Variety (June 1913)

20 VARIETY NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial PrMMitAtion, First Appcanuic* or RMppetfttnce In or Around N«w York The Modern Svengali, Fifth Ave. William Sisto, Fifth Ave. Jane Weir and Co.. Fifth Ave. Lombard! and Wells, Fifth Ave. Mabelle Lewis and Paul McCarty. Songs and Dances. 15 Mins.; One (5); Five (7); One (3). Fifth Avenue. A "two-act." 'Tis hard to restrain from a long dissertation on "two-acts," this boy and girl aflfair people in and out of vaudeville appear to believe is all sufficient. A girl, a boy, some clothes, some songs and a dance. Well, it has been overdone. If the boys and girls that are framing these sort of turns and will frame them would stop to think a moment, they might remem- ber what they have to follow and truth to tell, the best of them seems to have gone before. "Mixed two-acts" are too similar. The routine doesn't vary. Even "gags" are alike. Mr. McCarty plays the piano. Miss Lewis walks on. "Don't you wish you could play the piano?" asks McCarty. "Yes, don't you?" replies Miss Lewis. Billy Gould and Valeska Suratt pulled that one about dancing some years ago. Oh, of course it was good, like Clark and Bergman's "best dancer in the coun- try," otherwise both would have been left alone. Miss Lewis is rather a cute looking little brunet, possessed of some vivacity and no voice. Mr. McCarty is on the Harry Tighe order, in looks and work. He first appeared around here in a Lasky act, perhaps the "Pi- anophiends." For her first change Miss Lewis wears a pajama suit. They have a couple of new songs and one old boy, "White House of Our Own," which dates as far back as the opening of "The Follies" last season. The se- lections sung by the couple are not strong enough to get them over for important money, nor can either of the two give material assistance to a num- ber. Monday evening they closed in "one" for three minutes with a chorus of the final song, followed by a dance. The latter was one of those pretty lit- tle stepping things, well rehearsed, but meaning nothing. The act opened in "one," then went into a parlor set for McCarty's piano playing. The arrange- ment is wrong. Perhaps someone told them to tack "one" on both ends would double the value, as managers like acts in "one" the best. They do, good acts. Lewis and McCarty are not a good act yet. They may become one with better songs. It's a question of material with them. After getting that, they will only resemble some hundreds of other "two-acts," some gone and some still going. This "two-act" (mixed) thing unless it is vastly differ- ent will be a drug on the big time market next season. And the vastly different kind are combinations like Harry Fox and Jenie Dolly. There's a diflFerent "two-act" because a come- dian like Harry Fox cannot be dupli- cated Ninety-nine per cent, of the others are duplicates before they open. Blme. Irene Granger. Songs. 10 Mins.; One. Fifth Avenue. "A Glorious Singer with a Voice of Pure Gold." That programer at the Fifth Avenue is a fluent word slinger but he has made it hard for several acts by over-billing them. Irene Granger is one. She's a single, sing- ing several songs with the usual changes of costumes. Irene played around about over a year ago. Then as now it may be said for her that she's a very pretty girl. A peculiar intonation by the girl while singing suggests she could develop a "double voice." Her low notes are contralto, but she strikes these seldom. As a so- prano Irene is merely a singer. Her first number was "Come Kiss Your Baby," then a rag Chink song in a costume that was a cross between a Jap and Dutch dress. After a straight song. Miss Granger sang a "Tango" number. During all of the songs and changes of costume, Irene wore three strands of diamonds across her hair. At least they looked like diamonds and if they are Irene can safely retire from show business. If they are not, Irene had better be content with the small time for a while to develop her secondary voice if that may be done, for Irene is a very comely girlish girl. The "double-voiced" singers around so far haven't lived up to that caption, al- though it doesn't go for Gertrude Van Dyck. Just one other little thing about Irene. Her enunciation needs repair. Hay Sisters. Songs. 9 Mins.; One. Jefferson. Not a bad looking "sister act." They dress very well for the small time the- atres and at the Jefferson could have remained longer. The girls wisely left them applauding heartily for more. They sing better alone as their closing number brought forth little harmony. One girl showed considerable pop and to prove she didn't care how she step- ped around and swished her head back and forth let her hair fly loose from the braid. The opening number could be improved upon, in fact, the girls have not corralled the strongest sing- ing routine possible for their kind of voices. The pop time is becoming to the Hays sisters. Now and further- more experience is a dandy little teacher. Mark. Sanderson Moffat and Co. (2). "A Wee Bit O' Married Life" (Com- edy). 