Variety (December 1914)

LEGITIMATE 11 BROADWAY'S RUSH OF REVUES CALLING ON VAUDEVILLE Several Productions Planned Having Others Rumored Added to Them. Kellermann Show May be Another Revue. Still One More Reported Preparing Secretly. "Watch Your Step" Does $16,300 in Performances. There are at least half dozen revues in course of construction or in con- templation. Nearly all of the produc- ing managers nd a few others have been inspired by the success that the two Dillingham shows have attained and from the first of February until way into next season the production market is to be flooded with revues of one type or another. The Cohan & Harris revue "Hello Broadway," in which George M. Cohan and Willie Collier are to be featured, will be the next to hit town. The date at pres- ent is Christmas night at the Astor. Reports that have leaked from rehears- als are to the effect that the show is progressing nicely and looks like sure- fire. After that will be the new Winter Garden show, as yet unnamed and date unset. "Fads and Fancies," which Klaw & Erlanger are to do, is to be ready in January, Julian Mitchell doing the staging. The Lew Fields revue will be done along in April some time. In the mean- time two or three others are in the course of preparation. The Annette Kellermann show may be one. An- other is being written by Clare Kum- mer and it will be placed into rehearsal within the next month. The managers who are behind the latter production are keeping their identity secret for the present. They have dropped the fact, however, that they propose giv- ing Broadway a big musical revue at $1. All that the producers are wait- ing for is the assurance of a theatre with sufficient capacity. One of the big features for this piece is an "un- known" woman dancer from Europe. They propose to call this revue either "Dining and Dancing" or "The Revue Beautiful." The Kellermann show is casting about for a composer. Victor Her- bert's terms are said to have been pro- hibitive. Harry Carroll was ap- proached. He will likely do tlft musi- cal end of the next Garden attraction, as he did of the present and last one there. The "Chin Chin" and "Watch Your Step" pieces still continue on their ca- pacity way. The advent of the latter big Dillingham hit into New York last week appeared to help the Winter Gar- den business, where the best business of the run thus far was registered. "Watch Your Step" coupons are sell- ing at from $4 to $8 apiece for front row s.f.-ts. ) .iMrcr the early "Chin Chin" :.rci'u;;-.ii " < . ord. One specu- lator is said to have taken $25,000 worth of tickets out of the box office, paying cash, and getting the tickets at $2.25 per. Other "specs" held back on the report of one of their fraternity who saw the show out of town. This left most of them shor. of supplies at the opening and after. Many have been willing to pay as high as $4 each for Amsterdam tickets since the pre- miere. The show did $16,300 gross on six performances' last week, playing to over $3,000 Saturday night. The rush of revues is going to tighten up the local vaudeville market. Any number of managers and agents are out scouting for vaudevillians who will fit into the various pieces. Sev- eral engagements are close to consum- mation. SHOWS IN BOSTON. Boston, Dec. 16. Business took an expected slump this week due in part to the pre-holi- day financial condition of the average Bostonian and in part to more of the freakish bookings for this town which hunch several openings pitted against each other one week and then bring nothing the following week. This week brought nothing. Next Monday will have Ann Mur- dock in "The Beautiful Adventure" at the Hollis and the Hippodrome pro- duction of "Pinafore" scheduled for the same day at the Shubert was this week postponed until the night before Christmas in order to prevent a sad first half and also to get the big tank set satisfactorily and leisurely. The 28th of this month will bring three openings on-the same night. "A Pair of Sixes" comes into the Wilbur to replace Hodge's long run in "The Road to Happiness," "Suzi" will open at the Majestic, replacing "Omar" which is drawing only fair under heavy expense, and "Seven Keys" at the Tre- mont to succeed "The Yellow Ticket" which did not do as well as was ex- pected. "The Midnight Girl" will suc- ceed "Pinafore" at the Shubert where a none too optimistic view of the suc- cess of the big Hippodrome produc- tion has been taken by some. The Hollis is scheduled to get a re- vival of "Diplomacy" with William Gillette, Blanche Bates and Marie Doro following the close of Ann Murdock early in January and the booking an- nounced last week of Robert Mantell in "King John" has been switched, probably just as well at this season of the year although this type of produc- tion has always done fairly well here and the field is ripe this season. SHOWS IN 'FRISCO. San Francisco, Dec. 16. The production of "A Stubborn Cin- derella," by the