Variety (April 1915)

14 NEW ACTS THIS WEEK NEW ACTS NEXT WEEK *»«• «• «< Initial ProsooUtioo, First or Roojpooarnnco In or Areoad N«w York The Fashion Show/' Palace. Willmrd Mack and Co., Palace. Radium Spectre," Colonial. Safety Pint," Bushwick. Martin Van Bergen, Prospect. Turtle's Parrots, Prospect. Brazilian Nut and Senor Arboas. Dances. 11 Mins.; Full Stage. Hammerstein's. The Brazilian Nut and her partner, Arboaz, are well known along Broad- way, owing to their extensive engage- ment on the New York Roof. This is their first week in vaudeville, easily believed by anyone seeing the perfor- mance at Hammerstein's. The "Nut" is a tall brunet girl, decidedly slim. All of her dancing is done by throwing her head around and the use of her arms. When it comes to her feet, she appears to have little grace. In cabaret work the young woman had plenty of op- portunities to promote popularity by mixing with the people at the tables. On the stage she does not get in close enough touch with her audience to make her personality felt. Arboaz is a fairly good dancer, doing somewhat better in the stage work than his part- ner. The two open with a Spanish one-step. They did not appear familiar with this dance or with the one which follows, an Apache. The third and last is a dance of their own, the best of the three. The present act is not framed for vaudeville. Frank Farrington. Talk and Songs. 16 Mins.; One. American. Frank Farrington was the principal conspirator in "The Million Dollar Mystery" feature film and therefore has been given an opportunity on the small time. In appearance he is a "stalking legit" and while on the stage he never gives the impression of being at ease. The opening shows a few hundred feet of film leading to a rush to the stage door of the theatre to reach there in time. At the conclusion Mr. Farring- ton dashes on the stage. He proceeds to relate a few incidents concerning his adventures in pictures. The audience wasn't interested in them. His at- temps at humor got little. Following this he offered three songs, all evidently English. The first was something about "I Murdered Him" and the sec- ond .about a "Birthday." Fred. Young and Charlotte. Acrobatic. 8 Mins.; Full Stage. Union Square. A rather slender miss and a man in clownish makeup. Some of the tumbling is effective. The table stunt done near the finish, though old, is by far their best efforts. Opening the show the couple did right well. Margaret and William Cutty. Musical. 16 Mine.; Full Stage. Colonial. Margaret and William, two members of the justly famous musical family of Cuttys, are debutting this week in a newly arranged vaudeville specialty constructed exclusively of classics in which the couple exploit their indi- vidual and combined ability with the sweet toned 'cello and piano, alternat- ing between a series of solos and duets, concluding with a vocal rendition of "Mother Machree" to their own ac- companiment. Clad in evening dress the Cuttys open with a piano selec- tion, after jwhich William offers a Chopin selection on the same instru- ment. A number from "Thais" with Margaret at the 'cello and her brother accompanying on the piano follows, and then comes a 'cello duet with the Celtic number next in order. The necessary atmosphere surrounds the setting and work of the Cuttys, whose past performances classifies them among the best in their particular line, although one might suggest another mode of announcement to replace the verbal arrangement now in vogue. The selections have been especially well selected and at the close of the six- teen-minute effort the couple were amply rewarded in applause. Despite the abundance of straight musical acts, there is room for a turn of this calibre for in addition to a well-earned repu- tation, the Cuttys carry all the require- ments. They scored heavily at the Colonial. Wpnn. Percy O'Malley Jennings and Edna Dorman. Talk and Songs. 14 Mins.; One (Exterior; Special Drop). Fifth Avenue. In Percy O'Malley Jennings, the vaudeville stage has one Englishman who sure knows how to wear his clothes, adjust his eye monocle and use that familiar English drawl and "haw-haw-haw" laugh without making himself offensive or boresome. In the new act which Jennings and Edna Dor- man offered at the Fifth Avenue Mon- day night a big score was made at the start upon their nobby and natty dress- ing. Jennings and Miss Dorman are immaculately attired in outing cos- tumes and carry out the impression they are at the Country Club to play polf. To help this idea a drop of a clubhouse and the greensward adorn- ing it is shown. For the finish both change to more conventional raiment, with Percy introducing a collapsible straw hat, good for a big laugh the moment he crushed it flat. It's a for- n'sn patent, but it's surefire for vaude- ville. Percy, in typical English fashion, makes qkerulous remarks to his at- tractive companion. Miss Dorman has improved in looks and style of work- ing. She appears surer of herself, and having personality, is a splendid stage partner for Jennings. The turn is light and airy, excellently handled, hand- somely dressed and couched in an en- vironment that should keep it work- ing in the bigger houses. V«rk, Emmett Corrigan and Co. (3). "The Red Hate" (Dramatic). 