Variety (December 1913)

VARIETY EVA TANOUAY WAKES UP 44th STREET MUSIC HALL Plays to Capacity Monday Matinee and Has Tremen- dous Reception, Some of it Rice. Unusual Floral Display Sent Over Footlights. Looks Like Two Big Weeks in 44th Street for Miss Tanguay. The first capacity audience the 44th Street Music Hall has had since it ccmmenced a vaudeville career gather- ea there Monday matinee for Eva Tanguay. Miss Tanguay has been well billed and advertised, and appeared before a packed house for her first turn of the afternoon. This con- sisted of songs only (all but one new) together with her gowns, new in New York. She appeared later in the per- formance for her tango dance. A shower of rice from the boxes greeted the first appearance of Tang- uay, who was addressed by her orches- tra leader as Mrs. Ford. Her reception was tremendous upon her entrance during the act, interrupted by two speeches by the star, numberless bows and three curtains, Miss Tanguay clos- ing the first half of the show. A carload of flowers, some of ex- quisite design, were sent over the foot- lights and banked at the rear of the stage. One large heart of violets was applauded while it was being carried across the stage. A very healthy advance sale for the night performance was reported at the Music Hall Monday afternoon. Miss Tanguay is playing the house 60-40 ^nd running the stage. Her own show is there, with a couple of additional acts held over from last week. The Music Hall has gone back to its $1.50 admission scak at night during the Tanguay engagement, with best orchestra seats one dollar at matinees. The Monday evening crowd again near- ly packed the thc^Ctre with very little paper in the howsc. The indications then were tlrtt this would be a bumper week at the box office. The news- papers treat^ Miss Tanguay nicely Tuesday whi<ih further helped business. It is said, Miss Tanguay will hold over for tlie third week if business during thft two preceding is strong enough to warrant it. 'Otherwise the Anna Held show is booked in for Dec. 22, with Harry Lauder to follow it Jan. 5, for two weeks. What is to come alter Lauder has not been made known/" The impetus given vaudeville by the Vun of the three stars may in- duce th;fe management to continue with vaudeWillc. although there is reported to be A musical comedy production in view Ly Lew Fields for the Music Hall '^*8e,/if the variety shows do not con- tinue. By that time the Roof dancing floor and the rathskeller will be in readiness. ^*oTi(iay afternoon Hammerstein's had ,1 very fair audience, not as large *» usual, but quite good. The Palace, with .i <;r. «;oO bill, held exactly 160 peo- Wt ;t 2.45. In money these repre- •*«t' around $90. It was said there ie "paper" in the Music Hall orchestra Monday matinee, but the up- per floor, which was sold out com- pletely, held cash only. In money the Music Hall audience must have repre- sented considerable. A solid line was in front of the box office from 1 o'clock until 2.20 in the afternoon. When the Tanguay Show leaves for the road, Joe Sullivan will go out with it as manager. CX>LONIAL IS CLOSED. Indianapolis, Dec. 10. John J. Ryan, manager of the Colonial, left town Tuesday evening of last week with no cash in hand to pay the acts or the house expenses. Resident Manager Ed. Daily resigned Wednesday. Stage Manager Holland came to the assistance of the acts and employees, keeping the house open. Mr. Need- ham, of Cincinnati, came over Wednes- day to settle things up. He has gone back, and Holland is acting as man- ager. The Colonial is announced to be un- der new management next week. ADVISED TO STOP FLIRTING. Chicago, Dec. 10. George Le Vee, manager of the In- diana theatre, a small timer on the south side, developed a brilliant idea last week when he discovered that the .\nierican Music Hall was available for the weeks that carried Christmas and New Years, no attraction being book- ed there for that period. Le Vee immediately consulted a pair of vaudeville booking experts and was promised a wonderful, almost unbe- lievable array of talent, all headliners and the prices just right. In order to make it possible to give a three-week contract, Le Vee de- cided to run the Indiana on the two-a- day plan for one week, taking over the entire show after the Music Hall en- gagement. At any rate, after Le Vee had de- veloped the plan up to the point vrhere he was to sit by and watch them roll in, something slipped. It seems the vaudeville experts sought New York counsel, in order to ascertain just how far they could safely go, and one K. F. Albee got wind of the enterprise, immediately notifying the experts to behave them- selves and stop flirting with profes- sional death. They did. wis ORPHEUM SWITCHES TOPLINER. Spokane, Dec. 10. The manager of the Orpheum here received word late last week that Nance O'Neil, his scheduled headliner, would not appear. Miss O'Neil quit the Orpheum Circuit at Winnipeg and Nina Morris replaced her. No explan- ation was given of the change. TRENTON HAS OPPOSITION. Trenton, N. J., Dec. 10. Francis Chase, Inc., has taken over the Broad street her^T Loew-S.