Variety (April 1912)

14 VARIETY "MME. SHERRY" MAKES $700,000: INITIAL IN VESTME NT OF $3,500 The Decade's Biggest Hit Nets Its Three Promoters a Fortune. Five Companies Again Going Out Next Season. The "Madame Sherry" show melon so far cut up and distributed among the three promoters of that produc- tion has reached the grand total of $700,000. Two of the "Sherry" com- panies closed last week. The original troupe was one. Next season five "Sherry shows" will be on the road. Koutes have been already assigned for them. $3,500 was the actual cash con- tributed as the "bank-roll" of "Madame Sherry" when it was launched in the west two years ago. Harry H. Frazee was the financial producer. The other men having one- third interest each were A. H. Woods And George Lederer. The trio will retain their first percentage owner- ship of the show. "Sherry" was an accident. The show happened through Mr. Lederer calling upon Mr. Woods in New York, sub- mitting to him the manuscript of •'Mile. Troubadour." Woods looked U over, said he didn't think much of jhe piece, and dug out a book labeled 'Madame Sherry-" Handing that to Lederer, Woods told him to take it jome and read it over, as he would go m on "Sherry" if Lederer would put It on. A couple of days after Lederer re- turned the script, with the remark he thought it might be all right, but that ''Sherry" didn't rank with "Trouba- dour." Woods making the condition he would go in on the "Sherry" piece or not at all, Lederer consented to stage it, for a date at the Colonial, Chicago (which Lederer then man- aged). He told Woods that through an understanding he had reached with a young fellow from the west named Harry Frazee, if the show went into the Colonial, Frazee would have to have 50 per cent, of it. Woods told Lederer to get to Frazee then and split it three ways, with the trio op- erating as a firm, Frazee to put up what money might be necessary be- fore opening, Woods to guarantee the payment of accounts Frazee's cash didn't settle, and Lederer, for his one- third, to put on the show. Frazee came across with $3,500. Woods guaranteed the remainder of the initial cost of production, about $5,500. and "Mme. Sherry" opened to a winning week, never having had a losing engagement since. Its rec- ord is theatrical history, with long runs in New York (Amsterdam) and Chicago (Colonial). Several "Mad- ame Sherry" companies spread over the country this year and last, and the show will reach the mlllion-dollnr mark as a money maker before its value at the box offices of the com- bination theatres diminishes to the point where It will be turned over for stock. The "Sherry" triumvirate have had a peaceful existence, threatened but once with discord. That was when, shortly after the show started, Mr. Lederer included on a statement one week an item of $3,000 for expenses. Woods thought Lederer meant $300. Through letter writing Lederer said the $3,000 was correct, and had been charged for his services as stage man- ager at $600 weekly, for putting on the piece. After the cyclone had spent Itself, Lederer remitted the charge. Woods and Frazee sent back the implements of war, and peace again reigned. SIROTA'S COMPETITOR. New Orleans, April 3. Slrota has a competitor In one Chazan Meisels, Cantor of the Temple of Odessa, Russia, now singing the Passover hymns at Temple Beth Is- rael, Chicago. He has been booked for a tour of the south under the direction of the Consolidated Theatrical Enterprises of America, of which Jack Lalt is the moving spirit. Chazan Meisels appears here at the Dauphine April 21. MADAM STRANDS A TROUPE. A forlorn looking bunch of thespiaos returned to New York the first of the week from Washington, whither they had gone with Madam Viardi, the Rus- sian actress, who had arrarged for special performances there Tuesday and Thursday of last week for the ben- efit of the Red Cross Society. After the first performance the Washington papers roasted it to a fraz- zle, and said there would be "another desecration next Thursday." . Madam Viardi is said to have left her com- pany behind without it having the wherewithal to get back to Broad- way. Several had to wire back for assistance. Madam Viardi organized a company through the Jay Packard agency, but getting a hunch that something might happen, Packard told the members that they must assume all responsibili- ties. The company then balked and the Russian manageress got a troupe together in another office. The madam is understood to be pro- moting another benefit play for a New York league. TESTING MUSIC HALL QUESTION. (Special Cable to Variety,) London, April 3. Granville Barker has instituted a prosecution against the Tivoli man- agement for producing plays not