15 Mint.; Interior. Union Square. A pair of the members of the orig- inal "Bunty" company playing a very extended engagement in New York, with a minor assistant, in a little Scotch comedy, the idea of which is as old as show business, but always wel- come when properly executed. But how in the name of goodness modern playwriters and playactors can so far transgress the rules of up-to-date construction by permitting the opening character to talk to itself for four solid minutes, is beyond comprehension. Curtain rises with wife at washtub in a humble cottage in Scotland. Hus- band is late for dinner. She talks and talks, broken but once by the entrance of a silly boy with some packages. Husband finally enters and is upbraid- ed for his tardiness. Every time he at- tempts to explain he is bullyragged and chased about the stage. (He's a six footer; she's a wee mite). She weeps and bewails her fate over being mar- ried to such a brute, and this her birth- day while he merely pantomimes pa- thetically. At finish a knock is heard and hatbox handed in. It contains a new bonnet for wife, with a note at- tached: "To my dear wife on her 21st birthday." It dawns upon her that that was the cause of his tardiness; she taxes him with it, he pantomimes yes and she jumps into his arms crying: "And you never told me." Oddly enough, whenever the woman works toward a climax she abandons her Scottish dialect, which immediately kills the atmosphere. Sanderson Mof- fatt and Co.'s contribution to modern vaudeville is not a step onward in the proper direction. Their best claim to recognition is that they were members of the original "Bunty" company. Jolo. Canfield and Ashley. "It Happened on Broadway." 17 Mins.; One. Union Square. Herbert Ashley, late of Ashley and Lee, in his familiar Hebrew character- ization, with a new straight man—Al. Canfield. It is a new act, opening with crossfire conversation leading up to the duolog parody idea, as used in both the Matthews and Ashley and Ashley and Lee turns. But the lyrics are much better than of yore—so much better in fact that most of them are way be- yond the original songs they para- phrase. Straight a very capable feed- er. Jolo. Harry Pox and Jenie Dolly. Songs and Talk. 16 Mins.; One. Brighton Music HalL Harry Fox and his queer "canary chirp" trademark reached the zenith of their brief but unusually successful ca- reer this week, when they became as- sociated in vaudeville with Jenie Dolly, late of the Dolly Sisters. Fox under any circumstances is a genuine relief from the stereotyped book-form light comedian, but with all due respect to his former associates, it must be re- corded that Fox never appeared to better advantage than at present. Miss Dolly with a triple costume change was pretty good to gaze at for a 16- minute spell and with their well con- structed routine, the pair connected with ease. Opening with a few min- utes of chatter they followed with a number of love chants, solos and duets. Miss Dolly's dance being a feature. Between the action of the numbers Fox was there at all times with his comedy punch. If there is a better two-act in vaudeville, it hasn't made its appearance hereabouts up to date and it's a safe bet that Fox and Dolly will get a.regular route. Vaudeville needs them much more than they need vaudeville. Wynfi. Fanny Brice. Songs. 13 Mins.; One. Fifth Avenue. Fanny Brice is always around with a new act, and Fanny Brice is always growing better. Some day if Fanny will take care of herself she is going to be a great comedienne, for Fanny has a naturally humorous streak in her composition. Even if vaudeville does not get it altogether, it is there. And Fanny can originate or create a song. You should hear her turn a rag ballad, "You Made Me Love You" into a comic. Hers was really clever con- ception in this, and no music publish- ing professional department taught her that. Miss Brice sang a number used by Al Jolson in "The Honeymoon Ex- press," and closed with her parody on "Bumble Bee." She opened with "Mammy's Jinny Jubilee." It will get a lot of people very sore at Leo Feist when they hear the "Jinny" song. Not because it is a dead steal from "Me- linda's Wedding Day," but because somehow Mr. Feist let slip one of the best rag songs of the year, when "Me- linda" did not get in the hit class. It may yet, though, for "Melinda" has a fine rag swing. When first appearing Fanny wore her hair becomingly and beneath had on a Grecian cut gown that looked right. Fanny looked right all the time. She kidded about an en- genue, but put it over some of our best little engenues on appearance. And Fanny did a bit of business with the orchestra leader it's funny no one else ever thought of. As a single Fanny Brice is all right. She can put over a song and gets in the "nut" class as a comedienne, but one trouble with Fanny, she's careless, doesn't care whether school keeps or not. "The Follies" may be blamed for that, though if Fanny Brice will go right to it, the girl is going to make a big name for herself yet. Let it be here recorded that in a fast playing bill and following "singles" and "doubles" Fan- ny Brice was the hit of the bill at the Fifth Avenue Monday night. She made them like it. Sime. James F. Leonard and Clara Whitney. "Duffy's Rise" (Comedy). 15 Mins.; Four (Parlor). Fifth Avenue. "Duffy's Rise" is not unfamiliar in story, the latter made too complete if anything for a vaudeville comedy act. Toward the finish the hod carrier who received $150,000 for his land found himself broke once more, but within 30 seconds received a wire he was wealthier than before. The piece was built by Charles Horwitz to fit James F Leonard, or at least the sketch reads that way. Mr. Leonard is an Irish comedian. Clara Whitney is his as- sistant. It might be termed an elderly sketch for an elderly couple, but for Mr. Leonard's b'g time attack should be considerably strengthened up. The laughs are infrequent. Mr. Horwitz might have borne in mind that Ryan and Richfield for this line of vaude- ville work have not alone wholly cov- ered the field, but cleaned up in it. Sime.