Variety (January 1914)

20 VARIETY BBSaoOBE NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK initial Presentation, First Appearance or Reappearance In or Around Now York Jeanette Franceses, Palace. Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Castle, Hammer- stein's and Palace. Mrs. Gene O'Rourke and Co., Ham- mcrstcin's. Max and Mabel Ford, liammerstein's. Mr. and Mrs. Voelkei i New Act), Fifth Ave. Bimberg and Day, Fifth Ave George Nash and Co., I'nion Sq. Roshanara. Dances. 29 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Setting). Palace. Just when one reaches the conclusion that the four corners of the earth have been fine combed for classic and native dancers along conies Roshanara from England to prove there are still a few left. Roshanara makes her bid for vau- deville popularity on the strength of her long arms, which have a snakelikc appearance that helps her put over a creepy reptile dance at the close that is a trifle different from that of the other dancers of her ilk. She is a hard worker and goes through each dance as though her life depended on the result. Tall and slender but fair of face, the way she uses her arms shows that she has been practicing her art longer than overnight. Roshanara first offers the incense dance followed in turn by the village dance, the warrior's dance and the snake dance. None starts anything until the snake stuff. Those long, wil- lowy arms certainly resemble wriggly snakes and they keeo her act from fall- ing into the discard. Roshanara de- serves all that she can get with the native dance thing at this late hour. A good press agent is half the battle. Mark. Harry La More. Vaudeville Travesty. 17 Mins.; Full Stage. Grand O. H. (Jan. 4.) Harry La More is a versatile chap arid does a 3-in-l act which keeps him working from start to finish. He npens in "one" before his own "frame drop" and announces he will give a "one-man vaudeville." His first is that of the much-dressed Chinese ma- gician. From his hooped-skirtcd re- galia he brings out gold fish, water bowls, flowers, duck, etc. The second specialty is his "idea of a juggler." In ttamp makeup he goes through a rou- tine after the usual construction, do- ing several tricks neatly. For the fin- ish he does a "drunk on a slack wire." Here's where La More shines and he makes a merry bit out of his loose work on the thread. With a little showmanship, he could work up the wire drunk as an act alone and get away with it. The magic and juggling "bits" are too well known to help him much except to demonstrate versa- tility. Furthermore there is not suffi- cient fun to make 'cm worth all the time he gives. La More's work with the "assistant" in getting on the wire and his subsequent balancing on it should give him all the jobs he wants around here. Mark. Neil Kenyon. Songs. 33 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Sets). Colonial. It's immaterial what Neil Kenyon's nationality is. He's Scotch, but he will appeal to all, not any more to his own country people than to those who enjoy good, keen humor, well delivered. Mr. Kenyon has been a long time reaching New York. To New Yorkers \» ho saw Wilkie Bard, this Scotch sing- ing monologist will seem to be along the Bard line of "producing" a song. He characterizes them also. Tuesday evening Mr. Kenyon sang two num- bers, taking 14 minutes for each. They were "The Postman of Dunrobin" and "The Golf Caddie." For an encore he did a bit of travesty beneath him. It is familiar on this side, that of borrowing money from a stranger, then shooting lrm because he was too good to live. Kenyon, who has a likable face, made up quite sharply, announced however that owing to the late hour, he could not do another song. He is more a monologist than singer, but everything is in the Scotch dress and brogue or dialect. In the latter he is not broad at all, quite distinct to Americans at all times, has excellent enunciation and twists it once in a while to make fun with the expression, "Not at all." His talk sounds as though wholly belong- ing to him, but the late James Rich- mond Glenroy's idea of verses and epitaphs creeps out for a brief moment in the "Postman" number. Mr. Ken- yon might omit these for America. They bring a laugh of course, but are no longer associated over here with high grade turns. In the "Postman" song Kenyon is the mailcarrier of a small town, where he knows everyone, shouts out the wording of a postcard to avoid the walk to the owner of it. 'ind opens a letter to see if the con- tents are worth the little overdue charge on it. Mr. Kenyon lias a company of three or four, with special settings for each number. It could hardly be hazarded how he would espe- cially prove attractive to Scotchmen in the manner that Harry Lauder does, although no doubt many of his little quibs are localisms in Glasgow, but nothing he does altogether escapes over the head of those not of the clans, and for vaudeville, excellent entertainer that he is, Neil Kenyon is a big card, for he has a Simon-pure comedy turn. If the other foreign "singles" who are afraid to venture this side can rank with him they can take the next boat. It is commencing to seem as though there are many foreign acts that should be here who have never been properly approached. Certainly Neil Kenyon waited too long. Any manager book- ing him might request that he do not less than three numbers to a perform- ance and gauge his time at 45 or 50 minutes. You can bank on Kenyon He's there a mile. Sime. Quinn and Quinn. Dancing. 7 Mins.; Full Stage (4); One (3). Hammerstein's. Man and woman, opening with con- ventional song and dance; girl does some somersaults and splits; man wooden shoe solo work; double hard shoe finish. Good opener. Jolo. Irene Bercseny. Gypsy Cimbalist. 