li- censed by the Lord Chamberlain. Lit- tle Tich's patter, and dialog of Johnson Clarke, ventriloquist, are the subjects of the prosecution, which will probably result In the granting of theatrical li- censes to music halls. It is a test case to determine what constitutes a stage play. "TYPHOON" MAT MOVE. There It som* talk of moving "The Typhoon" from the Fulton to the Ly- ceum for the remainder of the sea- son. The attraction rents the Fulton, but is not desirous of continuing un- der that arrangement. The entire "Typhoon" company, numbering twenty-six, sails for Eng- land June 2, to open in London at one of two at its disposal. HACKETT-BRADY CA8E. James K. Hackejtt's suit against William A. Brady, Ltd., for breach of contract, came up in the Supreme Court this week. Mr. Hackett and his former manager admit the con- tract, but both claim it was broken. Brady has entered a countersuit for $25,000 damages. The actor's engagement to Brady was for five years at $600 a week and a percentage of the profits, said profits guaranteed to be not less than $5,000 a season. SECRET LOBBY REHEARSALS. Secret rehearsals of a dramatisation of Darid Graham Phillips' "The Hun- gry Heart" novel, are being held at the Liberty theatre. As the stage is given over to the DeKoven Opera Co. for the "Robin Hood" revival, "The Hungry Heart" folks are running over their lines in the inner lobby. CHILD LAW VIOLATION CHARGED. Lynn, Mass., April 3. Lindsay Morrison, lessee of the Au- ditorium, was today summoned to ap- pear Saturday, charged with, violating the child labor law in allowing Grace Maguire, alleged to be under fourteen years of age, to appear at his theatre during the week of March 11. The complainant is State Detective Richard Bryer, who stopped the appearance of the girl after two performances. The little girl, who did a dancing act, lives with her parents at 39 Som- erset street, Boston. The penalty for a violation of this law is a fine of not more than $300 or Imprisonment of not longer than six months, or both. WAITING FOR "CASE OF BECKY/' Boston, April 3. David Belasco is sending "The Case of Becky," with Frances Starr as the star, to the Hollls St. theatre for an engagement which is booked to open April 22. Last season Miss Starr came to the same house with "The Easiest Way. ' It was a hard way. Mayor Fitzgerald and his censors were much displeased with the performance and production. He ordered the play closed. Money was refunded. David Belasco panned the Mayor. The house management threatened to do things. The plot of tho new piece sounds in- teresting. Restlessness is noticeable among the Mayor's censors. They are already talking of it at City Hall. SHOT IN SELF-DEFENSE. Montreal, April 3. Carl Hemman, a musician with "The Enchantress," is held for having shot the Chapman Brothers (three), in a row that occurred March 31 at the Sa- voy Hotel. An alleged insult to a wo- man Is supposed to be the cause. Self- defense is the plea, and it is apparently well sustained. It was the intention of the Chap- mans to administer a good beating to Hemman, with the result that he shot the trio, two of whom have small hope of recovery. THE MOB SAILS. Charles Frohman, A. L. Erlanger, A. H. Woods and Pat Casey sailed for Europe Wednesday on the Maure- tania. Mr. Frohman walked on board with the aid of a cane and appeared to be much Improved in health. Woods had intended to postpone his sailing, owing to his wife's poor health, but made up his mind to go at eleven o'clock Tuesday night. Messrs. Erlanger and Casey occupied a suite on the main deck. GARDEN SHOW EN TOUR. The present members of the pro- duction at tho Winter Garden, includ- ing Al Joleon and Stella Mahew, are going on tour next season, it is said, in a Winter Garden show. The tour will open in September. The troupe is to travel throughout the season. In the company also will be Grete Weisenthsl, the German dancing girl, who will arrive in New York in time to open at the Garden a week from Monday. PIGGIE. With ETHEL WHITESIDE and PICK8. COHAN'S ROAD TRIP. As announced in last week's (Variety",, George M. Cohan in his own show, "Forty-flve Minutes From Broadway (revival), with his own orchestra, etc., will take a road trip at the conclusion of his present stay at his own playhouse on Broadway. Cohan's spring tour opens at Bridgeport April 15. The other stands are Worcester, 16; Springfield, 17; Waterbury, 18; Hartford, 19-20. Cohan opens at the Nixon, Pitts- burgh, April 22 for a week's stay and then goes to the Forrest, Philadelphia, for the following week. The road tour will last three or four weeks with the show winding up In all probability at the Grand Opera House, New York (Cohan & Harris) the Utter part of May.