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VARIETY 13 London, July 3. Dr. Wilmar, the man who invented the "Spirit Paintings" and other illusions, has been at work for some months upon an improvement of "Tanagra," which is allowed to be the prettiest illusion known. Selbit, who exploited "Spirit Paintings" in Ameri- ca, has also been at work on a fine new illusion called "Shadow People." which has been shown at a private performance. Laddie Cliff is over here and has honorably undertaken to play off some of his old dates, made before ae went to America. Needless to say, they are nearly all at a low salary. Laddie has made a fine impression over here by his willingness to fulfill old obligations. Carl Hertz, the illusionist, was taken ill whilst in Wales, and may je laid up for some time. A young protean actor named Owen McOiveney leaves England on July 13 to take up his time on the Orpheum Circuit. He is quite a young man and has only been on the stage some three years. He has taken Dickens for his first excuse, and plays a scene from "Oliver Twist," impersonating six characters from that work. Sam Lloyd, of Glasgow, requests 't be made clear he was not responsible for the Savoy theatre, Glasgow, going into liquidation. He states: "I hope you will draw attention to this matter in order to get the impression out of the public mind, and so try to keep my reputation with the profession good. I joined the Board a few weeks before the theatre opened, and only learned when I got into the inner circle of the true financial condition. I at once told them what would hap- pen unless they were very careful." When the Savoy went into liquidation the liabilities were $77,500. In his explanation Mr. Lloyd states that the coal strike accounted for a consider- able amount of the loss sustained. He says he repeatedly warned the dir- ectors of the difficulties' to be faced in the working of a music-hall in the first year and that he consulted the directors and had their agreement to the engagement of the "Duchess of Dantzlc," which hastened the end of the Savoy. Mr. Lloyd concludes: "Financially handicapped as 1 was for want of working capital, and the enor- mous difficulty of working off a deficit of $50,000, it is no surprise to my friends, I expect, that the theatre is In its present condition, and I am sure that they will absolve me from all blame." D'Arc's Mimicking Marionettes are going to Australia for the first time in twenty-one years. They have been booked on the Rickards time. Some ill-feeling has been created by the manner in which Bunyea and Gideon have gone about their business on this side. They came over, having, it is alleged, been fooled by Buckner, and had no engagement here when they arrived. Gideon fixed up, to ap- pear at one of the Syndicate halls, and then went to his friend, George LONDON VARIETY'S LONDON OFFICE 5 QBMXn IT., IJEICBSm IQUAKB. (CABLB "JIMBUCK, LOHDOW.") W. BUCHANAN TAYLOR, R«pre«utiv. (BAYARD) Mail for Americans and European! In Europe, if addressed care VARIETY, as above, will be promptly forwarded. Grossmlth, Jr. Grossmith got him a week at the Victoria Palace. The next thing known was that Gideon had accepted an engagement at the Alhambra, doubtless through Gros- smith, Jr. When they got in there, further trouble occurred. They open- ed the same night as Yvette, and were originally fixed to precede her on the program. When they found at re- hearsal the numbers Yvette was doing they made a request that she should cut one out that they had placed in their routine. This Yvette refused to do, and the management taking the side of Gideon, altered the time of Yvette so that she appeared earlier in the bill, and 20 minutes before Bun- yea and Gideon. Yvette made a little kick at this, and in consequence was placed to close the bill on the follow- ing evening, following the Revue, which runs over an hour. Yvette made distinctly good despite these handicaps, and should be a certain success in practically any hall in the kingdom. On the other hand, Bunyea and Gideon dragged their act out un- til it became tiresome, Mr. Gideon making the fatal error of doing two piano solos in succession. Bunyea 's not strong enough, despite his good looks. "Suniurun" has been booked for London and the provinces again, but not at the original big price. It has been considerably cut and cast at a much cheaper rate with a view to provincial touring. Charles Frohman is arringing for a novel program at the Duke of York's theatre at the end of September, lie got together George Bernard Shaw, J. M. Barrie and Sir Arthur Plnero and commissioned each to write a short play. The three plays will be produc- ed on one evening. Each author will select his own actors and cast his play. Frohman promises to repeat this per- formance in New York. Mr. Stoll has engaged the Irish Players from the Abbey theatre, Dublin, to appear at the London Coliseum in a series of their one-act plays. Hilda Trevelyan and Edmund Gwenn have taken a lease of the Vaudeville theatre from Messrs. Gatti. They commence In September. The plans of the new Tivoll have been passed by the Theatres and Music Halls Committee, but not as yet by the London County Council. After the reconstruction the Tivoll will s^at 1,850 people. There will be no pillars and the stage will be much larger. thur Collins of Drury Lane