Variety (April 1912)

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16 VARIETY MOULIN ROUGE. The moet noteworthy thing about opening the "Winsome Widow" pro- duction at the newly named Moulin Rouge (New York theatre) was the "notices" in the New York papers the following day. Almost without ex- ception they were generously good. To the management of the show they were "wonderful," and that but lightly expressed their astonishment, for the management itself and all those connected with it knew that "A Winsome Widow" as first pre- sented at the Moulin Rouge April 11 was a poor performance, at least forty minutes too long, draggy, with superfluous people and songs and dances, also apparently poorly set through bad lighting, with the only lifesaver of real moment occurring af- ter the critics had left the house. That was the ice-skating scene. Though "P. Ziegfeld, Jr. Presents" on the program, this is looked upon as a Klaw & Erlanger production. The newspaper treatment of it, along with the kindly comment passed on the other late K. and E. production ("The Man From Cook's") seems to indicate K. & E. have found a remedy for adverse criticism. Whatever the cure is, the firm is lucky, for the notices on "A Winsome Widow" im- mediately pulled big business into the New York, and the show will make good when properly trimmed down. JThat may havto happened, by this time. It should have been taken care of before the troupe struck the New York. The " wise people" opined Flo Zieg- feld must have badly missed the ab- sent sword hand of A. L. Erlanger, who usually constitutes himself the repair department for a Ziegfeld pro- duction. Besides the dragginess, poor judg- ment and other things connected with the premiere, the show's leading lady, Emmy Wehlen, contributed her full quota to the disappointing evening. Miss Wehlen, as the Widow in the revived "Trip to Chinatown" was never there. She failed to get the spirit of the character, or any of her songs over the footlights. Beyond looking pretty and dressing well, Em- my never figured, which hurt the per- formance very much, since she played opposite the big hit of the evening, Harry Conor, in his original role of Welland Strong. Mr. Conor made fun all the time. He had little com- petition. His only opponents were Frank Tinney (in blackface) and Leon Errol. Mr. Tinney did not ap- pear until the second act. Then this natural comedian made them laugh. Obliged to give his vaudeville special- ty in the centre of the third act (to permit of the setting for the ice scene) Mr. Tinney got that over also, hut it was a hard feat to attempt in the position, and nearly 11.30. Mr. Errol went into the Bhow at short notice after closing with "The Follies." He danced mostly, and his every dance counted, even among the many others. Errol worked very hard, playing Hen Gay, the elderly masher. In one number he had to dance with nearly all the chorus girls. At another time he had to sit on a Boap stone for half an hour and pre- tend he was warm. That was a crime, against Errol and the audience. Twenty years ago in the original piece, this scene was excruciatingly funny, but since then the plumber's heater has come and gone, even in burlesque. Another good-sized score was made by Ethel Kelley, a pretty girl and a pretty dancer. Pat Casey discovered her on the "small time," making K. & E. a present of this young woman un- der contract. She and Errol were the first to start anything, early in the proceedings with a "trot" dance, not equaled during the remainder of the evening. Miss Kelley did a solo dance afterwards, and repeated her success. Other men were Harry Kelly, Charles J. Ross and Sidney Jarvis. Mr. Kelly got some fun in the role of an old servant, played and made up according to his own conception. Mr. Ross was literally wasted in his part and Mr. Jarvis sang twice. His second number was similar to the one that brought him attention in "The Little Millionaire." Jarvis' voice leads the heavyweight class and is always in training. Once heard in every twenty-four hours—enough. Ida Adams looked nice all evening, but she sang now and then, too. The audience liked it when Mr. Conor kidded Ida on account of that. Kath- leen Clifford did good work as a boy, and she danced nimbly. It's the only civilized role Miss Clifford has han- dled in a long time. Elizabeth Brlce was one of Ben Gays' wards, and Chas. King (Brice and King) was his nephew. They sang and danced together when not fooling around with their roles. It was the usual Brice and King singing and dancing, with an interpolated number "String a Ring of Roses" al- lotted to them for a good hit. The re- mainder of the music made no im- pression, excepting "Piccolo," a pret- ty melody, spoiled in the singing by Mae West, a rough soubret, who did a "Turkey" Just a bit too coarse for this $2 audience. Among the dancers were Nana and Alexis, but they were placed to fol- low all the others, an Impossible spot in this dancing medley. Jack Clif- ford and Irene Weston, a couple of Cabaret twirlers,. "cleaned up" on the dancing end. Speaking of danc- ers, the Dolly Twins were also there. The Ice-skating scene is the novelty of the show, however. It was ex- tremely well put on by Mr. Fellowes, of the St. Nicholas Rink, who handed Mr. Ziegfeld two fancy skaters, one an instructor from the Rink, and the other a very young girl. The audi- ence couldn't get enough of their pretty and graceful work on real ice, taking up most of the stage. A few chorus girls also slid along, but this scene broke up a logical ending to the performance. "A Winsome Widow" is a regular Ziegfeld show. There is plenty in it. Too much, in fact. When the run- ning is closed up for speed, it should remain a very long while at the Moulin Rouge. The