Variety (August 1911)

VARIETY 15 HI Id* Trevelyan Mid Co. "The Gate of Dream*." 18 Mlns.; Full Stage. Coliseum, London. As "Pomander Walk" brought tranquility and the breath of olden time so "The Gate of Dreams" gives the peaceful air of a garden in the Southern States during the Civil War. In the old fashioned garden, set with cut out box trees, is a white haired old lady, dozing over her knit- ting, and the "old man" tending his flowers. Into this earthly paradise break a horde of dust-begrlned Northerners in search of a spy. They scour the grounds and house. Into the sudden turmoil cornea Penelope Lavender, the granddaughter of the old folks. She calls the Captain, "Colonel," and looks wondrously upon this stalwart man, perhaps the prince of her dreams—the first stran- ger within the gates. When the sol- diers have gone, the bedraggled spy creeps in timorously. Here then Is another wonder for Penelope's amazed eyes. He tells his story, laconically, and when she has torn some muslin from her dress to bind his wound, Penelope knows that this and not the other, is her hero. He eats ravenous- ly of cake and drinks goodly portions of the old man's ancient Sherry. Sol- diers are heard approaching again. She hides her strangely given lover in a boxwood bush, and lies like a troop- er to the inquiring Captain. Inge- niously and Innocently she gives the key to the situation. He is dragged forth. She pleads for his life, but failing, the spy kisses her on the brow and goes' forth to his doom through the "gate of her dreams." A shot rings out. The little woman sinks to the floor. The bells of the distant church ring out a merry peal—they are her wedding bells. Miss Trevel- yan, the original "Wendy" In "Peter Pan," never had the success of the piece in doubt. She played naturally, with that quiet, convincing restraint which not only got her all the sympa- thy necessary, but made the audience feel that the whole thing was real. Her emotions—and she displayed many—were never exaggerated, and no effort was made to slam the loud pedal on. Credit for the play goes to Dion Clayton Calthopp, and the production to Norman McKinnel. It is the best thing in the legitimate line done in any West-End hall for many moons. liauard. De Haven and Sidney. Singing and Dancing. 10 Mlns.; One. These two boys have attempted to get away from the regulation routine of the up-to-date dancing act and they succeed in a big measure. The team starts off singing a song and imitating a couple of old timers and their style of dancing. After this the young fel- lows sing a two-minute Hebrew num- ber that has many good laughs, and finish it off with a lively "Yiddish" dance. The real dance closes the act, and now they are stepping in soft shoes. De Haven and Sidney have framed up a very neat act and will get along with it. <j?ss. Edna Aug and Co. (9). Comedy Sketch. 24 Mlns.; Three (Dining Room). Fifth Avenue (Aug. 90). Edna Aug, when in vaudeville be- fore, sprawled all over the stage as the directing genius of a mop. In the process Miss Aug delivered some more or less humorous talk in a Ger- man accent, and was much liked. At the Fifth Avenue, Sunday evening, Miss Aug literally sprawled a sketch all over the stage. It ran for twenty- four minutes, and seemed a week. There is a story, without the least action. In the center of it, Miss Aug inserted a monolog again. The char- acters were a German girl (Miss Aug), who had to take care of her brother, though she married. Herman, a Ger- man youth, wanted to marry the girl, but with farsightedness that seldom hits the love-lorn, barred the kid from the future family group. Herman would marry the daughter of a deli- catessen keeper. At the finish the wedding bells rang, and the curtain came down, with the girl and her brother on the stage alone. Herman only returned for a curtain call. The audience isn't certain yet whether the stage manager rang off on the act, or whether Herman did really marry the daughter of delicatessence, although anyone in the house would have made an even wager that the delicatessence girl's father might have been the au- thor of the piece. It's impossible for the big time. Bime. White and West. Dancing. 8 Mlns.; One.. Henderson's. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is an old saying that has proved itself over and over again. George White, formerly of Ryan and White, is in a new dancing venture with a young wo- man who has assumed the modest nom de plume of West. The hit this duo rung up at Henderson's Monday night is bound to gain White and West a foothold in New York vaudeville halls that will not be shaken for some time to come, anyway, not as long as the "Bearcat" craze lasts. White and West have about the "beariest" thing imaginable. After the stepping warm- up, with White doing a solo dance. Miss West appears in a short, black costume a la seashore design—one of those clinging, creepy, shimmering things—and she and Georgie execute the "rag" that the staid, old Coney Islanders are talking about today. It's daring, but New York should take to it. Mark. Helns and Fen ton. Singing and Dancing. II Mills.; Four (Interior). Heins and Fenton work in gro- tesque attire. They start out with the right speed, but lose a lot of valu able time with some wornout patter and some should-be-forgotten bur- lesque magic. On the dancing thing, the men get the biggest results. The loose dancing by one is well put over. Working up a better rout'ne and get- ting some better comedy material, the act will make a much better impres- sion. They could bolster up the end- ing. Mark. Helen Pingree and Co. (2). 