-C. office is booking pop vaudeville into it. The opening of the Chase Broad street theatre, as it is now called, has precipitated keen rivalry in the al- ready active vaudeville field here. Three houses. Broad, State and Tay- lor's, are now devoted exclusively to the three-a-day popular priced policy. Higher-priced shows than is usual are being presented, and observers are questioning the length of time the competition can be continued. MUSTN'T PliAY OPPOSISH Newark, N. J., Dec. 10. Daisy Harcourt is at Kceney's this week. She was billed for Proctor's. The change was made at the last min- ute. Miss Harcourt played at the Mo- hawk, Schenectady, recently. That house is declared to be "opposition," and it is supposed the local engage- ment in the Proctor establishment was called off in consequence. BOOKING IN ONE OFFICE. The arrangement of offices in the general suite for the United Booking Offices and the Orpheum Circuit in the Palace theatre building, will bring the principal bookers into one large room, that has been wired off into many "cages." Private offices surrounding have been provided for the heads of the various departments or circuits. A WEEK FOR FRED. EMNEV. Fred Emney, known as England's greatest "Dame" will probably try one single week in New York vaudeville, follov&ing his annual pantomime en- gagement in London. The week may happen in March, and be at the Palace, New York. Will Collins, the London agent, is said to have arranged for the Emney engagement before leaving for home this week. Mr. Emney is desirous of seeing how he will do on Broadway, and has accepted $1,500 for the week's salary to try it. BUILDING IN L. I. CITY. F"rank Keeney has concluded ar- rangements for the erection of a 1,900 seat house in Long Island City, on a site left to him under the will of his father and which comprised a very small portion of the elder Keeney's estate. U. B. O. BEHIND ROBINSON. Herman Robinson, tlie present Com- missioner of l^icenscs, is a candidate for reappointment to his i)rcscnt post under the incominj,' municipal admin- i«!tration. He has the endorsement of the United nookiiij^ Offices wiiose of- ficials are scouriii;^ about town endeav- oring to persuade theatrical managers to write kttors to the tnayor-clect rccotnmendinj^ KohiiisDii's retention in office. Kaffllmr <>n th<- Moller I'liw-Orrhestni ? Sun' Sn.ip|il<»t yon r vcr VmiimI ir';ivv siiifT. too. If you like. Orillniiiy pl.-inlHtH i:- t k<<<i'\ KBulfii qnlckly W^inflcrfiil s. If iil;i\.r apiilli r| If denlrtd. C. 8. I^onb, N Y. ;iri.i Hkn. T< 1 ♦♦B'WAY HONEY.MOON" STORIES. Kansas City, Dec. 10. Just what will become of VA Broad- way Honeymoon," Joseph Howard's musical comedy, no member of the company was willing to predict when the show left Kansas City Saturday night. One thing is certain, however. The cast won't hold the Canis-Howartf McCane combination. Early in the week it was reported Emma Carus would close with tht show Saturday and Maude Raymond replace her. Then a day later it waf said that Miss Carus would take over the show and that Howard and Mc- Cane would return to vaudeville. Theo Howard said Friday that the Shuberts had agreed to book the show and everything would run smoothly. It is known that Miss Cams would like to jump into the Winter Garden cast. She says she has a two-year con- tract with Carl Randall, the youthful dancer in the show, and would like to take him with her into the Garden show. Randall told a friend he was to leave the Howard show in St. Louis and join the Shubert attractions in New York. The show did little here and was bumped the week before on the one- righters. St. Louis, Dec. 10. It is reported here the "Broadway Honeymoon" show will close Saturday night and be disbanded. In response, to a telegram of inquiry to Howard while in Kansas City last week, the following was received by VARiETr: "Howard and McCane open ^t the Orpheum, Brooklyn, Dec. 29. Joe Howard." WARS ON BIIiliING FRAUD. Cincinnati, Dec. 10. Charging that George F. Fish, man- ager of the Empress, and the Bell Amusement Co., which operates it, hacjp tried to make the public believe Evelyn Nesbit Thaw was appearing at the Sullivan-Considine house this week, the Hcuck Opera House Co. filed suit for $10,000 damages and an injunction in the Common Pleas Court yesterday. M. T. Middleton, manager of the Hcuck Co., says Miss Thaw will be at the Lyric Jan. 4. and posters adver- tising the "Evelyn Nesbit Thaw Tango Dancers" at the Empress this week will hurt her business. To-day Comstock & Gest. who oper- ate the Evelyn Nesbit Thaw show, sued Manager Fish of the Empress for $10,000 and applied for a restrain- ini: order against the act at that house from continuing under the name and billing. Judge Cosgrave heard the mo- tion Wednesday afternoon. No in- junction was granted, hut a compro- tni«;c was arrived at after the argu- ment and the net went on as "The Tliavv Tango Dancers.'" the other part of the bills f)eing covered. "What is Miss Thaw's reputation as an actress?" asked the jtidge. when plnintifT's counsel alleged her stage rep- utation was hurt.