Gaiety Co. at the Gaiety got a good start on its opening. David Warfield, finishing up his fort- night's engagement at the Columbia, is doing big. "Mutt and Jeft" opened fairly well at the Alcazar. The second and last week of the Talma-Bosco Co. at the Cort shows fair business. Reservations for seats for the Forbes Robertson engagement here by mail are the biggest in the history of the Cort theatre. SHOWS IN ST. LOUIS. St. Louis, Dec. 16. Otis Skinner opened Monday night at the Olympic to the smallest crowd seen at a local theatre this season. It was unusual after such good attendance dur- ing the past few weeks. Business for Skinner picked up a little Tuesday and Wednesday. "Damaged Goods" at the Shubert is filling in what would otherwise be a dark week, and because of the inferior company and age of piece, is doing nothing. The Olympic was to have been dark this week but a switch in Skinner's plans opened it. Next week "The Passing of Hans Dippel" is also to play a previously scheduled dark week. SHOWS IN NEW ORLEANS. New Orleans, Dec. 16. "Fine Feathers" with a capital cast is doing the best business in town. At the Tulane are pictures. Burlesque continues at the Dauphine. Dramatic stock is doing little at the Lyric. The Lafayette and Greenwall are dark. TRENTINI AT 44TH. It seems about s ttled the Shuberts will place the Trentini show, "The Peasant Girl," at the 44th Street the- atre, following the run of "The Lilac Domino" in that house. "The Peasant Girl," which also has Clifton Crawford, has been doing a big business out of town, getting $15,000 last week at the Colonial, Cleveland. The show is jointly shared by Corn- stock & Gest and the Shuberts. Doc Hunt, manager of the 44th Street, has taken the Newell, White Plains, N. Y., to try out a stock policy in the Westchester county seat. Park Still Open on Sufferance. Boston, Dec. 16. The Park, closed under the new building laws as exclusively explained in last week's Variety is being allowed * to continue under tolerance pending a decision by the Supreme Court on ar- guments heard last week, former At- torney General Herbert Parker ap- pearing for the theatre and Corpora- tion Counsel John A. Sullivan of City Hall appearirrg in the defense <>\ the contentions of Building Commissioner O'Hcarn who says the house must close. "BEN HUR'S" BAD LUCK RUN. Baltimore, Dec. 16. Edwin J. Cohn, the new manager of "Ben Hur," which played at the Acad- emy of Music last week, was unable to leave Sunday with the rest of the company for Washington, because of an injury he received in an automobile collision Saturday night. Six stitchts were required to close a wound in his head. Mr. Cohn was riding in an automobile with John Little, treasurer of the Academy, when the machine collided with another occupied only by a chauffeur. Mr. Cohn was thrown forward and his head struck the back of the seat. The "Ben Hur" company is on its way to San Francisco to appear dur- ing the Panama-Pacific Exposition and ever since it opened it has been fol- lowed by bad luck. The week before last, Charles F. Towle, manager of "Ben Hur" for 16 years, died suddenly. When the company arrived in this city the scenery and costumes became soaked with rain and had to be dried by hot air from the Academy heating plant. Ethel Williams, a chorus girl in the company, is dangerously ill at the Woman's Hospital with Bright's dis- ease and pneumonia. She was taken ill Wednesday night just before the rise of the curtain at the Academy. Wednesday about 25 of the extra men in the show were found smoking in the dressing rooms on the stage and were discharged. Thursday two of the horses used in the chariot race were taken ill and could not be used. The records at the Academy of Music show that 16 years ago, when "Ben Hur" first played at the Academy a woman dropped dead in the audience. AVENUE, WILMINGTON, BURNED. Philadelphia, Dec. 16. Fire which started at 10 o'clock Mon- day night resulted in the destruction of the Avenue theatre, Wilmington, owned by Mrs. Lulu C. Baldt, of this city. The loss was estimated at $50,000. The house was operated by the Avenue Amusement Co., of which Gement C. Miller was the head. It was crowded when Manager John Demarec noticed smoke coming from the basement beneath one of the boxes. Seeing that there was a fire which might become serious, he sprang to the stage and announced: "There is a slight fire in the base- ment. There is ample chance for all to get out, but for God's sake go out quietly and don't lose your heads." This announcement, made calmly and in a reassuring tone, brought obedience and not a person became excited as all marched to the street unhurt. The flames spread quickly and soon the house was a mass of flames against which firemen were powerless. The only injured were Alvan Ben- nett and Ernest Taplio, both operators. The house opened Jan. 11, 1886, and was destroyed by fire Dec. 23, 1888. If you don't advertise in VARIETY don't advertise at all.