Variety (March 1915)

14 NEW ACTS THIS WEEK NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK Initial PmanUtioa, First App—Tim- or R«app«ara_c« in or Aroumd N«w Yerk Alfred Friedheim, Palace. Chas. Zimmerman, Hammerstein's. Sam Hern and Helen Ely, Hammer- stein's. Marion Weeks, Colonial. 4 Melodious Chaps, Royal. Bolger Bros., Orpheum. Willie Ritchie and Sister, Prospect. Bradley and Norris, Prospect. Thomas Egan. Tenor. 14 Mins.; Full Stage. Palace. Aside from the claim of being Ire- land's foremost tenor, which McCor- mack's admirers may point to, Thomas Egan is bidding for vaudeville value with a repertoire of Celtic selections, an unusually good tenor tone and an accompanist in Arthur Fischer who is programed as a famous concert pianist. Egan looks well over six foot in height and carries himself nicely. The ma- jority of Monday night's patrons at the Palace wondered where Egan had dropped from, but after concluding his specialty their curiosity was quickly re- placed by appreciation and the princi- pal closed a decided hit after several earned bows and a brace of encores. Egan opens with "How Ireland Got Its Name," followed by a short Irish bal- lad in which his enunciation was no- ticeably off, after which he rendered "Mother Machree," "Molly O" and "I Hear You Calling Me." Egan's tech- nique and vocal range were of course up to the expectations of a headliner and he has sensibly arranged his reper- toire to bring out the best value for vaudeville. An Irish operatic celebrity should make a splendid two-a-day card and Egan is all that. Wynn. Lady Sen MeL Chinese Prima Donna. 15 Mins.; One (Special Drop). Bushwick. The idea of a Chinese single woman would undoubtedly put into the minds of most audiences it is to be a freak act. Not so with Lady Sen Mei. She is an Americanized young woman with only her ancestral features letting it be known she is of another race. The opening number is sung with the young woman seated in a rickshaw. She alights, and begins her real singing in "one" before a blue velvet drop. The first number is a ballad, well rendered. "Barnyard Cabaret," used for the sec- ond, shows some real versatility, Sen Mei doing some imitations of animals that would rival that done by the best of imitators who make that sort of work their ambition in life. A number made up of choruses from popular songs closes up the routine. As for dressing there are few singles on any time who can beat this little woman from across the water. So as not be too Americanish a Chinese costume is used for the opening and then two pretty American evening gowns are worn. The second, a pink and black creation, is decidedly attractive. Lady Sen Mei is a novelty that has real class. Lillian Albcrtson and Co. (3). "Jane." (Dramatic.) 19 Mins.; Full Stage (Special Set). Colonial. Lillian Albertson, who achieved no- table success in "Paid in Full" (as the wife), returned to the stage, at the Colonial, this week, through the medium of vaudeville, in a sketch en- titled "Jane," written by Evelyn Blanchard and Adele Steadman. The sketch is being used to forward an ar- gument in favor of the Suffrage con- tention of "equal rights." Prior to the opening a slide flashed carried the in- formation that in 30 states of the Union the father is the sole guardian of the children and in at least six states he can dispose of the child by adoption without the sanction of the mother. This introductory paves the way for the story which Miss Albertson's pres- ent vehicle relates. The scene is the inspection room of a foundling asylum. Miss Albertson is there as a nurse. She has accepted this position to be near her child, a little girl, whom she has entered at the asylum as a found- ling. The mother left the father be- cause he drank and for six months she has been safely hidden with her child. A country couple call at the asylum and wish to adopt a child. While go- ing through the wards looking at chil- dren the husband-father appears on the scene. He is intoxicated and the mother refuses to let him see the child, telling him she will never return to live with him. He then produces a legal document which is an order from the court to the woman to produce the child and turn it over to the father, who is the sole guardian. The mother is stunned for the moment, but quickly evolves a scheme and dopes the father. Hearing the couple who have been through the ward returning, she places a screen about the man's chair. The couple have selected a child, the daugh- ter over which the row is all about. The father is doped, the nurse-mother is forced to decide between two things, each of which means the sacrifice of her mother love. The one is to obey the court's order and turn the child over to a drunken father or to give her to two strangers who promise a home and a future. She decides to give the child to the latter. As they leave, she swoons and falls to the floor. The sound awakes the husband and he rushes to the side of the wife, brings her back to consciousness and tells her that he is willing to leave and tears up the order for the child. The mother then discloses that she has given the child away. At the moment the old couple return with the child and wish to exchange it because it cries. The reunion of family and general forgive- ness. The sketch is rather far fetched as to story, especially when the comedy is gone ' after with the out-of-town couple. There is also lack of a real kick at the finish, which lets down the dosing rather tamely. Fred. Beatrice Herford Monologist. 