Variety (April 1912)

VARIETY 21 PALACE, CHICAGO. Chicago, April 3. There were many amusing Incidents about the Palace opening Monday evening, the comedy hit occurring when the curtain was unexpectedly lifted on Martin Beck as he was scur- rying across the stage to have a chat with Jim Diamond, because the lattor had walked off upon discovering Vic- tor Hollaender's orchestra of eighteen had invented eighteen different ways of interpreting his music cues. The houseful of professionals tried hard to induce Beck to return, but once in the wings, he remained there. Barring the Diamond Incident and the fact that Caesar Nesi only rendered two numbers, being forced to retire because of a bad cold, the program ran through without a hitch. As for Mr. Diamond, no one could blame him. In second position he had a task to perform and bravely set out to do it until finding it impossible to 'work with the orchestra, when he gracefully bowed off, leaving his act half completed. For the orchestra, there is some excuse, considering they were playing their first vaudeville en- gagement. The Lietzel Sisters were "No. 1" on the program, offering an aerial turn considerable in advance of the many heretofore seen here. One of the girls is exceedingly clever on the rings, her finish consisting of forty revolutions around a rope which she held in one hand, bringing down a big hit. Diamond and Nelson came next and were doing nicely up to the fiasco. Inasmuch as Diamond did not reach his dancing portion, there is no tell- ing how the pair might have gone. Tiller's "Sunshine Girls" with a rou- tine of songs and dances went over nicely, and Lydia Barry who came next corralled one of the evening's hits with her singing specialty. Thomas Wise, capably supported by W. H. St. James, presented "A Chip of the Old Block," a comedy sketch by Byron Ongley. Plenty of comedy mingled with an occasional tear places the Wise act among the best of vaudeville sketches. It pulled a hit. Caesar Nesi, an Italian vocalist who works in character makeup, rendarad two numbers, one "My Old Lady." While Nesi delivered the ballad in English it sounded more like a for- eign tongue. The vocalist was just striking his stride when his trouble interfered. To Howard and North go the hon- ors of the opening week. With their comedy skit "Back to Wellington" they gave the patrons a dollar's worth unassisted, and finished easily the big hit of the bill. Tiller's "Boys and Girls" closed the program with a condensed musical comedy. Harry Rogerson worked valiantly throughout and supplied the whole of the comedy while the girls and boys (six of the latter) held up the dancing and singing department. Toward the finish Tiller's novelty dragged, but the majority remained for the finish. On the whole the Palace opening was a huge success. The little hitches that occurred were pardonable. It was a good show presented in a beautiful theatre. Wfnn. HAMMEESTEIN'S. Adele Ritchie is billed all over "The Corner" as headliner this week. Her pedigree in the profession probably entitles her to this distinction, and her "turn" unquestionably received more applause at the finish than any act on the program. This signal hon- or was not, however, directed to "The Dresden China Prima Donna," but at a young woman seated in a stage box, who Joined in the chorus of the last song. Prior to that Miss Ritchie had done as well as usual with three num- bers. Starting the fourth a remark- ably clear voice was heard harmoniz- ing with Miss Ritchie's. The spot- light was finally flashed on the right hand stage box, where sat a pretty and youthful lady, who time and time again soared to C sharp without any apparent effort. So clear and full was the unknown voice that it aroused the audience to storms of applause and demands for numerous encores. Kramer and Ross opened the show at 8.07 before a handful of people, sang one verse and went right into their fast dancing. The Great Rich- ards, "No. 2," suffered from the early position. He hadn't half, a chance. Quite a few were already seated by the time the Rials had finished their comedy gymnastic act, and they scored the first hit of the evening. Fields and Lewis did well with fa- miliar cross-fire material. Clarice Vance followed with four songs, fin- ishing with her old "Mariar" num- ber, always sure fire. Miss Vance is shy of suitable material. "The Lifer" (New Acts), closed the first half. Miss Ritchie opened the second part. She should never dispense with the "plant" in the stage box. Ashley and Lee followed. Barring Lee's reci- tation about nothing being on the level any more, it's an excellent act. "A Persian Garden" repeated the success it scored at the Colonial a few weeks ago. It is the best minia- ture musical comedy ever in vaude- ville. The Victoria Four followed at 11.20 and were in turn succeeded by Lydia and Albino. They had a hard time of it. The show could easily have been closed at the finish of the Simon-Os terman big act. It was altogether too late for anything else to arouse any excitement. Jolo. COLONIAL. There is no outside label as to what "week" is being celebrated at the Colonial this week, but from the time consumed by sketches it might aptly be termed "Dramatic Week." Three sketches make that bill longer than any vaudeville audience wishes to have wished on it, but few walked out Monday night until it was all over. R. A. Roberts is back from England with "Dick Turpin" and played forty- four minutes, appearing just before intermission. The act went big, but made the going pretty rocky for the sketches to follow, particularly Joseph Hart's "The Opening Night." While there were a lot of honest laughs in the Macart and Bradford of- fering, "A Legitimate Holdup," it seemed drawn out, coming