late Charles H. Hoyt wrote a good one when he penned "A Trip to Chinatown," for it has come back. fiV/ne. THE GLASS HOUSE. Chicago, April 17. After several days of roading and much advance discussion, "The Glass House" arrived at the Chicago Opera House Sunday evening, bringing with it an all star cast, a complicated story unfolded in a draggy fashion and very few, if any, future prospects. The author brings to view an un- happy couple who separate and go their different wayB, a guilty affinity and one suspected but absolutely in- nocent and several other things, in- cluding Katherine Kidder who excel- lently pictures a character that smokes many cigarettes, uses bad grammar and good slang and who might ordinarily come under the ver- nacular classification of "A Fly Dame." The same "Fly Dame" is very much in love with a similar character of the opposite sex, impersonated in this particular play by Tim Murphy. And in the hands of Miss Kidder and Mr. Murphy rest what few redeeming features the Martin Beck piece possesses. To Katherine Kaelred fell the bulk of the work, the majority of the sit- uations and the greatest number of long speeches ever released from captivity. Author Anspacher was fairly brimming over with long speeches (some little short of monot- onous) when the idea cf "The Glass House" struck him. At times he em- ployed several pages of talk to tell something that could ordinarily be unravelled in as many lines. In the second session he applied the strangle-hold to whatever chances existed with a scene between the Misses Kaelred and Kidder that was little short of a sleep producer, while in the final chapter his dialog be- came so uninterestingly slow, several rash first nighters took a cheerful guess at the finale with its conven- tional reconciliation and made a quick exit. Anspacher has Imagined a classy idea and Martin Beck has been the good Samaritan in supplying a star cast and an elaborate production, but unfortunately their transparent dwell- ing Is badly and irreparably cracked. It not only seemed to lack the nec- essary biff, but every necessity and essential imaginable are absent. One big moment (or maybe it was only a second) arrived in the third and last act, but it marked the entire strength of Anspacher's effort. Credit belongs to each individual member of the cast, particularly Frank Mills, Olive Oliver and Sidney Herbert, the latter in the role of a scheming blackmailer. In several spots there was a notice- able trace of strength, but Anspacher never worked his advantage to a climax. Individual speeches stood out all over "The Glass House," but individual speeches will not make a play. The last act only has some- thing to it, but not sufficient to keep the play going to a profit. With such an expensive cast it is a question if the piece could show profits under any conditions. As pre- sented Sunday evening it looks ns though the much talked of initial ef- fort of Martin Beck in the legitimate field Is headed for a high shelf. Wynn. DEAR OLD CHARLIE. "Dear Old Charlie" is a three-act farce, written by Charles H. Brook- field, formerly London's official play censor. It is reasonably certain that during his official Incumbency Mr. Brookfield road a great many risque plays of French origin. One might naturally presume he unconsciously absorbed some of the delicious Paris- ian humor that passed under his keen observation. This would account in great meas- ure for his having conceived so es- sentially Frenchy a plot" for his play and the "meretricious" atmosphere in which he places a newly married and altogether innocent little English girl. In construction the farce is a gem, replete with brilliant lines and ex- cruciatingly funny—if exceedingly suggestive—situations. Two glaring faults stand out, however, in the piece, i. e., the transparent plot, by which many of its situations are too readily anticipated, and the numerous soliloquies indulged in by its players. Not too closely analyzed, it is a di- verting two hours' entertainment for those who care for that kind of thea- tre amusement, and as played by Charles Hawtrey and his almost wholly excellent supporting company should run well into the hot weather' The piece opens with an English gentleman about to be married to a sweet young girl. He has had af- fairs with the wives of two old fogies. Both deceived husbands, entirely un- aware of the condition, insist on re- taining the friendship of the prospec- tive groom, thereby creating a series of complications which keep the honeymooner moving pretty rapidly to keep from upsetting things. In the end his dear little wife finds him out and freely forgives him. Audiences the current week have been pretty thoroughly obsessed with the terrible Titanic disaster, which probably accounts for the slim attend- ance at the Maxine Elliott theatre Tuesday evening. But when the pub- lic has thrown off the gloom gener- ated by the marine disaster "Dear Old Charlie" should receive profitable support from the theatre-going public. Jolo. "SISTERS'* REPORTED DAILY. Portland, Me., April 17. All of last week the Misses Hy- lands and Farmer reported daily at the Portland theatre, but were not permitted to appear. The "sister act" placed the matter of their contract with the White Rats. Suit is very apt to follow, unless an adjustment is se- cured. The girls appeared in Portland, ac- cording to contract, when they were informed by Manager J. H. Moore that it would be necessary for them to give a private show before he would let them duly appear, as he understood they were part of a "three-act" which played his house a couple of years ago. The young women denied they had ever previously appeared at the Port- land or for Moore, and refused to "tryout" for his satisfaction.