23 Mins.; One. Colonial. Beatrice Herford has for some time past been a society entertainer, but this week marks her advent in vaudeville, and vaudeville will welcome Miss Her- ford, for she is giving to vaudeville a woman monologist who is a real mono- logist. There is one thing, however, that Miss Herford will have to over- come, that is the exceedingly formal manner in which she announces her characterizations. Vaudeville is more or less of an informal entertainment and Miss Herford loses somewhat in the manner in which she states what she is going to do. It is a more or less listless sort of an introduction which nevertheless carries a repellant severity. But once Miss Herford starts to work there is nothing to it. She offers three characterizations. Her first is a subur- ban woman on a shopping tour, accom- panied by her sister and her daughter. The morning's tour of the shops has been finished and before the afternoon campaign begins luncheon is taken in one of the white front restaurants. Here is the scene of the monolog. Miss Herford is the suburbanite and does all the talking, but her art in con- versationability fairly visualizes the others, who are included in the picture. Her second characterization is that of another suburbanite' who is trying to secure a second girl and a cook for her home. There is some very good com- edy gotten from the imaginary inter- views with applicants for the positions. Her last is that of a shop girl in a five and ten-cent store. This is exceeding- ly humorous. Miss Herford has taken the imaginary idea that has been done so much in burlesque and shows just how badly it has been done. Her first bit ran exactly 11 minutes; her second 7 minutes, and the third and last, 5 minutes. FredL Bonnie Gaylor got lonesome last work and with nothing else to do journeyed to Detroit for a reunion with her ex-husband, Tudor Cameron. Queenie Dunedin, "The Variety GirL" 13 Mins.; One and Full Stage. Hammerstein a. "The Variety Girl" is the bUling to fitly describe Queenie Dunedin as a "single." Going into detail Queenie Dunedin opens in "one," offering a song and dance. Then to full stage, where she walks the tight wire, joking one minute and humming a line of an orchestra refrain the next. Then Miss Dunedin goes through a fancy routine of tricks upon a bicycle. To top off her evening's program she turns sev- eral handsprings with the ease of a born acrobat. Miss Dunedin gave a Kood account of herself. It makes no difference what she's doing, she does it easily and effectively. Some of Miss Dunedin's jokes were from the old, old vintage, and one or two appeared very ill-timed even for Hammerstein's The one about "pedaling" sounded most discordant. She made an excel- lent impression. The act will make even a better impression after she has it working faster. Miss Dunedin has a pleasing stage appearance. Her act is so varied that she can play any time. Mark. NEW SHOWS NEXT WEEK Initial Praseataftic* ©I Lijltisnti At- traetiaa* ia New Yetfk. "Alice in Wonderland," Booth (March 23). Sam Liebert and Co. (2). "Her Wedding Morn" (Musical). 17 Mins.; Pull Stage. RoyaL Sam Liebert, formerly vaudeville's foremost exponent of second-hand ma- terial, is partially experiencing a new delight in the presentation of "Her Wedding Day," a musical skit written for him by Addison Burkhart, one of the authors of "Louisiana Lou," in which Alexander Carr starred for a season at the La Salle, Chicago. The skit is reminiscent of the Chicago pro- duction in general theme, characters, character names and numbers, the one refreshing noticeable newness being the presence of James Hanley as Jimmie Kon Karney, a talented juvenile with a wholesome stage presence, who did much to keep the general atmosphere in its proper sphere. In "Her Wedding Day" Liebert is cast for the role of a kindly old Israelite, the foster-father of a pretty miss who is about to marry Jimmie, the son of a neighboring Celt. There is little or no story to the skit, the bulk of the time being consumed in the transfer of some bright crossfire patter and the rendition of two num- bers from the show, "It's Not For Me" and "Rose of the Ghetto," the latter probably responsible for Burkhardt's vaudeville inspiration. Much of the talk is also borrowed from the Chicago production, the ballad being exploited principally and utilized for a finale, where Liebert makes a rather weak at- tempt to emulate a portion of Mr. Carr's artistic ability in the way of a stage picture. "Rose of the Ghetto" was the song hit of the Chicago piece and was initially popularized by Carr and later foster-fathered by Liebert, who apparently gave birth to a desire in his youth to foster-father all of Carr's brain and stage children, a de- sire he has patiently attempted to sat- isfy with indifferent success. The girl (Rosamond Martin) does very little, but Hanley will bear watching. Lie- bert may or may not have a brilliant future. It's all according to the way the gods of our divine art treat the temperamental Carr. He can pass in Burkhardt's vehicle, but as the skit is so like a shadow of the original produc- tion, so is its principal simply (and very simply) a shadow of the former pro- duction's star. Wffnn. Griffin and Lewis. Songs and Talk. 15 Mins.; Three. (Interior). 23d Street. Man and woman. Former has Irish brogue. Latter is supposed to be an actress waiting for an agency to send her a leading man. He arrives. Eve- ning-clothed young man who says he's an Irish tenor, and so forth. Cue for Irish song. Some talk fofJows, and the man plays a violin acceptably. A popular song medley closed Pop house calibre, ( Mark,