Variety (June 1912)

20 VARIETY BERLIN By B. A. LEVY 15 Karl Street PARIS BY .BOWAID O. 1ENDMEW Berlin, June 10. It happens often that at the open- ing night a show is a success with the audience and still the critics, being of a more value probing disposition, And fault with it. Now here is th>» comparatively seldom case of a play ("The Congress of Seville" at the Neues Operetten theatre), for which the critics had more praise than the success of the opening performance seemed to warrant. After a run of a few weeks it has been proved the critics were right. This operette by de Flers and Caivallet with music by Claude Terrasse, is one of the best of this season, despite there are no so-called "musical hits" In it. The music is not bad, but is the work of a good musician who did not sacrifice it to the demands of the people for tawdry stuff. The value of the play lies in the dialog, which its French authors handle with all the elegance, and sometimes with the pointedness expected from French writers. The Neues gives also a very creditable production. Richard Alexander has retired from the management of the Residenz the- atre, Berlin. For more than twenty years connected with this house, first ,as an actor, and twelve years as di- rector (also then playing the principal parts), he achieved a great popular- ity. Some day Alexander may be seen at the head of another Berlin the- atre. An innovation in theatre manage- ment will show the Deutsches Kunst- ler theatre, founded by the present ensemble of the Lessing theatre, cul- tivating and furthering the policy of the retiring director Otto Brahms, who has achieved special merit for producing the works at Ibsen, Ger- hart Hauptmann's and other modern writers. Mmes. Durieux, Lehmann and Sussin and Messrs. Forest, Grun- wald, Gerhart Hauptmann, Reicher, Rickelt, Rittner, Marx, Monard, Sauer and Wegner will be the artistic enter- prisers and co-partners. Their good will is valued at $75,000 in all while the financial consortium will put up $125,000 as working capital. America sets an example so often in business matters, that it is small wonder American theatrical customs become more and more adopted by German managers. For instance, shows on the road. Small operette companies were always traveling around the country, but now real good companies have been started out to present Berlin successes. Quite a number of these play in vaudeville houBes, filling the second half of the program. Here comes the announce- ment that one of the best known Ger- man actors, Friedrich Kayssler, in connection with Helene Fehdmer (a well-known actress) intends to tour a big part of Germany with his own company. For over here that Is some- thing novel. Maurice Oppenheim, formerly con- nected with H. B. Marinelli's Berlin office, is going to open a branch office at Paris for Paul Schulz* agency. Saharet, the dancer, has ventured upon a new field. She is appearing at the Hamburg Hansa theatre in a com- edy sketch written by Robert Steldl, the German humorist, who is also a principal actor in it. Saharet has added talking and singing to her danc- ing. A great success is reported, and the sketch has been prolonged for the month of July. Sylvester Shaffer, Jr., is going to make an experiment with variety in Berlin. He has leased the Neue Schauspielhaus for July and August and intends to run variety program with himself as chief attraction. The Passage theatre closed May 31. At present a freak exhibition is shown there. No definite plans for the future are announced. Paris, June 10. The Paris Courts have just ren- dered a ruling concerning the music in Cabarets in giving Judgment in a case brought by a hotel keeper who contended that the noise made by the orchestra and a troupe of niggers in an adjoining night cafe drove clients from his house. It is stipulated that the music, must be normal, and after midnight not exceed six musicians, which must cease altogether after 3 a. m. The Prefecture of Police, how- ever, has authority to fix an earlier hour for any particular Cabaret, but the owner may appeal to the Courts against such police decision. This decree concerns the orchestra, and customers may remain in the night cafes after 3 a. m., and the playing of a piano is not forbidden so long as it is not objected to by neighbors. OTHERS FOR "CHARITY GIRL/' Edna Aug and Claude Gilllngwater have been added to the cast of the new Edward