Variety (April 1910)

18 VARIETY A SKY LARK. It does seem rather a late day to dis- cuss "The Sky Lark" at a time when that piece is just about to drop into oblivion. The Henry B. Harris show, which has been holding forth at the New York Theatre for some weeks past, makes way on Monday for "The Girl with the Whooping Cough" and thus passes from the ken of New Yorkers. It well deserves its fate, for no more cumbersome, clumsy bit of jesting has been done this season at the expense of "the tired business man." "We're trav- eling for father's health," spoken by a nagging wife, is a typical bit of dialog. Another screamingly funny speech is: "I used to say to Michael Angelo ". "Michael Angelo has been dead four hun- dred years." "My goodness, how time flies." "The Sky Lark" is made up of such. At times the "book" is pathetic in its paucity of fun, but the ponderous humor drags itself through two long acts, and the stage people work valiantly—albeit vainly— to extract a spark of merriment. There were two places where the audi- ence (a fairly sizeable audience, at that) awoke to interest. Once was during the several capital songs of Clarice Vance in the second act, and the other was an odd bit of chorus business during the same period. In the latter Instance the choris- ters, about thirty-five of them, were ar- ranged in single line in the shape of a letter S. The first girl fell against her neighbor, the latter fell against the next and the line fell down like a row of dominoes. The inter-relation of the two acts were about as intelligible as.the two pieces of a burlesque. The first takes place on shipboard, and for the second the audi- ence is transported to Olympus in com- pany of the classic gods and goddesses. This gave opportunity for much interest- ing costuming, but the whole proceedings were woe to "the tired business man." John Slavin gives a conscientious im- personation of Clarence Wilbur, known to vaudeville and burlesque, only he did not have the liberties of Wilbur in going af- ter his laughs. He had the principal com- edy role, but it had scarcely a giggle in it. Eddie Garvey's real humor was hidden completely under a part that an inspired genius could not have made fun- ny. He did, however, win a laugh or two by the threadbare expedient of a ballyhoo speech describing New York as the steam- er moved down the bay by the simple process of moving a ridiculous panorama at one side of the stage. If this was meant for a burlesque mechanical effecc it was a wonder. Robert Pitkin and Har- ry Fairleigh were almost visible, but they had the straight parts, and as much was to be expected. May DeSousa is the much touted prin- cipal woman, a graceful young person, but without distinguishing virtues ex- cept a certain graceful charm, common to most musical comedy women. Luckily for her, Gertrude Vanderbilt had only to dance, and she did this to the eminent satisfaction of the audience, and without any hindrance from the librettist. If everyone had been as fortunate the per- formance would have been much more en- tertaining. Among other special features were eight show girls, dressed within an inch of their HAMMEKSTEIN'S. The motion pictures of the Sam Lang- ford and Jim Flynn prize fight taking up close upon half an hour made the second half of the vaudeville bill seem short. While the intermission came rather late in the evening, the pictures went on ten min- utes before 11. The last half of the show was well sup- ported by Bert Williams (New Acts), who scored an exceptional hit with a com- pletely new collection of characteristic songs and talk. The show opened nicely with Sid Baxter (New Acts) a slack wire worker, but dropped in "No. 2" during the series of impersonations by Ethel Hawk- ins (New Acts). Gus Edwards' "School Girls and Boys," following, gave the proceedings an im- mense boost, closing in a storm of ap- plause, brought about by a new finish, a baseball song in which the singers throw about soft cotton balls which are returned to the stage by the audience. The song is called "Play Ball," and makes a lively finish aside from its topical nature. The Gordon Brothers fill in an entertaining in- terval with a sample of Eddie Leonard's dancing and a catchy "rag" selection "Louisiana Lou" which sounded new. The turn was a tough one to follow, but Oscar Loraine was right there with his impersonations of violin masters and Rigo, the latter coming under quite a different classification. The Rigo imitation was the hit of the series, Loraine giving it a de- lightful twist into burlesque while still holding to the original with fidelity of makeup and gesticulation. The foppish Rigo is a capital subject to travesty, and Loraine got everything possible out of the "bit," including a "rag." The act finished in a whirlwind of applause, and the player had to beg off from further repetitions. Maude Raymond held the average up with her character songs. The "Barcarole" number brought her the best returns, al- though her Yiddisher song and the one which called upon various dialects helped n good deal. Binns, Binns and Binns opened the second period with their musi- cal absurdity. Some of the clowning is pretty rough and messy, but it won laughs from the audience, even to the syphon trick stuff and the smashing of china. The novelty finish with the bells brings forth "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" instead of the old Italian number. Alcide Capitaine closed the show follow- ing Williams. The gymnast made a neat and engaging number to round out a first- rate laughing program. The fight pictures were rather tiresome. Rush. Valeska Suratt in "The Girl with the Whooping Cough" opens Monday at the New York Theatre, "The Skylark" clos- ing there this Saturday night. If "The Whooping Cough" proves sufficiently con- tagious, and isn't considered dangerous by the authorities, the show will be al- lowed to run as long as it can, even all summer. lives in the first part, and scarcely dressed at all in the second, a rather pretty number called "When (Love Is There," by Miss DeSousa and a number of other songs which faded out of mem- ory as soon as they were sung. Miss Vance's three or four short selections