Variety (April 1912)

VARIETY 15 LONDON VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE 6 OBKKK ST., LKECKSTEB SQUABS. (CABLS "JDIBVOK, LOHDOIT.") W. BUCHANAN TAYLOR, Repre^utiv. (BAYARD) Mail far Americans and European! In Europe, if addressed care VARIETY, ai above, will be promptly forwarded. London, April 3. Many months ago Variety an- nounced forthcoming changes at the Alhamhra. Confirmation is to hand In the official statement Alfred Moul is to cease his connection with the Leicester Square house shortly. There has been internal strife for some time between Mr. Moul and the board of directors. He has been at the Al- hamhra since 1894. His management synchronised with a gradual rebuild- ing up of business, but in 1898 he severed his connection. In 1902 he was Invited to take up his position once more, and was later appointed managing director and chairman. Al- fred Moul is unquestionably a clever man, but it is to be doubted if in present-day West-end vaudeville he has stuck exactly by the requirements of the moment. His ballets have on occasions been extremely fine, and as he Is an accomplished musician and composer, the musical settings were usually of the highest order. It is rather curious that on the date of the official announcement of his severance it was decided to put on a sort of combination of Opera Comique and Revue in May. This Is called "La Vie Parlsenne," and for it Offenbach's mu- sic will be utoed. The English version has been written by George Orossmlth, Jr., and among those definitely en- gaged are Alice O'Brien and Arthur Playfair. It may be that Kenneth Douglas or Robert Michaelis will have the juvenile part and that Henri Leoni will be in the cast. It would seem that at last the Mid- dlesex music hall Is on a paying basis. The business done with twice-nightly drama shows that the house is good for something. During Mr. Stall's ab- sence of nine weeks through illness the business was shocking. The very week he came back "The Lifeguards- man" appeared, and all was well. After "The Lifeguardsman" another Walter Howard drama called "The Boy King," or "The Ragged Prince" will be done. These Howard dramas ought to be good goods for the States. The Dickens "Sairey Gamp" sketch has proved to be all wrong for the halls. Taken away from its Dickens surroundings of the big Dickens' night at the Coliseum, it is without the merit then attributed. It was consid- erably clowned by Cyril Maude at the Palace, and the drunken part consid- erably overdone. After the Monday's performance Cyril Maude decided to change his material for the following Monday. In this decision he antici- pated Alfred Butt by half an hour. His second effort at the Palace was "French as He Is Spoke. »» Encouraged by the success of "The Duchess of Dantzic," Walter Gibbons will shortly stage "Veronique" in con- densed form at the Palladium. At the same house the Beecham Opera Com- pany will present "Tannhauser," "Tales of Hoffman," "Lohengrin" and "II Trovatore." The engagement is for one month and the cast includes Lucille Hill, Doris Woodall, John Bardsley and Harry Reynolds. "The Middleman/* as played by Sey- mour Hicks and Company at the Coli- seum was not a hit. Hicks was off the greater part of the week, he having broken down under the strain. Barclay Gammon, after a sickness lasting over several weeks, was back again last week at the KUburn Em- pire. He says he broke down trying to work up a "gag" about Arthur Roberts, who was on the same bill with him at the Victoria Palace. He announced on the stage that he was only engaged to appear there in a front Cloth, while Roberts was pre- paring his "spontaneous gags" in his dressing room. At KUburn Roberts happened to be on the bill with him, and Gammon was telling the story of his breakdown, mentioning the "spon- taneous" story. Ever quick with a re- sponse, Roberts said, "Well, that proves to you the danger of playing with edged tools." A presentation has been made to William Bailey, the manager of the Metropolitan. He has an extraordi- nary record. A few years ago he was reappointed manager of the Metropol- itan after being away from it nine- teen years. Pavlova will return to the Palace, Shaftesbury avenue, April 15, for four weeks, dancing with Novikoff. In her second four weeks she will have the assistance of a corps de ballet direct from St. Petersburg. Hedges Brothers and Jacobson, and Vardon Perry and Wilber indulged in a novel farewell function at the Met- ropolitan Friday night. On the fol- lowing day "Those Three Boys" were due to sail for South Africa. Permis- sion was obtained from the manage- ment to celebrate the parting by hav- ing the two acts take place at one time. When the curtain went up Hedges Brothers and Jacobson, in regulation evening dress, were bunched together round the grand piano, and the other three were dis- posed over the rest of the stage in their uniforms. All six joined in the opening number, and then for close on thirty minutes they did alternate