11 Mins.; One. Harry Lauder Show. Casino, New York. Irene Bercseny is not the first to play the Hungarian cimbal or piano over here, though Irene has a prettier instrument than the others. Hers is rosewood, but not a* musical, although Irene herself may be responsible for the difference in sound. B. Yoska is named as her assistant. He's there, is Yoska. Wears a uniform that is a cross between dress for royalty and a butler, and changes it during the act. When the Hungarianess appears to 1 lay the instrument, B. V. walks on with the two sounders on a sofa cushion. He docs the dip as he hands the pillow over to where Irene can reach without extending herself. Then the lady, who is rather a good looking brunette with a cameo face that seems to be marred with much make-up, goes to work. She first plays a rhapsody, drifts off to a rag medley, and during the latter is once more assisted by Yoska, who by this time has become a \ iolinist in his second change. There is too much effort evident in the turn. Miss Bercseny is more the actress than musician, and before a $2 house that >tuff doesn't get over. As a straight musical turn the act is ordinary. Zinka Panna was the first to play the Hun- garian cimbal in vaudeville over here. She is still playing it somewhere in the west. Last season the Countess somebody or other turned up with an- other and got work on the small time. Irene must follow those two. She can do it—in the Lauder Show. sime. William Bence and Co. (3). Farcical Sketch. 20 Mins.; Three (Chinese Laundry In- terior; Special) Grand O. H. (Jan. 4.) The action takes place in a laundry where John Chinaman hits the pipe and dreams a dream that calls for a lot of stage license. That it was a dream permits the interpolation of much oakum. As revealed Sunday be- fore a house composed for the most part of men and boys, the act caused ;; lot of laughter. A young woman comes in and tells the Chink she is having a quarrel with her sweetheart. The Chinaman forthwith produces a mysterious love plant. Then the sweetheart enters, and having found a letter, believes the girl's new lover is the laundryman. Tic raves, rants and roars and swears he will be back in a few minutes to kill the Chink. Business of shooting targets and bell ringing with a long Interval between, spieling Chinese lingo (sounded like chop sucy music) and interpreting it. losing a pair of pants and forcing the man to cairy on a scene with his girl from behind a screen, with other horseplay well known. There is some funny dialog, and some that should be blue penciled at once. That "You Made Me Love You" solo should be cast out without further ado. The act runs too long. The "pop" houses like ;• farcical hullabaloo as raised in the Hence act. It will be able to get the results desired in that section. Mark. If yon don't advtrtlM In VARIETY, don't adverting at all. NEW SHOWS NEXT WEEK Initial P res en tation of Legitimate Attractions In New York "The Queen of the Movies"— Globe (Jan. 12). "Sari"— Liberty (Jan. 13). 'Omar the Tentmaker"— Lyric (Jan. 13). "Don't Weaken"— Elliott (Jan. 12). ■ The Porch Party" (11). Musical Production. 22 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). Fifth Avenue. B. A. Rolfe has sure enough put over a "live one" in the new production. Vaudeville has seen no prettier picture than that disclosed at the rise of the curtain. The front elevation of a co- lonial mansion is pictured with four white columns rising to the top of the proscenium arch in about "two." The Moor of the porch occupies about ten feet back of that and beyond rises die front of the houses with the entrance in center and French windows on eaJi side. The players are made up of man and woman dancers, M. Sundberg and Mile. Renee by name, a singing and dancing pair. Lola Wentworth and J. Delaney, and seven musicians, three women and four men. Miss Went- worth and Mr. Delaney open the pro- ceedings with a neat little number, in- volving the episode of a young man caller sitting on the porch until stern father demands to know if he intends to stay for breakfast. They disappear and the musicians, strolling into view play a familiar standard very prettily on violins, 'cellos and a French horn. A dance by M. Sundberg and Mile. Renee follows, giving place in turn to another number by Miss Wentworth, all the men working up to her. For a finish the musicians play rag medleys on the brass instruments while the singing and dancing quartet supply song and action on the lawn before the house. The whole tabloid is clean- cut specialty material, delivered with- out talk and taking a delighful charm from its jewel of a setting. The of- fering takes first rank. Rush. Erno Rapee. Pianist. r : Mins.; One. Harry Lauder Show. Casino, New York. # Erno Rapee is from Hungary, so the lulling states. He uses a concert grand piano, plays a classical number, and finishes with a patriotic medley that brought some of the audience to their fret. The pianist hasn't yet found out how to have his hair cut in the Ameri- can style. Following Irene Bercseny, a cimbalist, on the same bill, the two turns conflicted. However, as both arc from Hungary, they may have been booked together. But there's no com- edy in Rapee unless he strikes you as funny, and there seem to be so many people nowadays who play the piano. It has been noticed also that it isn't always the best player who gets the most applause; quite often it is the one with the best rag arrangement. As a concert turn Rapee could get over. Tp. a vaudeville bill he is merely a num- ber. Sime.