Variety (July 1912)

VARIETY 19 BMGHTON THEATRE. (Estimated Coat of Show, $8,000.) The bill starts early and runs late at the New Brighton this week. There is plenty of show, and it is good, too. The house was big Tuesday night. The audience enjoyed the acts, but did not become enthusiastic. It was pretty warm going. Anyone with en- ergy enough to move a hand placed a fan in it. Archie Onri and Co. and Les Gou- gets, the first two numbers, were fin- ished by 8.60. Jacob's Canines, "No. 3," caught a very attentive house. The trainer has laid out a very good routine of work for the animals, get- ting very good comedy as well as th<* trick work. Jacob is now featuring "Victor," "the talking dog." There will probably be any number of "talk- ing dogs" from now on, so before many have wasted their time, it might be well to say that whether "Don," the talking dog now at Hammerstein's, really talks or not, there is something to his performance besides the mere bark, and Btuff like Jacob is trying to get away with. That simply makes the trainer look foolish. Harry Tighe and Edith Clifford (New Acts) were "No. 4." Belle Story, in her second week, came in for as much applause as it was possible to get. Belle is all right; the flutey notes and the high register stuff makes her sure tire for any vaudeville theatre. Florence Modena, assisted by Chas. H. Gardner had a very important pos- ition, closing the first half, for their well-worn comedy sketch, "A Lesson In Reform." It is an act of another period. Molasso's "Rose of Mexico" should have finished the first half as originally intended which would have made the whole show run better. Donovan and McDonald were one of the evening's successes. The two Tads are doing a splendid specialty. It is not an entirely new idea, but is worked differently and both men are so good it can't fail. The house soon caught the good humor and sped the pair along to a good size hit. The hat finish with two plants is well done and nets them a big return. "The Rose of Mexico," Molasso's latest pantomime, is not as preten- tious as the three scenes would seem to indicate. It lacks the glitter and gold trimmings of his other offerings. There is also a lack of fire. It may be that Maria Corio, "the Rose," is not strong enough. She looks the part but doesn't seem to possess that something for which the lovers stick the knife in the back, etc. Her danc- ing with Molasso also does not come up to what 1b generally expected from the producer. "The Bull Fight Whirl" (the new dance), does all right and is a little different from the "Apache" and "Turkey." Placed right in the third scene, it helps the act over. More snap, more go and more picturesqueness are needed. Stella Mayhew was a trifle late. She did splendidly, but in an earlier pos- ition would have been a clean-up. Bud Fisher followed Miss Mayhew and Barrows and Milo came along at 11.30. Dash. HENDERSON'S ■ear (Estimated Cost of Show, $1,875.) "Joy riding" is still in uncertain form—or was so Tuesday—which, necessitated the missing of the first two acts. The Polzin Bros, and Orr and Gallagher. Along toward nine o'clock Bert Melrose was seated on top of a number of tables piled al- most to the height of the proscenium opening, swaying back and forth to the fearsome and hysterical scream-' ing laughter of the auditors; finally toppling over to a roar. He made the mistake of essaying a few bits of comedy in response to the applause. That fall was just the right kind of an exit. Nothing that he can do is strong enough to follow it. Harvey and De- Vora, assisted by the little "coon," put over their fast moving singing and acrobatic dancing specialty, win- ning a well-earned encore. John T. Doyle and Co. were in fifth position with their melodramatic po- lice Inquisition sketch having a sur- prise finish. Barring a tendency to keep on one key throughout, Doyle Is a good actor, with a company not strong enough for him. Sully and Hussy in their singing and talking act, strongly suggest Howard and Howard. This "shoving" of the comedian by the straight man in all conversational acts should now be relegated to the "small time." Joe Keno and Rosie Green were there and did well. Nat Wills received the biggest kind ot a reception. He opened up with just a little right-up-to-the-minute po- litical talk and went into a series of parodies. The audience went wild, over the "gravy." For an encore Wills is telling the last story written by George Fuller Golden, and which he announces as an absolutely origi- nal tale. If it isn't, it's as near being one as anybody ever created. Ben Beyer and Brother, in their humorous cycling specialty, held most of the audience to the finish of the show. The interior of a theatre is not the coolest spot at a seaside resort on a sweltering night. Still the removal of one's coat and the "Lemonade, So- da Water," etc., at 6 cents "per Glass," helps some. JWo. FRENCH RAILWAY TIMK. The French railroads have, since July 1, adopted the same system as the French post office for recording the time of day. The new enumera- tion runs from 1 (after midnight) to 24 o'clock. A train formerly leaving at half-past ten at night, for instance, is now scheduled as 22.30. The dial number 24 signifies midnight when referring to the arrival of a train, but it is indicated on the time tables by a zero (0) for the departure of a train. This is a technical difference which can be easily remembered and is the only •point not absolutely logi- cal in the new