Variety (April 1912)

18 VARIETY COLONIAL. Rather a good sized audience greet- ed a familiar bill at the Colonial Monday night. The Colonial has gradually been getting the reputation of being a "hard house," which is probably not quite true. The audi- ence is just as ready to applaud and laugh now as at any other time, but it is hardly to be expected that they will laugh and applaud as much the fourth and fifth time they have seen an act as they did the first. Wish Wynne (New Acts) was the only turn on the bill not at the Colonial before. The English girl proved a real success, although not a riot. The downstairs portion of the house greeted her warmly, but above the lower floor she did not reach. It may be just as well for Miss Wynne to be a couple of seasons ahead of an audi- ence that still thinks bamboo chimes, drums and music box imitations on the piano clever. Qus Edwards (himself) and "Song Revue" closed the show. They are the program's feature. The Revue has been turned about some since it was first shown, but it still re- mains a very entertaining number, with plenty of life and go to it. Pedersen Bros, and Wish Wynne were the only other acts after inter- mission. The Pederson Bros., open- ing, were a big hit. The clown brother is about the best thing in chalk that has turned out since Jimmy Rice made his big hit. The Peder- sons also get credit for originality. Oressy and Dayne closed the inter- mission. They are playing "Town Hall To-Night." The piece has been pretty well played out about New York. Many of the big laughs have dwindled into 6nickers and some come before the lines are spoken. The drop of Broadway will always do, and Creasy and Dayne should make some sort of an arrangement to have it in their other acts, for it is easily the biggest laugh they ever devised. Marshall Montgomery did very well at the finish, although it was some little time before he got started. Marshall is a very good ventriloquist. The whistling is sure fire. Allen Shaw on "No. 2" contributed an en- tertaining ten minutes. The coin manipulator in his quiet, easy man- ner held the attention of the audi- ence throughout and without ap- parent effort kept them amused. Not an easy thing to hold an audience with this Btyle of work at long range. Connelly and Webb, "No. 3," found rough going until the whirlwind fin- ish. The laughs and applause came out of the sky. The lower floor did not fall. The Musical Spillers opened the program and for the position did very well. The girls are making up too white and the effect from the front is not good. They are wearing new coats, which improve the appearance somewhat. Dash. Constantino, Eibenschultz and Or- el yn ski of the "Sumurun" company will leave on the Mauretania, April 24. The remainder with the show, which closes in Boston Saturday night, sail on the Barbarossa April 2'.). FIFTH AVENUE. Though the h«adliner, Mabel Tali- aferro and Company, did a nice little "flop" Monday evening with an in- consequential sketch, the program was held up by "Hazel Weston" or 'More Sinned Against than Usual'." ,(yNew Afcts). This piece, brought from the amateur ranks into vaude- ville by Arthur Hopkins, had for its author Everett Shinn, well known among a Bohemian set around Wash- ington Square. The dressiness of the audience Monday evening portended Miss Taliaferro as something of a drawing card, but at the conclusion of the "Weston" sketch, it was plain- ly seen the evening dress representa- tion of considerable number were a unit for Mr. Shinn and his piece. Another act billed, Edwin SteveuB and Tina Marshall, did not appear. Illness was said to have been the cause, but the Fifth Avenue had plenty of show without them. For the early part, W. C. Fields, the com- edy juggler, glided away with all honors. Fieds is but lately returned from a long visit abroad. It has given a European tinge to his looks. Mr. Fields has gotten away from the tramp facial makeup. He wears a light mustache that has a Frenchy accent to its curl. Fields has a few new tricks in juggling, and another that is prettily accomplished through the shifting of hats well up stage. In the latter end of the show, Clark and Bergman made a sure score. None of their duet numbers approach newness. Tfc& solo em- ployed by Miss Clark does not fit her nor her voice. It's nearing the close of the season, but this team seem to have prospects too bright to re- peat in any house with exactly the same material, especially in New York where they must travel around the Metropolitan circuit besides. Linden Beckwith vocalized earlier. Miss Beckwith was nicely liked in a livelier turn than before. The posi- tion was rather prominent for her weight as a "single". Miss Linden's best effort was with "Ragtime Goblin Man" for the finale, when clothed as a boy, with bare legs. She sang also "My Beautiful Lady" from "The Pink Lady", a restricted production num- ber. The program was opened with the Roberty Trio, dancers of the Frenchy sort. Leon T. Rogee did well enough "No. 2" with his musical imitations. Mr. Rogee is too prone to disclose he is imitating though securing some comedy from this. Perhaps a trifle more seriousness would help, the glass of beer covering a lot in the fun department. B. A. Rolfe's "Cour- tiers" had the rather difficult task of finishing the bill with their music- al turn. Miss Taliaferro's sketch, "Taken on Credit," is altogether unsuited to that young woman or to vaudeville. It was written by Edwin Peple. Thomas J. Carrigan as the German grocer ranks no higher in it than the star. The one role well played is by Joseph Green as a police officer, but Mr. Peple might inform Mr. Green that even among legits in vaudeville it is not proper to say "Who