Variety (December 1912)

VARIETY 25 THE SUN DODGERS. Lew Fields' production named "The Sun Dodgers/' as first seen in New York (at the Broadway Saturday night), was not well received by the daily newspaper reviewers, although the show pleased and amused the ca- pacity audience. If "The Sun Dodgers" were no better tha^n most of the news- paper men opined it was, then it is a fallacy to believe the "first night crowd" in New York is a frost bitten bunch of hard-hearted critics. The production holds what a musical comedy should have, plenty of girls and lively action. Also if one relishes the comedy of George W. Monroe's "dame" and Harry Fisher's "simp" characters, there is surely sufficient laughing matter. In fact, as the piece seems built around Mr. Monroe, it might be said there is almost too much o f him in evidence, although the general complaint of the critics was that when neither of the comedians was in view the action lagged. "The Sun Dodgers" is the Fields' show that started on the road a couple of months or so ago, with Eva Tan- guay featured. When Miss Tanguay left it, the show came in for reorgani- zation. At the Broadway Bessie Wynn had the former Tanguay role. Miss Wynn is a decided hit in the perform- ance, and surprised the first nighters. She sang several songs, never reap- peared in the same gown, and al- together made the people in front won- der why she had been permitted to re- main in vaudeville so long, when fitted by nature and attainments to shine in musical comedy. Miss Wynn makes a charming figure on the stage. With her daintiness and knowledge how to deliver a song, she registered repeat- edly at the opening performance, al- though not always certain of her speak- ing lines. One or two or more little tricks to catch the popular vote, ac- quired by Miss Wynn in vaudeville could be placed on ice while in musi- cal comedy. There are two "stalling" scenes in "one" in the two acts. These did tend to slow up the performance. In the second Miss Wynn had to take an en- core, without proper material, and im- mediately following her Mr. Monroe gave a monolog to help pass the time. During the street scene in the first act, Charles Cartmell and Laura Harris, who were hurriedly impressed for serv- ice Saturday afternoon, happily helped the period over with a portion of their spirited dancing act, and again danced later, to strange music. They look a very classy dancing couple and went over heavily each time. Maud Gray was a pretty little en- genue. She had for companions Nan Brennan and Ann Tasker. If the show is shy any one thine, it is in the vocal department. Nat Fields played a "rube," doing ex- tremely well with it, and also later as an Inspector of Police. Harry Clark was a busy dancing young man in the lead of several numbers. Jack Jarrott and James C. Breese were other dan- cers not given the chances Mr. Clark secured. James Dyso played a "double, headed cop" for laughs. Among the numbers was a new idea in a song with INDISCRETION OF TRUTH. That class of New York's population which naturally gravitates to a radius of which "Goldberg Park" (Seventh Avenue and 116th Street) is the pivotal point, was assembled at the Harris thea- tre last Tuesday evening to assist in giving the metropolitan premiere of "The Indiscretion of Truth" a rousing wel- come. And the gathering was not inspired by any fervid desire to aid in uplifting the drama. No, sir! It was a commercial proposition pure and unadulterated. Ninety-five per cent, of those presenft were either financially interested, or closely connected by blood ties or friend- ship with those who were. All this was made manifest by snatches of the con- versations in the lobby between the acts and the anticipation of every situation in the play on the part, of its auditors just prior to its actual occurrence. Briefly summarized, the composite in- formation thus disclosed was to the effect that a corporation with a capital stock of $10,000 was formed for the purpose of exploiting J. Hartley Manners' four- act comedy. The stock in the company was disposed of, in the main, by a Mr. Levine, whose regular occupation is the manufacture (in wholesale quantities, of course) of ladies' dresses. Nobody could state exactly just how many stockhold- ers there were, as some who had sub- moving pictures shown on a transpa- rent sheet. This caught on with the entire house. "The Sun Dodgers" has a "horse and cab." No Broadway show is complete nowadays without a "horse." There is also a "cow" that did little. The "cow" should do more and the "horse" left to those who discovered it. Messrs. Mon- roe and Fisher have some fun with an inflated tire that has been done in vaudeville. The one best comedy laughing "bit" of the evening was fry- ing collapsible frankfurters in steam. Ned Wayburn has kept up his excel- lent staging for this show. The num- bers are very good, without a dancing "rag." The "rag" number is executed while the choristers are seated. Edgar Smith has written considerable wit into the book, while several catchy tunes have been composed by A. Bald- win Sloan. E. Ray Goetz supplied the lyrics. Miss Wynn's first song was "You're My Baby." Her "Every Flower has a Melody" was the prettiest. Quite of- ten the gaps in the piece could have been filled in by the chorus who were extravagantly dressed, as usual in a Fields show. A burlesque drama scene toward the ending, by Monroe and Fisher, has been much better played by burlesque people in past seasons. "Dixie Love," a "lariat" number, got nothing, per- haps, the first night, through Whiting and Abbott (from vaudeville) mixing up their rope cues, probably from ner- vousness. The production is nicely set, starting with a rathskeller and ending with the interior of the Automat (since Belasco grabbed off Child's for "The Gover- nor's Lady"). Mr. Fields has a show in "The Sun Dodgers." It's worth going after to put over. Bime. scribed were acting not alone for them- selves, but for friends and relatives. It was the proud boast of one investor that "Lawyer Levy" had put up