20 Mlns.; Three (Parlor). Helen Pingree is the life of the col- lege boy sketch she Is the also the cen- tre of. Two young men assist her. Both are In love with the girl, but one turns out badly, because he needed $500, and the only way he knew how to obtain the amount was to steal it from a safe in a room the girl had dozed off in. Then the other fellow, amid a dark scene, traps the robber and tries to protect his identity from the girl who loves him. But she finds out, and then echoes what the "dia- mond In the rough" said; that there are as good fish In the sea as there are on the stands. So the girl married the other fellow. And the sketch ended slowly, because It required quite some time for the young Miss Pingree to de- cide about the fish left in the water. But just supposing that you knew a young fellow, loved him well, and he stopped to cop *500 in his school days, like a regular burglar, would you con- sider that that was the right touch to give an open and free handed col- lege boy and girl love story? Hardly. Well, that is what will keep this piece off the big time. Whoever wrote the skit—and the good in it is not half badly done—became too Illogical. It's like throwing a streak of blueing In clear water. The college trainer and Miss Pingree are very passable, al- though she did sing a song. As a small time act it can go anywhere, and when the small time has been played out, it can retire. Meanwhile Miss Pin- gree should have more of the slang and dash, with a little bit added of her "kid" stuff, and who can tell — Helen Pingree and Co. may yet become a regular act. Rime. Griffith-Collins and Co. (1). "Aunt Louisa's Advice** (Comedy). 12 Mlns.; Three (Interior). A variety playlet with an old idea. A married couple are entertaining blue-eyed Dicky, whom the wife de- tests for taking her darling hubby to the club too many times. Through a letter from Aunt Louisa, who tells her how to get rid of a troublesome friend, she makes love to Dick. The latter discovers the letter and reciprocates her affections. Hubby enters with shooting irons and would make short work of Dickybird. The letter ex- plains all, after some exaggerated com- edy between the irate husband and the innocent little friend. The piece seems to find favor in the "pop" houses. The finish is weak. Mark. The Hylands. Singing. 10 Mlns.; One. A woman presides at the piano while a sweet faced little miss of tender years offers four songs in dialect. All the honors fall to the kid. lior.work is meritorious and a few points ahead of the average girl entertainers. Miss Kthel first offers "It's Awfully Hard On Me," good for a laugh, and fol- lows it with Italian, Irish and Yiddish numbers. "Dot Yiddisher Hag" was the biggest hit. The girl shows de- cided talent. The pianist should lay aside a bow of ribbon nt the back of her neck. It gives her a deformed ap- pearance. Mark. Baby Doll Morrison. Songs. 7 Minn.. One. Fifth Avenue (Aug. 20). Baby Doll Morrison is a rathskeller singer. The girl handles the "rag" songs very well, although at tl.e Fifth Avenue Sunday night her selection of numbers was very poor. The ap- plause and laughter secured came from a little wriggly motion she had while turning around. That process disclosed an angular figure, incased in a thin and cheap little white dress. But it was enough. "Baby Doll" as a prefix to her name probably was suggested by a hit she had made with the song of the same name. Miss Morrison is a singer in one of the rath- skellers around Broadway. She has some personality and were she placed to lead a female "three-act" might carry it on to big time victory. But alone the small time would have to agree with her for some while yet, before advancement could be bad. Miss Morrison needs experience on the regular stage. In a rathskeller she should be a riot twelve times nightly. Sitne. Dena Cooper and Co. (2). "The Confession" (Dramatic). 18 Mlns.; Four (Parlor). "The Confession" is melodramatic, with three people and a story not at all convincing, containing as it does too many Improbabilities. But there is enough action toward the finale to carry the piece along on the "small time." In some houses It will go very big, for in some houses they like the dime novel heroics, and an actor who can make a kiss appear like a bite. Were all three prlncpals crack actors, this would be close to a big sketch for the regular houses, but the cost of good acting people would make the piece too expensive for the big time managers. Dena Cooper is the wife who saves her husband from the penalty of murder, by having the real murderer confess through his love for her. Then the real murderer, after whipping a detective while handcuffed, takes poison so there may be a quick finale. The plot sounds very monthly- novelette. It is more than likely that someone has compressed a story into the little space. The sketch, with Miss Cooper and her company, is worth featuring however on the small- er time. Sime. K easier and Wood. Songs and Dances. 11 Mlns.; One. Henderson's. It's rough going these days for the straight singing and dancing teams un- less they show something out of the ordinary routine. In the Kessler- Wood offering it is a flashy, exagger- ated harem outfit of divers hues which the young woman displays at the fin- ish. As to the singing this Juvenile couple get their words over nicely, but it's too bad that there isn't more music in their voices. Their dancing pleases, but the arrangement Is of the usual type one sees so much nowadays. In the deluge of dancing at Hender- son's Monday night, their routine suf- fered in comparison. Tho young peo- ple look nice on the stage, and that's quito an item in their favor. Mark. (Continued on ]>;ii:»' '2\ .\