were the only exceptions. Ruth. AMERICAN. When the Grand Order of Monologists hold their next annual convention around the 42nd Street corner, they can award the ribbon to Fred Niblo for having valiantly and safely guarded the hardest spot ever given to a single talker to pro- tect, bar none, nor any* of the many who lay claim to this by reason of hav- ing "made good" at 10:45, 10:55, or any other old time. Monday at the American, following a swift bill, full of everything, including singing, talking and comedy, Mr. Niblo held the house wholly, coming on at 11, after "The Star Bout," an act that by all the sciences which have been invoked for the aid of the framer of vaudeville shows, should have closed the American program. After the hip, hip, hurrah of that act with its prize fight finish, and the red fire in the bill, from "The Giants" to "The Flag," Niblo had to walk out, fighting a battle all by himself to keep the people in their seats. He did it. Of that big assemblage only one man left, and he walked sideways as if regretting to leave through an appointment. Mr. Niblo handed out a new monolog, em- bracing almost every conceivable subject, delivered in his lightning fashion, a fashion of Mr. Nibio's that covers as much ground in eight minutes as another talker could go over in fifteen. Niblo doesn't wait for laughs. He didn't dare to Monday evening. For an encore, which he had to give, a very laughable little incident was introduced by the monolo- gist, as neat and as bright as the ma- terial Mr. Niblo delivered ahead of it. "The Star Bout" coming second after intermission pushed The Le Pages (New Acts) to close the show, another unfortu- nate placement of the arrangement. The position for the fighting sketch was just suited for ample applause, however. The act, with Taylor Granville and Laura Pierpont leading, closed to several curtain calls. It is well played, with its quite realistic, and very fast, boxing finish. In the course of the long program everything appeared to move with a rush. Though the show ran to a late hour, sev- eral of the acts were brief in time, and this gave the speed. In the first part "The Watermelon Trust" held up the per- formance by remaining in sight too long, something that has always been the fault with this colored act, otherwise very suc- cessful for laughter making and applause. The Orlicks, Russian dancers, opened the bill and worked much better than when first seen, the man's dancing receiv- ing solid rounds. Jere Sjinford (New Acts) was second, nnd The Mayvilles, in the living marionette cabinet idea, third. Fields and Lewis, held over, had a good spot for the second week. Violinsky, after the long stretch taken up by the colored people, came through nicely, though why Violinsky should play the same "rag" tune on the violin that Rinaldo does isn't apparent, especially since it makes the obvious comparison which must follow more acute. Julian Eltinge and Violet McMillan (New Acts). Sime. Earl D. Wilson, the midshipman, who died April 16 of a broken neck, received while playing football last October, was a brother of Hans Wilson (Hastings and Wilson). FIFTH AVENUE. Despite adverse weather conditions the Fifth Avenue filled up early Monday night and the audience seemed to leave thoroughly satisfied after witnessing Ger- trude Hoffmann's fifty-minute perform- ance that carted away all records for laughter and applause. It's a good thing she is on the Fifth Avenue bill this week. The weather man didn't start off in a good mood. After "Uno," the "mind reading" dog (New Acts) had started things going, Kelly and Kent offered their endeavors with unusual success to the house-full of enjoyment seekers. Kelly clad in a black (nearly silk) suit made a neat appear- ance, his comedy lines landing every time without a miss. The "spieling" finish will touch the best of its kind, while the encore is about the funniest around. Miss Kent is as lively as ever, while Kelly seems to be slowing up in his dancing, perhaps because of his weight, which seems to have increased of late. DeWitt, Burns and Torrance, with their well-known acrobatic novelty scored a big hit without trouble. Charles Burns would look much better were he to make up his neck, but that is a minor detail. El Cota has laid out a routine on the xylophone that is bound to go big any- where. With this instrument El Cota is in a class by himself. His "ragtime" is a treat, while his classic numbers are not the kind to send the upper part of the house into a trance, and this, along with a little personality thrown into his work sent the musician over a great big hit. "Single" xylophonists seem to be regarded as a thing of the past, but El Cota once busv, knocks this idea cold. Willette Whitaker, aided and abetted by F. Wilbur Hill (who acknowledges his applause from the orchestra pit) also made a favorable impression. Miss Whit- aker has a sweet tone to her dialect, and offers somethitng new in "coon" songs. The spotlight man was a little off Monday evening, and didn't connect with his tar- get until she was half through her open- ing number, but it didn't hurt the singer's chances and the team finished one big hit, Miss Whitaker finally giving way to the headliner, after being forced to go the limit in encores and bows. Tom Nawn and Co. offered the new act ''When Pat was King," for the first tim© to the Fifth Avenue patrons, and finished a solid laughing success, although the changes could have been accomplished considerably more swiftlv, but even this unpardonable fault failed to affect the Trish comedian's reception. V?ynn. MUST ADMIT SOLDIERS. Washington, April 20. A bill prohibiting discrimination by theatrical managers against persons wear- ing Uncle Sam's uniform has been intro- duced by Senator Chamberlain, of Oregon. The bill was prompted by the recent re- fusal of P. R. Chase to admit men of the Marine Corps into Chase's Theatre. The bill provides for punishment by fine and imprisonment and will apply to everv theatre in the United States. The War Department is interested in the bill. Jean Senzell (Brothers Senzell) met with an accident while playing at the Comedy, Chicago. Senzell is at the St. Charles Hotel, Chicago.