Variety (January 1913)

VARIETY TABLOID MUSICAL SHOW DAY RECORD REACHES $850 Christmas Day Breaks Standing Record of $756 in New Form of Variety Entertainment. Ned Alvord of Chicago Putting Out Five New Shows. Boyle Wool folk's Productions Chicago, Jan. 2. Ned Alvord has arranged bookings for five new tabloid musical shows in- cluding one which is being produced by 13. C Whitney which will be headed by John W. Ransomc. The Whitney "tab" will be "The Do- ings of Dorothy" and will open Jan. 12 at Benton Harbor. "The Cow and The Moon" with Charles Scllon lead- ing the cast will be seen for the first time at Michigan City, Jan. 20. The outfit will carry 20 people. Billy Fricdlander will produce at Benton Harbor next week a tabloid version of "A Country Girl" and Jan. 26 "A Knight for a Day" will be pro- duced for the first time in tabloid form by Boyle Woolfolk who has leased the piece from B. C. Whitney. * Minnie Palmer's "Running for Con- gress" has been given a long route through the south, opening next week at Nashville. The one day receipt rec- ord for tabloid shows in the middle west and possibly in the entire coun- try was broken last week by Miss Pal- mer's "Duke of Durham" show. The piece played to $850 Christmas day at Fort William, Canada. The pre- vious record was held by the Kelly- Shuster aggregation, made at Aurora when that company recorded a receipt of $756 in one ordinary show day. About one-half of the tabloid shows playing the W. M. V. A. and Wells cir- cuits are owned or controlled by Boyle Woolfolk, Inc. Mr. \\ r oolfolk has kept his name under cover until the present time in order that he might avoid com- petition. Now that he has established his list he has come out into the open. Since last June he has produced ten shows, and has a batting average of 90 per cent., as only one show has been taken off. The attractions he wrote himself are: "The Sunny Side of Broadway," "A Winning Miss," and "Whose Little Girl Are You?" Associated with Mor- ris and Thurston he has the following Mort H. Singer successes: "The Time, the Place and the Girl," "The Girl Question," and "The Honeymoon Trail." He also has B. C. Whitney's "Isle of Spice" and "A Knight for a Day," the Intter now in rehearsal. "Merry Mary" is another show that is meeting, with success under his man- agement. The smallest of these shows carries fifteen people, and the largest twenty-five. His first success was with Max Bloom in "T ; ie Sunny Side of Broadway," which opened a year ago last November. It w;is such a success at once that it was booked for sixteen weeks. At the Grand, in Kimxville. Tenn., which had never played a 'ah loid, $600 was made on a v. t k this season, breaking all rec<>i.|v . i •'■■• house. Woolfolk's shows have played the. Western Vaudeville Association time exclusively, until recently, when Jake Wells contracted for nine shows to play over his time. HROADHURSTS PLAY SOON. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. George H. Broadhurst's big Ameri- can success, "Bought and Paid For," is scheduled for production here at the New theatre, March 3. Alexandra Carlisle, who recently married Dr. Alexander Pfeiffner in England, is now in America for the express purpose of witnessing the American presentation of the piece. She has been selected for the leading feminine role created here by Julia Dean, and returns to London in Feb- ruary to begin rehearsals. HAGS SCORE AT PALACE. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. Melville Gideon and his Ragtime four dpened at the Palace Monday, singing five numbers, and scored. SHEFFIELD CHOIR DOES WELL. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. The Sheffield Choir, conducted by Dr. Henry Coward, opened at the Coliseum Monday at a salary reputed to be $1,500. There are forty trained voices in the Choir. It won a real success. "SCRAPE" CLOSING RUN. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 4. Graham Moffatt's "Scrape o* the Pen" closes a run of six months at the Com- edy, Jan. 18. It will take to the Prov- inces, with Mr. and Mrs. Moffatt in the principal roles, opening at Liverpool Jan. 20. NAPIERKOWSKA SAILING. (Special Cable to Variety.) Paris, Jan. 2. C. M. Ercole sails for America Jan. 11 with Napierkowska. LAIDER GETS 4 WEEKS OFF. (Special Cable to Variety.) London. Jan. 2. George Foster, Harry Lauder's personal representative, has post- poned four more weeks' booking at the Tivoli to permit the Scotch come- dian to remain that much longer in America. AERIAL BUTTERFLIES AT COL. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. Adas Troupe, aerial gymnasts, six in number, in an act on the style of the ( urson Sisters, are a hit at the Col- iseum. "TURANDOT" AT ST. JAMBS'. (Special Cable to Variety.) Londcn, Jan. 2. "Turandot" follows "The Turning Point" at St. James', with Godfrey Tearle and Evelyn D'Alroy in the chief parts. "WALLINGFORD" OPENING JAN 6. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. "Get-Rich-Quick-Wallingford" will have a try-out at Folkstone, Jan. 6. POOR DETECTIVE PLAY. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. "Written in Red," produced at the Court theatre, is a poor detective play and will probably not long survive. PANTO THAT ISN'T. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. The Drury Lane pantomime, with George Graves, is a great show, but too much musical comedy. BUTT COMING IN. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. Alfred Butt sailed on the Carmania Dec. 28. He is due in New York Sat- urday (Jan. 4). A. Braff sailed Christmas day. REM BRANDT, NOVELTY. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. Rem Brandt, the cartoonist, at the Alhambra, although on too early to make any pronounced hit, is admitted- ly a novelty. MISS MAXWELL AT ALHAMBRA. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. Marjorie Maxwell has been engaged for the Alhambra Revue. FRAGSON IN OPERETTA. (Special Cable to Variety.) Paris, Jan. 2. A new operetta by the firm of Carre & Barde, produced at the Scala Music Hall, Dec. 21, was only fairly success- ful. The titre of the two-act production is "Un Menage a Troyes." Interest is created by the appearance of H. Fragson in a role, supported by Mar- celle Yrven. The thing was really written for the couple. Among the other players are: Girier, G. Flandre, Reine Gabin. Renee Baltha, Ransard, Delamarcie, Marguerite Dufay, etc. In addition to playing a part, Frag- son is singing, accompanying himself on the piano in the course of the operetta, which is preceded by a first part of singing numbers by local peo- ple. FIFTH IN DE8 MOINES. Des Moines, Jan. 2. The new vaudeville theatre to be built at once by Elbert & Getchell will be called the Empress to coincide with the majority of the houses playing Sul- livan-Considinc acts. It is planned to open the new house in the fall of 1913. This will make five amusement houses owned and oper- ated by Elbert & Getchell in Des Moines. HIP'S HITS DOING BIG. (Special Cable to Variety.) London, Jan. 2. The new Hippodrome Revue, "Hello Ragtime," is playing to enormous busi- ness, having registered one of the big- gest successes ever in a local music hall. The management expects the Re- vue to remain at least six months. Bert Williams has been engaged for it in May. BERLIN NEEDS A CHANGE. (Special Cable to Variety.) Berlin, Jan. 2. Berlin has had no hits of any ac- count this season. As business at the theatres still continues to be poor, it looks as though the Germans should be given a change of theatrical diet. "ANTONIU8" AT MONTI'S. {Special Cable to Variety.) Berlin, Jan. 2. "Heiligcr Antonius," billed to open the rebuilt Theatre des Westens, goes to Monti's Operetten theatre instead, about Jan. 16. The music is the first operatic at- tempt by a Mr. Kempner, whose mother is a well known and well liked concert singer. The critics have already agreed to "boost" the piece. The Theatre des Westens will start off with an operetta by Shanzer, called "Der Schneider Soldat" ("The Tailor Soldier"). The contractor doing the remodeling is under bond to have the house in readiness by Feb. 1. FORMER SOUBRET, MANAGRESS. (Special Cable to Variety.) Berlin, Jan. 2. Poldi Augustin, fifteen years ago a popular Vienna soubret, has leased Krolls and will put on "Mme. Sherry" very soon. Poldi will take the leading role. SHORTAGE FEATURE MATERIAL. The smaller time is complaining of a shortage in feature material for bills. Depending upon the big time to some degree for special attractions just now, the smaller time bookers say the vaude- ville acts they expected around New Year's are nowhere to be found nor are they playing in the big houses. GERTRUDE BRYAN DICKERING. Gertrude Bryan, featured with "Lit- tle Boy Blue," has severed her asso- ciation with the Henry W. Savage en- terprises, due, it is said, to a "slight misunderstanding" with the manage- ment, and is now dickering for vaude- ville. TINNEY'S OWN LEADER. When Frank Tinney reappears in vaudeville at Hammerstein's next week he will have Henry Marshall planted in the orchestra pit as his as- sistant. This will mark the first time an out- sider has helped Tinney with hi^ blackfaced specialty in New York Heretofore the orchestra leader has al- ways "worked" with Tinney. Following his week at Hammer- stein's Tinney goes to the Fifth Ave- nue, F. F. Proctor having put in a slip for his services for one 'week.