some of the bankroll. Those who enjoyed their cigarettes in the foyer could not help but hear that the attraction is playing on a sharing contract with the theatre, the terms of which are sixty per cent, of the first $4,000, with an increased per- centage beyond that amount; that those interested had personally disposed of batches of seats for the premiere at var- ious pinochle sessions—at regular box office prices, mind you, and for cash—in order to insure an audience that would be friendly disposed. As a consequence the only "unbeliev- ers" seated in the orchestra, barring some of the critics for the daily papers, were Owen Davis, Andrew Mack, Dorothy Tennant and her husband, and one of the DeMille boys. A Purim ball at Lex- ington Assembly Rooms, to raise funds for the erection of a new gate leading to the private burying plot of The Sons of Benjamin at Cypress Hills, could not have assembled a more representative gathering. If there were any other "out- siders" present, they were not readily dis- cernible. But let us get to our task: "The In- discretion of Truth" is an excellent com- edy drama of English life in the best cir- cles, uncommonly well played in the main, intelligently staged and produced with rare good taste in the matter of scenic investiture. A well bred English girl plans to elope with a gentleman athlete from the sum- mer residence of Lady Stirling in Scot- land. She has written the man a letter in which she signs herself his loving wife. He sends her an answer that it is im- possible for him to keep the engagement, signing it as her husband, written on the back of her letter. By the laws of Scot- land this constitutes a marriage. The man's father threatens to "cut him off" unless he marries a wealthy young widow, and being a "cad," he falls in with his father's plans. Girl realizes that she doesn't love the man at all and returns to the house, eventually marrying her guar- dian, a retired barrister aged 45. This may sound somewhat trite and hackneyed, but it is ingeniously worked out and plen- tifully sprinkled with clever English drawing room comedy. So thoroughly well balanced is the cast that it would seem to be an injustice to signal out any for individual praise. Yet it is but fair to mention that Mrs. Thomas Whiffen, with but a single scene in the third act, stood out from the others like a blue white diamond. Frank Kemble Cooper, as the guardian, and Walter Hampden as the "gentleman athlete," had the principal male roles, with Anne Mere- dith, the misguided girl who escaped a matrimonial alliance with a no-account through no fault of her own. "The Indiscretion of Truth" has a good chance to achieve success in New York. In that event those who subscribed to- ward the $10,000 bankroll for the purpose of launching Mr. Manners' play in Amer- ica will be sure to patronize their Maiden Lane friends around holiday time. "Among those present," seated in Row K. was the young woman, voted "Queen" at the close of last summer's vacation season at Arverne. You just had to know it. Everybody pointed her out. Jolo. KELLERMANN SHOW. In the towns where Annette Keller- mann, the diver, has not appeared she is a drawing attraction. Helped in the billing by Stella Mayhew and Jef- ferson De Angelis, the Kellcrmann Show (under the management of Wil- liam Morris) played to $946 Monday night at the Collingwood Opera House, Poughkeepsie, at a $1.50 scale. Then the company got up at 5.30 Tues- day morning to catch the 6.25 (local) for Albany, where they changed cars to ride until reaching Binghamton Tuesday at 2 p. m. Wednesday (two shows) in Erie, and so on, as usually befalls the trouper over the one- nighters. It had rained for over twelve hours continuously. Miss Kellermann is strong on the get-in-and-get-out stands. At Wor- cester the show got $1,200 and at Dan- bury the day before, besides getting around $1,000 at the box office, Miss Kellermann got married to her man- ager, James R. Sullivan. The Kellermann Show is composed of two acts in an opening olio, "The Wood Nymphs" (Kellermann's act, in which she also toe dances) and "The Barnyard Romeo." In the latter Miss Mayhew and Mr. De Angelis are fea- tured. Bert Kalmar, playing the cat, starts the show off with a little prolog, while his wife acts as chief assistant in the wings. Then come Mayhew and Taylor (Stella and Billie), who sing, talk, kid and play the piano. Poughkeepsie took right to the May- hew girl, who, in the "Romeo" travesty is about the whole piece, excepting for the very good work Mr. De Angelis does as the rooster. Mr. De Angelis plays the part with a better concep- tion of its burlesque range than anyone who has previously essayed the role. Dorothy Webb does very well as the Hen Pheasant, though slightly off in her vocal offering Monday evening. Al Latell makes a hit all by himself as the dog, while Mr. Taylor is again the Fox, as Miss Mayhew is the Goose. Ann Pennington, a little mite who has personality and dances neat- ly, is the Mouse, and Rosalind Ran- dolph fills up the tights belonging to the Sparrow part. Edith Rankin is the Magpie, and Elsa Volks the King Pheasant. There are tv.enty-four chor- us girls^ some in the Kellermann bal- let. Cf Molasso is doing his usually capable work in handling Miss Keller- mann in this, as well as holding it up through his own pirouetting. The show may undergo some chang- es shortly. A few of the present prin- cipals don't relish the way the rail- roads run their trains. A couple of new songs have been placed in the show Ben Teal staged and rcstaged. Jimmy Cowcn is managing it, and has two advance men. The Collingwood Opera House is sit- uated just off the main street of Pough keepsie. You can't help but notice the town no matter how fast the New York Central passes through it. They have stretched a bridge across the riv- er near there as a mark of identifica- tion. The Opera House is electrica'ly illuminated outside, and in its interior has a heating plant in the form of a large black stove, labeled "Alaska, No. 22, with circular flue in base." tiimt.