater skill or with smoother finish. A new trick and one that looked as though it might be a corker was attempted three times on Monday night and given up. It woulid have been worth while trying later, as the house showed great inter- est in it. Two fox terriers are on the stage while the act is running. Without being spoken to they assume different positions after each trick, making an in- teresting and amusing addition to the offering. At the American Monday night the Wynne Brothers were a big success, and their future on this side is assured. Dash. Ce Dora, "The Girl of the C.olden Globe," opens March 22 at the New York Hippo- drome for a run, placed there by Pat Cnsev. May Florine Linden. Songs. Manhattan. May Florine Linden is on for a run at the Manhattan where the young woman sings a couple of songs four times daily, having been "discovered" by the Manhat- tan's manager, William E. Gane. For the class of . theatres known as "picture houses," under which classification the Manhattan appears, Miss Linden is a "find." She has a soprano voice of un- usual quality for the surroundings she is now in, and her singing immediately tells a story of vocal cultivation at some previous time. On Tuesday night, ap- pearing at 10:40 (fourth and last show), Miss Linden sang two songs. The first "That's Why I Am So Fond of You," having a couple of "incidents" between verses, very neatly handled by the girl. In the other song, a new one just out, Miss Linden did really excellent work, considering she must have been quite tired at that hour. A "plant" assisted for the second chorus. For "picture houses" Miss Linden is a high-class act. For tha smaller vaudeville time, she could pass as a "single," but for the better time, her chances would be greatly improved by "doubling up" with either a man or wom- an. Miss Linden is rather prepossessing, on the brunette side. Sime. Emily and Jessie Dodd and Co. (a). "Dutton's Claim" (Comedy Drama). 16 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Exterior Set). Columbia. Jessie Dodd is the same who formerly played the sister, Nancy Bird, in "The Magpie and the Jay" with Carleton and Macy. In that sketch she had a splendid character bit as the sharp-tempered coun- try woman. The same type is used in "Dutton's Claim," but to no purpose, be- cause the sketch is impossible. Miss Dodd's character work is as faithful as of yore, but the present vehicle sets it at naught. The plot is about two sisters (the Misses Dodd) who have located a mining claim. Claim jumpers plot to steal it from them. While one of the sis- ters is absent, the other (Jessie Dodd) is lured away and the "jumper" takes possession. Here enters a western gambler, who wus a former suitor of the younger sister. He defeats the plans of the in- terloper and finally kills the outlaw. It appears later that the outlaw had murdered the Dutton girls' brother and the gambler's act of vengeance replaces him in the good graces of his old sweet- heart. All of this story seems to happen out of sight. The best for the audience is a second-hand narrative. Besides which there is no suspense in the whole pjoceedings. If, for instance, the audience knew that the claim jumper murdered the brother there might be some reason for interest in the relations between him and the gambler. As it stands nobody iV interested in the killing until long afterward, when the gambler tells why he did it. The only item vorth while in the act is the rural character of Jessie Dodd. That deserves a good vehicle. It is lost i:f 'Dutton's Claim." Rush. Saharet. Dances. 13 Mins.; Full Stage. American. Sahsret arrives from the other side just as the dancing erase, which has lasted since the first "Salome" was sprung on the New Yorkers last summer, is on the wane. We have had all styles and condi- tions- of dancers since then and it was conceded that the American girl, who has been away from her own country so long that very few think of her as belonging here, was up against a rather hard propo- sition. Judging from the reception Mon- day night Saharet will overcome all ob- stacles and prove not only a successful act, but a drawing card as well. Monday night the boxes held not a few of New York's society folk. The most promi- nent were Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lehr and Mrs. Herman Oelrichs. They left im- mediately Saharet had finished her turn. It isn't the dancing so much that brings Saharet to the front, although she ranks very well among those who have shown ij- similar work. She is possessed of personal beauty to an unusual degree, and this with a pleasing personality and a reckless abandon in her dancing makes her immensely attractive. Three costume changes are made. The first, a hoop skirt or crinoline affair which requires an interior set of a Colonial style to sustain the atmosphere, was very pretty and showed the dancer at her best. There is a short stage wait necessary after the dance which is filled in by allowing the stage to be set in view of the audience, a good idea and one that might be worked more often for the same purpose. The second dance was a whirlwind affair with much whirling of skirts and kicking. The last was a Spanish number in which a male assistant was employed. It was very well done and made more interesting than the usual Spanish dance through Saharet's disregard for some of the finer points of dancing. Several huge bunches of flowers were passed over the footlights to the dancer and she took many legiti- mate bows Monday night. Dash. Lydia Barry and Elfie Fay. "An Evening Call." (Comedy). 14 Mins. Full Stage (Interior). Hammerstein's. The old variety name of Barry and Fay blossomed on the New York billboards again this week, when Lydia Barry and Elfie Fay, daughters of the old time come- dians, appeared at Hammerstein r s in a light sketch by George Felix. It is a hazardous experiment to face that Vic- toria audience with an untried vehicle, and so the Misses Barry and Fay found it. They have the making* of a capital of- fering in "An Evening CalT," but it needs building up and support toward the end. 'i 11c opening, in which the women have eight minutes or so of sparkling give and tnke cross talk, went splendidly. Then they went into imitations, showing how different celebrities would sing a song called "Spaghetti Row/' and here the act sapped a little. A few lines of dialog ami a bit of comedy closed the act very neatly. The pair were placed between two d'ahcing and» singing comedy acts, and this worked scmewhat to their disadvantage. Rush. The Hengler Sisters t* ill appear in New York on April 19, at the Colonial.