don« it?" Niwc. AMERICAN ROOF. That frightful catastrophe of the sea must account for the light attend- ance, upstairs and down, at the Amer- ican Tuesday evening. The small house was lifeless itself for some time, only awakened by Billie Reeves and Co., closing the first part, in "A Night in an English Music Hall." Mr. Reeves received a reception upon his appearance, evidencing his popularity among all classes. It Is the first time for the act around here in the smaller vaudeville houses, and it loomed uj. on the American's program. Previously there had been nothing to get over, and no comedy to speak of. In the second half, the show was given a big lift by the Cabaret Trio (New Acts), which had to follow Vera McCord and Co. in a dramatic duolog. It's something about the Russians in St. Petersburg. Vera did most of the talking for twenty-five minutes, but she couldn't make her conversational partner stop altogether, so she stabbed him. For allowing the audience to see the remainder of the performance, Vera received three cur- tain calls (you know, those quick ones with the trained drop). Had she killed him at the end of twelve min- utes, the house would probably have voted her a testimonial. Someone sold something to Vera and told her it was a sketch. She's got a rebate coming. Just before the Vera McCord talk- fest, Godfrey and Henderson indulged In another. They were in "one," opening the second half, and had a special drop behind them to make the act look important. It was full of lit- tle quips and quirks, although the young woman had a nice time passing through the turn in a steamer chair. It wasn't nearly as comfortable for the audience. This is a return date for the couple at the house, and there was another act also playing a return on the bill, which might have been noticed by the amusement seekers. Hugh Lloyd closed the show. Adu- baton and Kinsman, acrobats, includ- ing a comedian, opened the perform- ance, following an "ill. song" which came after some pictures. Finn and Ford blackface talkers and dancers worked into the "No. 2" spot and Cra- vette-Levondre Co. (New Acts) were "No. 3." Then happened Beulah Dallas, who will persist in trying to keep away from her regular vocation, "coon shouting." Beulah wants to emulate her sister "singles," who aim for the artistic in singing "rags." Tis tough, either on Beulah or others, but if the girl from Texas would get out and shout as was her original intention, she might do things. As it was Miss Dallas of the Lone Star declined to let go an encore because she didn't believe her applause was warm enough. The stage manager oblig- ingly- held the stage for her, but Beulah wouldn't be convinced. It wasn't her fault however. She can blame ihe rest of the bill if she doesn't believe the Titanic disaster had anything to do with it. Otherwise the American Roof show seemed good enough for Marcus Loew to allow his frfends to look at It. Lets hope they are his friends still. 8ime. CITY For a Tuesday night audience it was one of the smallest of the season but what was there for the finish showed a hearty appreciation of the bill. The show as a whole stacked up much better than a lot that have packed the house to the doors night after night. Hasson and Rodell. with the man doing acrobatics and the woman featuring toe dancing, gave the bill a fairly good start. The man has some jiifty tricks in his routine but slows up the act by some unnecessary stall- ing. The act could be shortened and improved thereby. Russell and Hartman have enough shooting to make the noise at target practice resemble muffled drum beats. The action is supposed to take place in a London drawing room but the woman's accent and song, "Way Down South," don't fool an audience. The act pleased the Fourteenth Streeters. Markee Brothers, with their music, stopped the show. These boys registered one of the biggeet hits of the season. Thos. Q. Seabrooke and Hanson and Bijou also had things their own way. Seabrooke has added "Little Cane and Satchel In His Hand" and put it over nicely. The "sisters" "kidded" each other and worked longer than such acts generally do even on the "pop" time. Loretta Flynn, Tiffany-McLellan Co., Stane's Circus, New Acts. Mark. WARNING TO MANAGERS. New Orleans, April 17. The antipathetic feeling obtaining in the South for many years against circuses, because "they clean up all the loose money in a town," is now being vented, in some cities, against the large theatrical producers of this country. Retaliatory measures, such as charging a big license fee, etc., have been prescribed by the local financial sages, with a view to having the big tops "leave something behind." but these same sages are watching the big producers take thousands of dollars from their coffers each year, which go to New York or to Chicago, never to return. The subject has become a topic of conversation. Five per cent, of the theatrical business attributed to this section this season can be traced to the dlsssemlnation of this knowl- edge. Next season, unless conditions change, it will probably grow to ten. It Is a business axiom, grown hack- neyed through repetition, that it is only fair to "trade with the people who trade with you." Yet the large theatrical interests take millions of dollars out of the South each year— in New Orleans alone they take half a million—without investing in southern projects, or leaving, save In few instances, a dollar in southern banks, to be loaned to enterprises, which employ the theatre goers who patronize their attractions. Most of the producers deposit their money in New York banks, and the southern theatre-goer has to pay a double bonus to get some of his own money back to his own territory.