so closely after Roberts. They were on almost twenty minutes. ship at sea. While several of the char- acter "bits" are worth while, the theme is as confusing as a crystal maze. It's too long, with a lot of senseless chatter and meaningless dialog that could well be chucked. It closed the show, tak- ing up over a half hour. May Mc- Manus makes a sweet looking Virginia Gordon, but Edward Ewald has too stagey a makeup as her penniless young husband. "Bits" by May Mc- Cabe, Hugh Gibson, May Donahue and Robert Milliken stand out the best, Gibson's old, stuttering, drugstore keeper's part and the "doubling" of a policeman and a young Irish ward leader by Milliken being bright lights in the piece. Taylor Carroll's speech and some of Charles Warren's remarks as the manager of the Uncle Sam the- atre on the opening night caused inter- mittent laughter. Karl Emmy's Pets gave the show a rattling good start and Klein Brothers and Sibyl Brennan held their own in the second position. Miss Brennan is the one big bet in the act. W. C. Fields, the eccentric juggler, was In fine mettle on his return appear- ance after a long absence, and kept the Colonial regulars entertained every minute. Mr. Fields is one of the few jugglers one can see time after time and still heartily enjoy. Blossom Seeley had the "No. 4" po- sition and made the best of it. She opened with "Gaby Glide," and while the piece is not new In the Colonial neighborhood she worked it up enter- tainingly. Miss Seeley sent over the "Circus Day" number in great shape and wound up to big applause with her "Todelo" song. The Old Soldier Fiddlers appeared between the Macart and Bradford act and the Hart offering. They went as well as ever. The boys in blue and gray have lost none of their former stage fervor and fiddled up on their old violins with big results. Mark. FIFTH AVENUE. Two ."riots" at the Fifth Avenue Monday evening, one following the other. They were Howard's dog and pony act and Olga Petrova, in fourth and fifth positions. Howard started off with a conven- tional circus animal act, putting his beasts through a familiar routine of tricks, but working them faster than is usually seen. The act was, how- ever, cumulative, growing in strength as it progressed. When one of his dogs did a series of backward somer- saults on the back of a fast-circling pony the audience indicated its appre- ciation. The finishing trick, using all the dogs and ponies, while not new, is novel through the large number of animals engaged and the manner in which it is executed, eliciting a vol- ume of applause. Miss Petrova (New Acts), whose program copy reads: "First American Appearance," was probably materially assisted in her success through such billing. Metropolitan audiences are prone to favor foreign Importations. There were other hits on the pro- gram. For instance, John and Mae Burke scored very strongly. Since their initial showing of their present offering at the Bronx earlier In the and the couple "get to it" almost from the beginning. Mason and Keeler were in also on the applause thing, with their classy comedy sketch "In and Out." Nellie V. Nichols, in "next to closing" posi- tion, held down that spot without any difficulty. She has a new closing num- ber that is a hit. It is entitled "Dad- dy" and proved strong enough to fol- low her big success, "Will Someone Name My Nationality?" Edgar Berger, equilibrist, opened the show and was suitably applauded for his good act. The Musikal Girls did very well in the "No. 2" spot. Ned Wayburn's big act, "The Producer," closed the entertainment and consumed nearly an hour's time. Jolo. AMERICAN ROOF. A half show is better than none at all.^ Anyway the Marcus Loew book- ing staff had no doubt been Informed by the calendar makers that this was Holy Week and that the religiously inclined would religiously decline to pay much heed to amusement Between Holy Week and the rain Tuesday evening there was hardly a corporal's guard present, but it's dol- lars to doughnuts the bill didn't help business, any after its first expose Monday. Barney Bergen opened the show and sang an illustrated song. The audi- ence or what there was of it when the show started heaved a sigh of re- lief when the agony was over. The Boldens did their best work with the acrobatics. Until the George Roland Co. ap- peared in Bert Leslie's old act, "Ho- gan In Society," the following ex- hibited their vaudeville wares, Doo- ley and Jones, Austin Dare and Co., Robbins and Trenneman, all under New Acts. The ushers woke up the audience during intermission and from the time Bijou Russell put over her dancing, the people sat up and took notice. The Cowboy Minstrels stopped the show. The act has great- ly improved in the last year and lands better than at any previous time. The basso (from the old Dahlman Cowboy Quartet) does some excellent work. The "Minstrels" might be dis- carded and the word "Quartet" sub- stituted. The boys have gotten away from the minstrel semi-circle thing and consequently have enhanced the value of the act. Corcoran and Dixon had a swift tide to face but pulled up very strong. The dancing boy with the Bert Williams style of working did the trick. None of the steppers, especially the loose- jointed slippery limbery buckos have anything on this lad. The Bimbos (New Acts) closed. Mark. The Hart act seems like a rudderless season the dialog has been quickened OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE. Richard Warner, erstwhile sketch writer and at present stage director of the Harlem Opera House vaudeville stock company, threatens to write a play. Warner 1b a pal of August in Mac- Hugh, author of "Officer 66G." Every week, when MacHugh gets his royalty check, he shows it to Warner. Hence the threat.