20 Mins.; One and Full Stage (Special Drop and Parlor Set). Palace. "IMPORTANT NOTE.—This Story is Enacted BACKWARDS." So says the program about "The Red Hate," but not a word about "On Trial." If vaudeville is to get the "On Trial" idea, backwards or frontwards, every week, someone will be going on trial before the vaudeville managers for booking them. .Mr. Corrigan's playlet is intensely dramatic. The star plays a burglarious r->le, and is shown in the two scenes in "one." imprisoned, detailing to a tel'ow convict the stories leading up to his arrests. In each, as he reaches a point, the scene shifts to the rear, the first time three years back, when Jim Cooper accomplished his re- venge against the woman who trapped him 12 years before thai. The trap- ping scene is also shown in the retro- spection. Although the sketch runs in retreat, it may be told regularly. Cooper was all in, with a consumptive wife and child (condition of health not given). He had to do something to send his wife to Arizona, so decided to rob a brownstone mansion. In a bedroom in the mansion a wife had just killed her husband by the chloro- form idea. She discovers the amateur robber as he enters. Assisting him to rob the room, after some explanatory detail to help along the plot, he ties her and leaves, whereupon she calls for the police, accuses him of having murdered her man, and back to "one" as the play reverses. In the second boudoir scene, the robber, after serv- ing his first sentence, became a noted author and met the woman who had betrayed him. She meanwhile had married the youthful lover she had killed her husband to wed. The wife * invites the author to call. He does, in the same bedroom scene. He tells her why he is there and draws a pistol, as he advises her to get into bed. Then removing his coat, vest and collar while informing the wife he has wired for her husband, he again draws the pistol as a knock comes at the door. It is the husband. The author placed a gun on the table before admitting him, and told the wife he would allow her husband to decide upon the truth as between the two of them. The hus- band enters, exclaims, is cooled by the other's pistol and listens to his ex- planation—of a wife saying her hus- band had deserted her, the enticement offered by her, his advances and ac- ceptance—with the wife interrupting by accusations. The author drops his gun, telling the husband to shoot and be certain to shoot the guilty party. The husband shoots the wife. That is the end of a rather heavy sketch. The situations and the climaxes are some- what daring as well for vaudeville. John Willard wrote the piece, but, un- like his now famous namesake, he did not put over a knockout. Rime. NEW SHOWS NEXT WEEK Initial PresoaUtlea of Legstiamate At- tractions la Now York. 'The Desert Land" (Margaret Ang- lin„ Lyceum (April 12.) Allen Miller and Co. (5). "Which Is Whichr (Comedy). 20 Mins.; Pull Stage. Harlem O. H. The action occurs in a hospital. Up- on the curtain rising, a man is seen fidgeting nervously around the room. Doctors and nurses hurry to and fro. Finally one of the nurses says, "It's a boy. Congratulations'." Complica- tions then arise. The young husband's mother-in-law had come to the hos- pital at the same time his own wife had gone there. Another nurse comes in with an extra baby. Questions come fast. No, not twins. Mother-in- law is also the mother of a child. The young man telephones to his father- in- law and tells the news. The older man had just returned from abroad He hurries to the hospital. The babies are mixed, neither father know- ing his own son. After much talk, another child is brought in, and the one that matches it is its twin, with the curtain falling as the old man holds, twins. There is a wealth of surefire comedy. The mixed baby business has been covered in many ways, but this turn adds some new angles. At the Harlem house the audience greeted the sketch with an abundance of laughs. The acting is practically all done by the men, the nurses merely putting in their appearance once in a while The young man handles his lines well He is on the stage continually. Morton and Morris. Modern Dances. 10 Mins.; Pull Stage. American Roof. Morton and Morris are offering the usual routine of the modern dances and with the aid of a whirlwind trot at the finish they were a near riot open- ing the show. The man is in evening clothes and the woman wears a simple black evening gown. It is the sort of an act that can be used on small time until the dance thing takes its final flop. Fred. Maud D'Lora. Contortionist. 8 Mins.; Pull Stage. 23d Street. Garbed in a neat blue silk blouse and bloomers, Maud D'Lora goes through a bending routine that is interesting. At times she appears to be boneless. The slowness with which she works at present detracts. The Barnum ft Bailey circus goes from Madison Square Garden to Phila- delphia. Scottie. Musical. 10 Mins.; One. Union Square. Personality, and with a little ability here and there, Scottie should fit in on small time. Attired in Scotch kilts, he does a succession of imitations on the violin that are amusing, and his "brogue" will receive some laughs any- where. In a difficult position ("No. 2") he was one of the hits.