Variety (March 1909)

VARIETY 17 AMERICAN. The show opened rather slowly but it quickly began to pick up speed and never stopped to the finish. The failure of An- nette Kellerman to give her diving act, the feature of the bill, was only a partial disappointment, for the Australian "Venus" appeared in her swimming clothes and gave a little physical culture exhibi- tion, which allowed the display of her cameo-like figure. Monday evening a society gave a theatre party. It was a large proportion of the audience and gave the house a chummy at- mosphere that contributed something to the sunccess of the show. John Nestor and his illustrated songs, and the "Song Writers' Contest," both among the first four numbers, rather over- loaded that portion of the evening with singing. It gave the house time to fill up, however, although Car on and Herbert, who were between the two numbers, suf- fered somewhat thereby. Hubert DeVeau opened the show. Charles R. Sweet was "No. 5/' and the bill really started with him. mere are capital comedy values in his single musical turn. He has a first rate quiet method of delivering his well-constructed talk. Saharet carried the bill forward nicely with her sprightly dance. Saharet has beauty and grace enough to hold her audi- ences without any heavy act. Her simple dances keep interest, although her man as- sistant does little to strengthen the turn. Mills and Morris offered their minstrel cross talk, dances and singing to a sub- stantial amount of applause. The talk In spots savors of conventional "end man" patter, but the girls handle it very well, and the novelty of the blackface girl ar- rangement gives them further appeal. Another effective comedy number was the sketch of John C. Rice and Sally Cbhen. They are giving "The Klepto- maniacs/' The pair make it a splendid laughing incident. They are one of the most legitimate of the light comedy couples in vaudeville, and their ability to make reel comedy without resort to the grotesque or extreme stamps them with distinction. May Belfort returned to metropolitan vaudeville under the independent manager. Probably because of the length of the bill •her series of character songs was cut some- what. Monday night she sang only two numbers, closing with "The Rake's Pro- gress," still, as always, an applause getter. Miss Belfort seems to be more effective in "work having a dramatic tendency than in the lighter style of entertaining. Her opening number, "Jolly Fine Company," was rather mildly received. The brothers De Wynne were in a most important position for a dumb acrobatic number, but they did even more than make good; they actually gave the show a de- cided boost. The smooth, easy manner in which they move from feat to feat while seemingly carrying on a casual conversa- tion gave the turn an excellent background of pantomime. The feats themselves show almost perfection of acrobatic style, 'lhere is not a bit of pretense in even the most difficult combinations of hand-to-hand balancing and no effort to work up interest by "stalling." Cliff Gordon came back to the American with a whole new line of topical comment. He was the hit of the bill. Lowe and Martell, xylophonists, closed the show, and ■did remarkably well with their straight musical turn in that position. Rush. LINCOLN SQUARE. The inaugural of the "15 acts" at the Lincoln Square occurred Monday, follow- ing the system which has proven so suc- cessful at the American Music Hall, also booked by the William Morris office. Monday evening a very fair sized house greeted the first offering, many seeking the first balcony where smoking is per- mitted only. The showing made was greatly beyond what has been customary at the Square for the past few months when no big feature has been there to attract. Of the fifteen programmed spaces, "No. 1" was Overture; "No. 2," illustrated; songs; "No. 3," a "ragtime piano contest"; while two others were described as "Blaneyscope" and "Curtain." Mile. Vanity, billed, did not appear, leaving nine actual vaudeville acts. Of these Amelia Bingham is the largest, with her husband, Lloyd Bingham, replac- ing Lynn Pratt in the support Miss Bingham, who seems to be losing weight, gave three scenes from as many different plays, and they were greatly enjoyed, though two were hinged on the "from the people" theme. A couple of "single" musi- cal numbers were Edouard Bosanquet and Henry Helme (New Acts). Both got over nicely, Bosanquet especially, and this helped a somewhat peculiar program, show- ing no life of any moment, excepting Mitchell and Cain, who did very well ("No. 5"), dp to Ed Blondell and Co., in "The Lost Boy" ("No. 7"), the laughing hit* of the show. Everybody doesn't laugh at Blondell the first time, but they do afterwards. This makes his act valu- able for comedy purposes in a show, and the Lincoln Square could use with ease a great deal more of fun this week than is there. The other comedy moment was when Stella Mayhew, next to last, caused some ripples with her impersona- tions of "types," concluding with a new song. The Three Lloyds closed. Around the centre of the bill, Maude Odell, her "models" and her company came forth in another "hold over" week. Maudie is now the sole rival of Rajah in New York as a permanent "hold-over." The "Ragtime Contest" was saved from a flop by the third and last of the players, one E. F. Kendall, who played his own composition. The other two were Bert F. Grant, the singer of "The Nicolet" song at the American last week during "The Song Contest" there, and Louise Leon, who handed a couple of wallops to Jean Schwartz's "Whitewash Man." The "Rag- time" thing looks as though it would be a turn-over sure. William Robbins is about the best "ill. song" singer about, but the songs opened the show and could have stood a number or two before that. Black and Jones, colored, shivered with the cold at the start, but pulled out through their hard work toward the finish. Simc. Cri'ut News Item: The Two Bills (Mor- ris and irammerstein) shook hands in the United States Court the other day, re- newing a friendship abruptlj' broken up about a couple of years ago when oik; Willie quit the other. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Lewis will shortly present a new sketch, "Thou Shalt Not Steal," by Edith Sessions Tupper. COLONIAL. The attendance at the Colonial Monday night was rather light, and judging from the mediocre program offered it hardly seems probable that the business could have improved a great deal as the week progressed. Ordinarily the lay-out might be adjudged a fair vaudeville show, but more than that is expected at the Colonial. The audience was most quiet and reserved throughout. There were no "riots"; no "big hits." "The Musical Elephants," playing a few weeks in vaudeville between the engage- ment at the Hippodrome and the future engagement with the "Bill Show," sup- plied the novelty. The act is seen to much better advantage in the theatre than at the "Big House," although the animals as well as women employed were not accustomed to the theatre surroundings and made a bungle of several bits. These were excus- able, this being only the second perform- ance in the house. The act caused con- siderable comment, but as might be ex- pected was no great applause winner. A wait that should have been filled in caused the house to become a trifle nervous for five minutes before the number appeared. Anna Laughlin , and Joseph Howard shared the headlines with the circus turn. Mr. Howard has done away with the Chinatown drop in "one," but is still sing- ing "Dreaming." The cowboy get-up has also been dropped. A Tuxedo suit now gets the call, and it is an improvement, but why the white waistcoat, standing collar and white tie with the dinner jacket? Better interview a haberdasher, Joseph. Anna Laughlin is still just Anna Laugh- lin, pretty, dainty and likable. Chas. W. Bowser, Edith Hinkle and Co., are playing "Superstition" at the Colonial for the first time. The audience didn't seem quite able to make up their minds for a while whether to like the sketch or not, but they became interested as the piece advanced and sounded a note of approval at the finish. Miss Hinkle was either suf- fering from a cold or has gone back in her work since the play was seen some time ago. In a Valcska Suratt gown she looks the part to the letter, but her play- ing was at times far from convincing. Mr. Bowser as the political boss goes through easily, while Frederick E. Duff, the re- porter, gives a good account of himself. The ReifF Bros, opened after intermis- sion and were a disappointment. The brothers, to sum the whole thing up in a nutshell, are not working. They have a very good medley of popular songs for an opening in which they do some dancing. As an opening it Is bully, but after the medley they do nothing but three or four minutes of "kidding" at which they alone laughed. The applause received was for some dancing. It seems too bad to see a first-class specialty act pass up its real strength, which, in this instance, lies in the dancing. Charlie Case was one long string of laughs in the first half of the program. There were several new stories mixed up ssiih Falliei's lihtie encounter with John L. James Harrigan replaced Holden's Mani- kins, and the tramp juggler must be given credit for the hit of the evening. Har- rigan has a way of going after the audience and getting them that is almost sure to succeed. Harridan's talk at add moments is still a little risque, but the audience didn't mind a bit. Wills and Hassan have just about the BIJOU. Tho only thing about the Bijou enter- tainment that is cheap this week is the admission scale. The show itself is the equal of the average in a high-priced vaudeville theatre as a clean, consistent, swift-moving performance. There were a few dull moments during the early portion of the bill, but things quickened steadily and the latter half moved on greased wheels. This was in part due to the presence of "The .Star Bout" as the clos- ing number, one of the most pretentious if not actually the largest turn that has played in a 10, 20 and 30 cent house. Tike first scene of the sketch gets over the necessary story preliminaries in splendid shape. Even while the mechanical portions of the plot are being developed the stage action carries interest of its own. The present company is most capable • even to the minor characters. The two principals, Harry Sullivan, the hero, and Frank Dickson, "Kid Spangles," do a re- markably realistic three-round "go" in the ring scene. Perhaps their prize fight is a bit too acrobatic to be actually true to life, but for dramatic purposes it is a highly thrilling affair. Alfred Harrington opens the show. Properly his specialty is triple bar acro- batics, but he has lost himself in an at- tempt to make a sketch out of what should be a straight single act. He joggles, at- tempts comic talk and works a down dog, beside the bar work. Certainly the talk should go at once. Then he might give up some of the clowning and even the juggling. •A semi-straight bar act with the trick dog as an incidental should give him plenty of material if intelligently handled to produce a dean, fast specialty turn that would hold interest. The burning desire to talk seems to be the curse of many small acts. Abbott and Minthorne Worthley fell victims to the same mistake. Musical Harry Dare was another and Vinton and Villiers were a fourth. By way of contrast Oarita Day and her two dancing boys, who said never a word, but contented themselves with their proper specialty—singing and dancing—drew down the hit of the evening if one ex- cepts "The Star Bout." If the garrulous acts on the Bijou bill (and this goes for the whole army of smaller acts) stopped to think of it they would realize that the call is for clever specialty. It isn't necessary to- do every- thing known to the art of entertaining. On the Bijou bill the monolog of Lew J {loom and the dramatic sketch supplied talk enough. The others would have been better off to have kept to their own lines. Bloom has a quantity of good, humor- ous talk and several nonsensical songs that won laughs. The parodies at the finish took him off to a substantial amount of applause. Musical Harry Dare, The Worthleys, Vinton and Villiers and Carita Day are under New Acts. Rush. neatest two-man acrobatic act that has been seen for some time. The art is easily deserving of a better spot than the opening. Lillian Tyce was "No. 2" and "Our Boys in Blue" made a corking close. Dash, Florence Todd has offered herself to the vaudeville managers. Florence was a pupil of Jean De Reszke and 1ms a real voice.