Peple-Victor Hollaender piece, "The Charity Girl," to be pro- duced by the George W. Lederer Amusement Co. Ralph Herz will be featured in the production, the only reason for not starring him being his temporary stay with the organization until Dec. 1. when he is to be starred by H. H. Frazee. Miss Aug revived her former vaude- ville sketch for a try-out at the River- side this week. William Dean re- staged it. The engagement of Natacha Trou- hanowa for the last month of the Folies Bergere revue was a smart move on the part of Manager Bannel, and has introduced quite a classical feature into the show. This lady exe- cutes, in company with R. Naugui, three dances nightly, changing her program every three days, until June 25, when the Folies Bergere should close for the summer season as usual. Maurice and Florence Walton opened in a dancing act at the Olym- pia June 6, and went well. Leeds and LeMar have left Jacques Charles' revue, to open at the Victoria Palace, London, today. Fragson remains the headliner on the Olympia bills. This establishment will also close for the season until Aug. 25, when a vaudeville program will be presented. In October a French version of the "Quaker Girl" will be produced, for NINE LITTLE "CUT WEEKS." (Contributed.) One Little "Cut Week" to make the actors blue XasI- got Union Hill and then there were two, Two Little "Cut Weeks" happy as can be, Lovenberg got Pawtucket and that made it three, Three Little "Cut Weeks" made actors kind of sore, Mundorf threw in Pittsfleld, that was number four, Four Little "Cut Weeks" Just fought to keep alive Poll mentioned Waterbury, and that counted five, Five Little "Cut Weeks" were added to the mix, Tlie Bijou in Pliilly soon made it six, Six Little "Cut Weeks" a smiling up to Heaven, Boston got the National and then there were seven, Seven Little "Cut Weeks" were keeping up their gait, A Hen town and Reading then made it eight. Eight Little "Cut Weeks" were hanging on the line, Louis Wesley's Savoy picked number nine, which Alice O'Brien has been engaged for the title role. The opera season at the Alhambra was duly Inaugurated June 6, but "Madame Pierre" will not attract crowds. The story is simple and too long for four acts, but the music Is extremely technical and clever, which only trained musicians can appreciate. This independent enterprise is not a financial success, but fortunately those interested are only seeking for the artistic effect Michel Mortier presented a new program June 6, to close his season at the Theatre Michel. There is only one novelty, "La Maritza," a two-act play by P. Bail, muqic by Berger. A Spanish dancer agrees to go to Paris with a pretender, but soon pining for another man left behind, she returns to Barcelona. The lover follows, and in despair blows out his brains in her dressing room of a small dancing hall. A realistic Bcene is the close, where La Maritza has to appear fresh and happy before the audience, directly after discovering the body. The pres- ent show at the Michel is not the best presented this year, but, of course, we are at the tail end of the season. The proposed visit of Sir Herbert Tree's company to Paris has been de- clared off, it being stated that the stage of the Chatelet is not properly equipped for mounting Shakespeare as the English actor intended. M. J. Chartieau, late of Paris, is in charge of Wollheim's new office in Hamburg. Williamson, the Australian man- ager, was doing Paris last week. C. A. Benton, of the Megnophone Co., is at present in Paris, in the in- terest of his phono-picture machine. George Tyler is here and has ar- ranged with Pierre Loti, the French writer, to go to New York this fall to superintend the production of his Chinese piece "The Daughter of Heaven." The movement is on foot among the moving picture theatre managers to unite with the object of increasing the price of seats. Negotiations are under way for the appearance of Pathes phono-opera (already described), with the entire troupe of mummers and scenery, in New York. The price asked for the entire show 1b $2,000 per week. Nine Little "Cut Weeks" Just dangling in the sun, You don't get much coin, but you have a lot of fun. MABEL HITE SERIOUS. Mabel Hite was seriously ill the early part of the week. At Dr. Bull's Sanitarium Wednesday it was said her condition had not changed. Miss Hite was operated upon last week at the Sanitarium for appendi- citis.