Variety (April 1910)

18 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK. Initial Presentation, First Appearance or Reappearance in or Around New York. ( NEW ACTS Or THE WEEK ) Mike Bernard, Hammerstein's. Short and Miller, Hammerstein's. Yorke and Adams, Hammerstein's. "La Sonambule," American. Frederick, the Great, American. Kenney, Nobody and Piatt, Alhambra. "The Barn Dance/' Greenpoint. Kane and Bagland, Greenpoint. SMALL TIME. C. Alphonso Zelaya, Manhattan. Burden and Dunlap, Lincoln Sq. Benson and Bell, Majestic. McAvoy and Powers, Majestic. George Winfield and Co., Majestic Sam Barton, Majestic. Vassars and Arken, Majestic. Imperial Band, Yorkville. Al. Campbell, Yorkville. Bombay Deerfoot, West End. The Raymonds, Grand. Friedland and Clark, Grand. Lily Hawthorne. so Min.; One in Three. Majestic, Chicago. Miss Hawthorne is one of the Haw- thorne Sisters, Lily and Lola, who will be best remembered for "The Willow Patten Plate" act which they contributed to vaudeville a few years ago. Her appear- ance at the Majestic Monday afternoon marked the beginning of her second week as a "single" upon returning to the va- riety stage. She wins more on appearance and costumes than she does on her songs or their singing, and with special drops for two of her numbers, her act builds up considerably in "sight" features. She opened before a house drop on "one," singing a typical English song, something about "the drummer in the band." She then went to her own drops in "three" for her two ensuing songs, and for an encore returned to a house backing in one. Lily looked statuesque and stunning in silk knickerbocker costumes, one cream and the other black, with long capes to match, in which she sang "The Monte Carlo Girl" and "Castles in Spain," a brace of love songs rendered in front of pretty and ap- propriate scenery. She closed with a "ragged" urchin number, an effective ap- plause winner. The act passed nicely with the Majestic's Monday afternoon audience. Walt. Marion Shirley. Songs. Fifth Avenue (April 34). Opening with "Coming Thro' the Rye" and closing after an operatic selection, with "The Last Rose of Summer" in between, tells the tale of Marion Shirley, a "straight" singer, at the Fifth Avenue last Sunday—for a "try out." Miss Shirley's idea of vaudeville is on a par with that of the management which permitted the waste of time she consumed. Many acts around would with gratitude have received the opportunity. The girl, wrongly garbed as a "kid" (in rather a severe gown for that age), has a voice for the parlor or pos- sibly in an ensemble or in a production, but could not pass in vaudeville as a "single," did she have the songs. S'mc, Gene Greene. Songs. 20 Mins.; One. Trevett, Chicago. The senior member of the old vaude- ville firm of Greene and Werner has beeu managing two or three picture houses in Chicago for the past couple of years. While he is said to have cleaned up a bankful of nickels, the call of vaude- ville has ever been strong and last week he broke out in his home town. Charles Straight, who has helped him in com- posing singable songs, presided at the piano, putting the black notes in between the white ones with a deftness which helped vastly in rounding out as good a singing turn as vaudeville has seen, for while Greene has been operating a picture machine he has lost none of the clever- ness which kept Greene and Werner work- ing until they took the film route to riches. After ninety-nine out of every hundred singers of "coon" songs finish. Gene starts in and cleans up. He has an original manner and method, interjects a whole lot of comedy where others have skipped chances to get laughs, and puts across his songs with a directness and force positively refreshing. Turning to other styles, he makes "Yiddisher Rag" sound like a new song, and closes with "Casey Jones" graded to equal the best methods of putting it over. He dresses in immaculate attire (both Tuxedo and evening clothes with and without an In- verness) and in attitude and delivery can make a place for himself anywhere on any bill. Walt. Bob Albright "Double Voice." Fifth Avenue (April 34). Bob Albright is from the West. He is a "freak" singer, calling himself "The Man Melba." The instructive point about Mr. Albright is that he does not require the soprano at all. He is a manly and very good looking fellow, sings in evening clothes, and finishes in his own tones with "My Southern Rose," using Eddie Leonard's roll without announcing an im- itation. This song alone puts him over safely, for Mr. Albright is a first class singer of "coon" songs. In the two selec- tions for which he utilized his soprano, the effect was sufficiently strong for solid recalls. In the "freak" portion of his singing Albright resembles a ventrilo- quist in the manner he has of using his powerful voice, normally a man's, without an effort, and the surprise of the act is that Albright sings soprano at all, with his appearance. There's no doubt that Mr. Albright can put it over which- ever way (or both) thnt he chooses to select, for he is there in the two essen- tials for a singer without character make- up: appearance and personality. Albright is also a yodler", gaining something by that.