Variety (June 1911)

VARIETY 21 BIG GAIETY SHOW. "The Big Gaiety Company" was or- ganized in January to open the new Eastern Burlesque Wheel theatre, Co- lumbia, Chicago. The Censoring Com- mittee or some other people concerned, switched the show's opening at the last moment to Cincinnati, on the ground that the show was not eligible to have the distinction of inaugurat- ing an important new theatre. By the same token, according to the performance at the Columbia this week, the "Big Gaiety Company" could have been safely withheld from the Eastern Wheel altogether. There is little to the two-act piece called "A Florida Enchantment," and not a great deal more to the company presenting it. When an ordinary olio contain- ing four singing acts out of five turns, is the only commendable moment to a burlesque entertainment, the show is pretty bad. And that is just what "The Big Gaiety" is. No authors to the piece are men- tioned, nor does the program supply any information as to the ownership of the company. It Is supposed to be a Jacobs & Jermon show. The firm may plead a hurriedness in the production. That would cover them. But they might better plead that in January, good talent was scarce. The first part has been thrown to- gether. It has a few numbers, no comedy. The old "business" of a man and woman entering a summer house, with the man to continue ringing a Dell in there, warning the other fellow out- side, is indulged in. Several burlesque troupes resort to it under different disguises. Outside of this, the show runs clean. In the burlesque Harry W. Fields a 8 the "Dutchman" plays half the performance from a seat in the orchestra. It wasn't funny. Grant- ing that Decoration Day matinee held so few that not even an audience could be counted, a full house would have brought no better show, for the performers have nothing to work with. If they had, it would still be a ques- tion, i ' The cast has no principal women to talk about. The only likely looking one is May West, who Joins with Fred Wallace in an olio turn. Miss West may develop. The first step toward that end should be a course in enun- ciation. Of the songs sung by her and Mr. Wallace, no words were distin- guishable. They have a neat enough act for the environments, although they draw "The Draggy Rag" pretty close to the line in the style of exe- cution. Miss West's tights worn In the acts are superfluous in this show. The chorus girls wear tights pretty steadily. The dressing of the sixteen ^choristers is the single point that seems to have received any attention. The clothes look ever so much better than the girls in them. Of the numbers in the piece, only one was actually encored. That song was "Some of These Days," sung by Barry Melton, the tall principal woman of the groupc. Miss Melton would never secure a blue ribbon for stage work, neither could Etta H. Wood, also a principal. Catherine Gorman, another, is the prettiest girl In the show. Miss Gorman is a member of the Five Musical Gormans, the hit of the entire bill. They appear In the olio with a youthful trap-drummer. The act resembles very much that of the Five Musical MacLarens. The funniest number was a recita- tion by Eddie Lovett in the first part. Mr. Lovett is strong on reciting. His first was "The Girl of My Dreams." As he mentioned the girl, chorus young women appeared in an imitation of her. The first was Ethel Barrymore, who said "There isn't anymore," as though in apology and extenuation. But others came along, quite as poor as Ethel was, although the Bessie McCoy girl could kick somewhat as Bessie does. In the olio was Al Herman in black- face, with a singing monolog. He was the Hebrew comedian in the pieces and should cling to blackface. While nothing new, Herman handled his stuff well enough for burlesque, though scoring only with Eddie Leonard's "Ida." Mr. Herman announced the impersonation. There may be those who claim to be the most widely imi- tated and impersonated, but Eddie Leonard seems to be It. At the Plaza the same afternoon, the McGinnis Brothers also announced an imperson- ation of Mr. Leonard singing "Big Brown Boola Eyes." Irene Dillon opened the olio, in- stead of Rita Gould, programmed. Miss Dillon is the extra attraction for the week. Sydney Dean and Co. are car- ried, with "Christmas on Blackwell Island." The old sketch is still there, even to the "Venetian Blind" "gag." Although Geo. Roland is greatly missed, and the sketch has slid back- ward, the singing got it over. Albert Dunstan, of the quartet, is the best actor in the whole company. He plays a waiter in the first part. The setting for the second scene of the last act has been taken from "Girlies." Were the abnormal female figures on the wings given a natural- ness, it would be a pretty set. it Is a pretty one when the lights are kept down. Joe All is leading the Columbia orchestra. Joe has seen them all for years. The theatre management might place the orchestra ana the ushers on double salary for the week, through having to sit through "The Big Gaiety" show twice daily. Sime. UNION 8QUARK. The Indians were on the warpath at Keith & Proctor's Union Square theatre Monday night. In three long films the redskins gave the audience a thrill for its money. Barring the deluge of tomahawks and wild west pyrotechnics the bill came in to vary the monotony. Man- ager Buck has changed the former routine of acts and instead of an act and then a picture, runs several of the acts together. The Two Hardts, with their acro- batic burlesque and weight lifting ab- surdities caused laughter while the Down East Quartet (formerly Daly's Country Choir) did well with their close harmony. The soprano has the most conspicuous voice. Richy W. Craig got away with his monolog and pleased with his graph- ophone "bit." The audience didn't seem to mind some of the bewhls- kered jokes a bit. After another serious film, Marie COLONIAL. Monday night was pretty hot. The house at the Colonial was big consid- ering. Even a Henry Miller has his limits as a drawing power, but if he can draw them in with the thermom- eter registering around the 90 thing, then there is something to it. Mr. Miller did the job, and besides draw- ing them in he entertained them after they had deposited with the chap be- hind the screen the usual amount of currency for a look. Mr. Miller is playing the piece he showed about six years ago, "Frederic Le Maitre" gives the actor plenty of scope. The piece interests, holds and excites. What more could be desired? Mr. Miller is excellently supported by Laura Hope Crews, who shared the honors with the star. Agnes Scott and Harry Keane play- ed "Drifting" early on the program to appreciation. The setting may receive due credit. Howard, the ventriloquist, returns to New York after a tour of the West. The ventriloquist seems to be easier in his work than when first appearing at the Colonial. He has a well framed up offering with plenty of life and snap to it. A novel manner of working one of the "dummies" (seated in a chair quite a distance from the voice throw- er) is new and good. There are sev- eral other commendable ideas. Tak- ing appearance, manipulation and voice throwing into consideration Howard easily heads the ventriloquist list now playing in America of those who handle "dummies" only. The Aurora Troupe closed the show. Although some left the theatre when they saw the bicycles appear, it was their loss if they did not hold on to the rail in the back to see the men work. The boys do some nifty stuff with the wheels that has not been seen before. The head balancing is particularly good. Wilfred Clarke and Co., although not quite as strong as usual in the applause line, didn't miss any of the laughs, in "What Will Happen Next?" La Toy Bros, opened what proved to be a first class program. The boys gave it a great start. Acro- batics of the best sort with several tricks brought hearty applause. Hal Merritt was "No. 2." His talk for the most part went wild. The drawings were well liked. Fields and Lewis, and Olive Bris- coe (New Acts). Daah. Alice Lloyd returned to New York Monday, having closed a second tour of the Orpheum Circuit. Miss Lloyd sails on the Mauretania June 14, leaving the other side on the return trip Sept. 1. Before taking boat, Miss Lloyd will listen to various scores and manuscripts Werba & Luescher have gathered for a selection to build an Alice Lloyd musical comedy show for next season. Sparrow (New Acts) entertained. Dorothy Richmond, Ted (libson and Co. did well with their college boy sketch, though .Miss Richmond was suffering with a severe cold and could hardly make herself heard. U'onard and Drake drnw attention with the man's imitations. Mark. AMERICAN ROOF. They say that everything comes to him who waits providing he waits long enough. That old saying might well apply to the man responsible for the resumption of vaudeville upon the roof of the American Music Hall. If Marcus Loew keeps on with his "ad- vanced small time" show atop the Forty-second Btreet place of "pop" amusement and waits long enough It is only a matter of time when he will have 'em going upstairs to see what's going on while they cool off. And while one is cooling off above the level of the elevated on Ninth avenue he can go down into his pocket, fish out a rusty dime and spend it on an "ice-cold lemo' as a new scale of soft drink prices has also gone into effect on the roof. There was a corporal's guard pres- ent at 8.30 Monday night, when the "white-winged" orchestra struck up a tune and Marcus Loew and his aides had become comfortably ensconsed In the boxes. It was a typical "pop house" bill without any head liner nor any big feature worthy of the big Illumination out in front. It was fairly well bal- anced, although some of the acts had to fit in here and there so they could work downstairs without causing the elevator boys to make any especial runs. Excella and Franks opened with bag punching and contortion stunts. The Four Harmonists, after appearing be- low rode directly upstairs and hit up their harmony without losing a note en route. The men sing well and con- fine all of their singing to the popu- lar stuff, thereby making sure of a run over the Loew circuit. Their "Bar- ber Shop Chord" number was quite a hit. If the quartet could work in com- edy to vary the singing routine, quicker steps to the bigger houses would be made. Ziska and Saunders fooled them with their magic, the rings at the close getting them a big hand by the way Ziska, who has a dev- ilish makeup on the genteel order, joined and unjoined them. Shriner and Wells were "No. 4" and scored. Their Italian duet was en- cored. Roland West and Co., with West doing several characters and a wrestling match with a husky young assistant and a few chairs, were on just before the intermission. The au- dience applauded West's protean work. The men in the audience went out to get a drink. There was fifteen min- utes' intermission which gave the house a chance to pick up. Luha Meroff, the Russian musician and dancer, followed the intermission. Kenny and Hollis had things their own may with comedy. There Is some un- bleached material. Lillian Kingsbury and Co., put over their laughing Shakespearian absurdity and were followed by Peppln (New Acts) who was the artistic hit of the bill, with ac- ''ordeon playing. McRae and Levering closed with comedy cycle work, only two people dropping down the elevator shaft in perfect safety while their act was on. An Kdison film was flashed at 11:11. Mark. .Melville Kills returned to New York Tuesday.