num- bers, finishing together in the last. It was a tumultuous affair, and the au- dience yelled themselves hoarse; so much so that the act scheduled to fol- low could not get on until the six boys had taken more than a dozen curtain calls. PARIS BY EDWARD G. KENDREW Paris, April 2. A proposition is to be brought be- fore the French Chamber to pass a law forbidding the employment in the- atres of all children under the age of thirteen years. Bernard Shaw, having been asked to give his candid opinion of the French stage at the present time, re- plied that he would not like to say, but might be tempted on payment of a million francs. A separation order has been grant- ed by the French courts in favor of Mme. Andre Messager, born Maud Da- vies, wife of the manager of the Paris Opera. A girl aged fourteen, issue of the marriage, has been confided to the care of the mother. Messager mar- ried Maud Davles at Paddington, Lon- don, July 26, 1896. The new tenor, named Cazenove, formerly a poor shoemaker at St. Pee, in the Pyrenees, has signed a contract with the Paris Opera for three years. Two years ago he was discovered by Broussan, co-manager of the Opera with Messager, and It was at once ar- ranged that he should take lessons to give his voice the finish necessary for grand opera. He will make his debut this season In Paris in "Sigurd." The Paris journals have stated that after this summer the Folles Marigny will become a comedy house. The real facts are this music hall has been sub- let for a winter season to Quinson, Deval and others interested, who pro- pose to mount pieces here in Novem- ber. La Nouvelle Comedie (the New Comedy) Is the title the new mana- ger has given to a small establish- ment up Montmartre way which has existed for many years, and as a nov- elty he is putting on a piece adapted from one of Balzac's books. Fragson will make a short tour of French provinces in April, opening at promise a new sensation in the near future. Leon Zeitlln made a special journey to Vienna a week ago and arranged the booking. The exact na- ture of the act has not transpired. Iris Hoey, now in "A Member of Tattersall's," at the Whitney, was se- cretly married to Max Leeds in De- cember. The story leaked out a few days ago. The title of Horace A. Vachell's new play has been altered from "The Kan- garoo" to "Jelfs." It will succeed "The Dust of Egypt" at Wyndham's April 10. The chief players in the cast are Gerald Du Maurier, Cyril Keightley, Alfred Bishop, Vane Feath- erstone and Dorothy Fane. Toulonson for a week. His salary is the highest paid for an artist in this port—1,000 francs per day ($193). Alys Lorraine, the young American singer, debuted at the Paris Opera March 22 in "Lohengrin," and met with a sympathetic reception. The role of Elsa proved a trifle heavy for a start, and she showed some ner- vousness which marred the effect, but a brilliant future is assured for Miss Lorraine, and a lasting success as soon as she becomes accustomed to the house she is singing in. It is understood the engagements of Max Dearly at the Moulin Rouge and Eve Lavalliere at La Cigale, an- nounced for the coming summer, are both off. Max will tour with "Bon- heur sous la Main," the rights of which he purchased prior to its pro- duction at tha, Varietes theatre, Paris. Vernon Castle is leaving the Olym- pia revue this week, and will appear in the Cabaret program at the Cafe de Paris, Avenue de l'Opera. He has been booked for the establishment for eight months. A theatre for melodrama is being built on the site of 23-25 Rue de Belleville, Paris. It will be called the Theatre Nouveau when opened in September. The two rival amusement grounds, Magic City and Luna Park, opened for the season April 5. At the former es- tablishment Japan Is largely portrayed, while the Orient is the preference at Luna, where F. Ackoun is still in charge. The name of F. Calvin Brown has disappeared off all posters of Magic City. The winter revue at the Folies Ber- gere will this year be produced Nov. 1, while that at the Olympia has been put over till Nov. 15, to follow the French version of the "Quaker Girl." Louise Balthy Is to open in the present Olympla show April 6. The Tivoli and Oxford syndicate "The Glad Eye" is still doing Mr business at the Apollo. MADE $7,500 ON BALL. The Vaudeville Comedy Club is gathering in settlements of its annual ball last month. It looks as though the club will clear $7,500 through it. when all the accounts shall have been settled. Tuesday evening next will be "Gene Hughes Clown Night." A spe- cial "clown night" will be held at in- tervals in the clubhouse hereafter. A sporting ticker is to be placed in the cafe, to give the married men of the club another excuse. It is also possible the club may issue a four- leaf pamphlet every few weeks giving the members out of town a line on the events happening around horn*-. and oth'T information. James J. Morton was appointed chairman of a committee to arrange for a Comedy Club Week at Atlantic City.