* 8iw*e, Walter C. Kelly has joined the gueats at the training camp of Jim Jeffries in California, and will remain there until the big fight. After that "The Judge'' proceeds to Australia on his 'round-the- world trip. Danacq. "Whining the Wheel/' 15 Mins.; Full Stage. Empire, Shepherds Bush (London). Darracq divides his specialty into two parts, each really a distinct act. His first turn is midway on the program. The second part closed the show. The first part is the better and the arrangement should be reversed. In striving for some- thing sensational Darracq has hit upon a \ery pretty, attractive apparatus, on its appearance alone almost good enough to stand up. The sensationalism is not quite reaching, although excitement is there. A large wheel on track with electrical at- tachment has another wheel of brass in- side. Both wheels revolve by motor power. Darracq in a small automobile starts the machine in opposite direction to the track. The machine has small brass arms which catch onto the brass wheel within. These arms are supposed to be pulled off when the auto attains the rate of speed necessary to carry it over the wheel, but here is where the fault lies. There is no way of telling if the auto is ever free of the inside wheel. If it isn't, there is nothing to the trick but the appearance. The track going around at a high rate of speed and the auto going the other way with the lights and all make it very noisy and exciting. The final trick is not as good. Darracq comes down a steep incline in the auto, doing a half loop, the auto being caught at the finish on a bar around which it revolves. Darracq has several men on the stage assisting. All are well dressed and give ft bully appearance. Darracq is a good showman. Satini. Illusions. 14 Mins.; Full Stage. Empire, Holborn. Satini is an illusionist who has an act with a pantomimic story. The illusionist is a burglar in the shop of a magician. A monkey and the paraphernalia of a magical show are there. The robber has an as- sistant, and is pursued by a policeman. The illusions are worked with the four men participating. The greatest defect is that most of the changes occur on a darkened stage. The act is pretentious in a way, but lacks sufficient speed for the best results. The majority of the tricks have been seen before. The act passes, but not as a big number. Eva Ellis and Girls. "Girl Act." 4 Mins.; Full Stage. Empire, Holborn. One number was allowed Eva Ellis and the six girls behind her. It was a bathing affair, with the girls working in the now familiar sea effect produced by the lights. The number did not give enough oppor- tunity, and is not reason enough for car- rying six girls. Miss Ellis appeared in a i»ot overbecoming bathing suit, the young women wearing costumes made the same. The act in its present form cannot hope to get far. There is nothing to it. Margaret Wycherley and Co. (3). Comedy Drama. , ao Mins.; Four (Parlor). ,1 Fifth Avenue (April 24). The comedy drama presented by Mar- garet Wycherley and her company at the Fifth Avenue (for last Sunday only) may be named "The Show Girl." If it is not, it should be. The piece has comedy and drama in two divisions, one following the other. In the comedy there are laughs, and in the dramatics tense interest, the drama taking a sudden and unexpected turn, which grips to quite some degree. The piece tells the story of a show girl who calls at a dressmaking establish- ment. The dressmaker was placed in business by the young woman of the stage some time before. The show girl has since become engaged to a wealthy man, the husband of the dressmaker. While knowing the woman she succored has had marital troubles, the stage girl is unaware of the facts, and makes an appointment with her fiance at the shop*. The dressmaker, upon learning this, de- clines to meet her benefactress' future husband, though she is informed he is to leave the next day for Reno to obtain a divorce from his present wife. He is called to the room at a crucial moment and the "big scene" of the piece happens, after which comes a simmering down of the strain, with Miss Wycherley naturally play- ing the role of resolute, but broken hearted young woman of the world, who realizes ihat the man's animal passion for her did not deaden the real love for his wife. So it ends, with just a trifle too much dialog toward the finale, but leaving a mingled impression of liveliness and interest at the satisfactory working out of the plot. Miss Wycherley's sketch requires a setting. Perhaps the 'Sunday showing" at the Fifth Avenue precluded the possibility of this, but it must have at its opening a dressmaking establishment in full blast. And to bring out the character of the "show girl" strongly, Miss Wycherley should enter in a swagger street gown, with picture hat, not the evening gown- worn. That dress on the principal of the piece did not fit in the picture. With Mis* Wycherley the "show «*irl" from the tip of her hat to the tip of her shoes, she has a good vehicle, which might be helped! by following out the story first appearing in a magazine that a dress in the shop should be tried upon her. The support was fully capable, especially the maid. The man played well excepting at the '"big scene," which he did not rise to. That may have been due to nervousness at the Fifth Avenue for the one day, or lack of rehearsal. His performance otherwise indicated that he would do. With setting and a little more flippancy; also less sombreness in the wife, both in action and costume, Miss Wycherley's sketch may turn out to be a feature number. Without these, it can not reach that height, although it is worth a place anywhere as the "sketch" of a program. Sime. Rose Kessner, formerly of Smirt andi Kessner. has a now partner. Charles Blake and Grace Harvard (Mrs. Make) are working together. Sergeant Brennan, the diabolo manipu* lator. opens on this side July 8 for five weeks onlv, booked bv the Marinelli of- flee for the United. It is the onlv avail- able time the spool expert has.