brings )ff what he went out for, it will prob- ably be the greatest thing on record. The idea Is that D'Annunzio shall write a dumb show play, possibly "Nero," one of his greatest efforts, and an excellent subject; that Fo- kine, the greatest ballet inventor in the world, shall do the dances; Bakst, the most notable scenic and costume designer alive, shall do the decora- tions, and that Rubensteln's music shall be used, with Reinhardt as pro- ducer. The Moto Girl and Les Marbes have gone to South Africa to play the Grand Circuit, booked by Will Col- lins. A new form of Sole Agency con- tract has been agreed upon between members of the Variety Agents' As- sociation and the Variety Artists' Federation. This has been a long time coming, but it is here at last, and artistes will doubtless be thank- ful for it. The terms are thus: I, the undersigned, hereby ap- point to be my sole agent for the period of three cal- endar months from to subject to two weeks' notice of ter- mination, to be given by me in writing prior to In the event of such notice not being given, this agreement Is to continue from time to time in peri- ods of three months, but always subject to notice of termination, to be given by me In writing two weeks prior to the expiration of any given period of three months. Should I, during the continuance of this agreement, accept any en- gagements through any other agency, or direct with any man- agement, without the written con- sent of I further agree to pay to him as liquidated damages a sum equal to 10 per cent, of the salaries accuring from such engagements, notwithstanding any other claim for commission which may be made against me by any person or persons through whom such engagements have been secured. (Signed) . "Rebecca of Hirnny Brook Farm*' goes to the Globe theatre in succes- sion to "The Pink Lady," which, though doing well enough, is not in a sufficiently large house to show big returns. The bringing together of Max Rein- hardt, Gabriel D'Annunzio, Fokine, Bakst and Rubenstein was largely the result of the work of A. Braff. If Ar- THE WAIL OF THE HICK. By JOHN J. O'CONNOR. (Wynn.) "Figurin' out the best way o' unrein' this big time baby to a small fortune has got my think-tank a workin' so much overtime that the rest o' my carcass is hollerin' 'fink' and 'scab' at the brain department," said the Hick as he cunningly and artistically sniped an almost whole Turkish Trophy butt. "Of course we're just weenln' our way off en' the split pea and suit case circuit, and we ain't exactly initiated and hep to this high brow way o' handlin' the show graft, but if you think any o' these lobs are goin' to play me for the heel, just polish up your old hypo machine and give your- self another jab in the wrist. "Now, you understand, we only labored one full week on the regular rain or shine time, and at that we came pretty near bein' sloughed off the program 'cause we was number one on the bill just after the harmony mob climbs into the pit and tears off the overture, but believe me, party, I've been keepin* the old listeners wide open, and I'm wised up to the whole works. "First of all you know all this bull about million dollar salaries runs for Alexander, 'cause they ain't no such thing. I used to go nutty lookln' at some o' these boy's contracts, and once, after I got a flash at an acro- bat's paper with the big rubber stamp mark on it, I went out and played the absinthe route for the big souse and woke up just in time to greet the judge with Ave bucks for disorderly. "Now here's my contracts for the other four spaces, and I'm going' to take you into me conference, 'cause I know you're a square guy, and be- sides I owe you some kail that you ain't going to collect on the strength o' this one-fifty I. O. U. that them celluloid collar blokes distribute. "Get me, kid, and get me right when I tips you off that I'm only flag- gin' eighty big cart wheels every pay- day, although these here Illinois State contracts calls for a yard and a half. That's the Branningan. Any one can get a contract bloated up if they rush a little salve at the guy behind the pencil. Them yeggs all got hearts, and they don't mind a ham peddlin' the bull about his rake-off if he wants to sport the big four-flush around the corners. * And don't think for a min- ute they ever get balled up on the count either, Cull, 'cause they got a reglar Inside system o' their own. They keep track o' the dough by let- ters. Our letters is A. D., and you can take It from me they's a whole lot o' simps goin' around shouMn' that their salary is so big they need a wheelbarrow to carry it away in, that are only gettin* A. D. "But these phony contracts are great things to send home or to flash in a gin mill. I gave the Crlbbage Kid two to show around over on the West Side. Them hoofers over there go wild when they sneak up behind the kid's back to get a peep and see those big three numbers starin' them in the face. The Kid has got a nice way o' pullin' the sheet out while he's lap pin' up his brew, knowin' that the other hams will stand on their toes to throw their glims over his shoul- ders, and pipe the figure. "Oh, yea, bo, we're developin' all them stunts as we speed along. Here comes that swell lookln' broad what slings hash In Knab's. I got her dated up for a long, dry walk. Get ua from the back as we blow by."