system. COMMONWEALTH SHOWS. Asbury Park, July 17. The show playing here at the Cri- terion last week gave performances under a sort of commonwealth ar- rangement. Each performer received in the neighborhood of seven dollars a show. PARIS BY EDWAftD O. MENDIEW Paris, July 9. After July 4, which was appropri- ately kept in Paris, as elsewhere, the weather became warm, and the change was at once felt at the Champs Ely sees open-air establishments, where business has been poor this season, excepting at the Marlgny. At the Jar- din de Paris it has been disastrous, and the new Monza management will have an unfavorable balance sheet to submit to its over-confident backers. Op the evening of the Grand Prix (the great Paris horse race) the receipts at this fashionable resort have ranged from $3,000 to $6,000 in the past. June 30 the takings were under $200. This was entirely due to the rain. The program is not particularly attractive this month. The angel this season Is said to be a retail baker, who has worked hard all his life, and on the point of retiring invested his little cap- ital -in the present enterprise in the hopes of seeing his future income in- creased. Gaby Deslys and Harry Pilcer left the Marlgny revue this week, having filled their two months' contract. Gaby, having trouble with her tonsil*, underwent an operation the next day, and is now on the high road to re- covery. Pretty Myrtlll now holds the roles played by Gaby Deslys, but the change is very marked. George Lole likewise does not equal Pilcer, though he has evidently carefully studied each s.cp made by the latter. At the Alcazar d'Ete the revue at- tracts despite the rain. Dlo and Terry are newcomers here, and successful. The act consists of a man and dog. By the judgment given in favor of Jacques Charles, manager of the Olym- pia, against Leo Pouget, manager of the Marlgny, the French courts con- sider that a musical conductor en- gaged without any mention of time in a music hall is engaged for the the- atrical season of the house. Pouget vas engaged by Charles, Jan. 20, 1911, as chef d'orchestre of the Olympia, at $77.50 per month. In June he noti- fied the Olympia manager he would r.ot be able to take the position of conductor as he was too busy writ- ing pantomimes for Regine Badet and Sahary DJeli. As a matter of fact, he was already named manager of the Marlgny, as reported at the time In Vakikty. Charles thereupon sued Pou- get for $780 damages. The court de- cided in favor of Jacques Charles, but granted him only $96.50 damages. A new Paris hall, named the Coli- seum, in Rue Rochechouart, was opened June 29. It is a cozy little es- tablishment, with small-time vaude- ville and pictures. husband, Willy (Gauthier Villars) In the production of "Petite Jasmin,'' which will be the opening piece of the new Theatre de lVElysee next sea- son. This house is now being built in a street off the Champs Elysees, not far from the Astruc theatres also un- der construction, in the Avenue Mon- ttigne. Theatrical life 1b moving west- ward in Paris. At a benefit performance given at the Comedie Franchise last week a play on the life of "Duburau," the great French pantomimist, was presented by Jules Claretle. Duburau originated tbe Pierrot type with the white face, and in this short piece we see the actor on his death bed, trying to in- duce his son not to follow his profes- sion. Finally he realizes the boy has set his mind on the stage, and in a last effort he rises, dresses and gives km his first and last lesson in the art of dumb show. The part of old Tuburau was played by Maurice Fer- audy, the comedian, while the role of thf. son was held by Jacques Feraudy, who recently appeared at a music hall, Instead of continuing at the Comedie Franchise, as his friends advised. The audience immediately saw a reality in the situation of the father and son playing together the similar roles, ana the parallel in their real lives had much ympathetic effect on the success of this little sketch. Collette Willy objects to her name being coupled with that of her late Manager Fiateau has mounted an- other revue at the Cigale music hall. Three fairly well-known revue pro- ducers have signed this work, entitled "Pourvu qu 'on Rigole." ("Provided One Laughs".). It is preferable to have quality to quantity, and perhaps too many cooks have spoilt the show, for it has nothing particularly striking t > report. It is, albeit, better than its predecessor. The mounting has lxt cost much, for some back cloths, wings and costumes used in former productions here have been utilized. A good troupe has, however, been en- gaged, the drawback being the authors have not provided much suitable ma- terial to go on. Madge Leasing does hei level best: sings in French, Ger- man and English, dances nicely with Stephen Hall and Fred Pascal, but ffcils to make the success her efforts warranted. Stephen Hall has no per- sonality in a French revue, and as a partner to Madge he does not reach expectations. He 1h an excellent dan- cer, but is out of his frame at the Cigale in the present production ut least. Apart from the appearance >f Viss Lessing there is no novelty lo attract. A military sketch introduced in the first part, perhaps a trifle risky, is very amusing. The latent Cigale revue is funny in parts, superior in v. it to its neighbor at the Moulin Rouge, and well played, hut is hardly a success. It is a show put on for the summer. Yet it is better than some given at this music hall in the winter.