Variety (April 1915)

CABLES ENGLAND PURIFYING "REVUES" BY UNOFFICIAL NOTIFICATION Lord Chamberlain Lett It be Known Suggestive Productions Will Result in Revocation of License. Provinces Fol- lowing London's Lead. Death-knell for American Burlesque Pieces on Other Side. London, April 14. The Lord Chamberlain has unoffi- cially notified theatre managers here that any house playing a suggestive revue will lose its license. Provincial cities have followed Lon- don's lead. In the provinces each Monday a dress rehearsal is now held, with the costuming and dialog careful- ly censored by the management. This reform wave will effectually stop any contemplated playing of shows culled from the American bur- lesque field or idea, inclusive of the use of some of the material and "busi-< ness" from those shows that under or- dinary circumstances might be accept- ed with much favor by English audi- ences. AUTHOR REFUSES ROYALTY. London, April 14. Sir James M. Barrie does not like the revue he wrote and which Charles Frohman produced at the Duke of York's, with Gaby Deslys starred. It is "Rosy Rapture." Royalty due him for the piece, also a curtain raiser in the same program, has been declined by Mr. Barrie, through the dislike he has for his own writings in this instance. Though the author has taken this odd stand, Mr. Frohman and Gaby are dividing $4,000 weekly profit the pro- duction is yielding them, and the libraries are making heavy purchases of tickets. HIP'S REVUE TITLE. London, April 14. The name of the new Hippodrome revue will be "Push and Go." Shirley Kellogg is to be in the cast. AMERICAN ACTS BOOKED? London agents are claiming hun- dreds of American acts have been booked to come to England immedi- ately. In all cases, however, where a claim of this nature is made, the agent refuses to divulge names of acts en- gaged. No unusual booking of American turns for the other side has been en- tered of late, other than those report- ed in Varikttt. mostly nlaced abroad by the H. B. Marinelli and Charles Bornhaupt agencies. Several of the turns booked by these New York agencies have been for London revties. While others have also been placed for future dates, with the names with- held until near day of sailing, they are not in larqre enough numbers to create undue comment. There is an advertisement in this is- sue of Variftt, inserted by George Foster, an important and well known London agent, which seems to reflect the English opinion regarding the de- sire of American turns to play abroad during war time. The statements made in the advertisement are endorsed by Jack Norwortn, an American artist of repute, who has been abroad for some time, having been extremely success- ful in London, where he is now ac- cepted as a popular favorite. MARINELLI APPEAL LOST. London, April 14. The H. B. Marinelli agency license matter, on appeal, was decided against the agency last Friday. It is unlikely Marinelli will appeal from the last de- cision, allowing the matter to rest un- til the war has ended. The Marinelli office is moving today to Golden's Green, outside the Metro- politan District, where an agency li- cense is not necessary. The office will handle bookings (mostly American) from that point. Johnston, of the Lon- don office, sails this Saturday (Lusi- tania) for New York, where he will en- ter the Marinelli agency there. Fred De Bondy, formerly in the United Booking Offices, goes into the Marinelli New York office next Mon- day. GABY OFFER RAISED. London, April 14. The offer made by Charles Dilling- ham to Gaby Deslys of $3,000 weekly for her on an American tour, has been raised by the New York manager to $3,500. It will probably be closed on that basis. EMILY STEVENS Fcaturt'<l in a forthcoming Rolfr film pro- duction of "Cora." IN LONDON London, April 14. The censorship of all news in Eng- land, instead of becoming more liberal, is being gradually tightened until it is now almost impossible to publish any- thing concerning the war other than official communications. All letters from the front, from the soldiers to their relatives, now bear the stamp, "the contents of this letter must not be communicated to the press." The embargo against dealing with Germans continues without abatement and any inhabitant of England trading with an alien enemy is subject to im- prisonment. But there is one very marked exception in the person of a German firm which manufactures magnetos. This concern is running at full speed with day and night shifts turning out electrical equipment for the war department under the super- vision of a government official. Not that they love this German concern at all, but it happens to be the only one that can do the work required. Its factory of German workmen is oper- ated under an armed guard. Theatrical effects have been put to use by the English during the present crisis. A favorite trick at the front is said to be the creating of the impres- sion of a cavalry charge by the men in the trenches working the cocoanut shells, and when the Germans jump up to meet the "onslaught" they are picked off by English snipers. The Germans have not been slow to take advantage of anything that could be learned from the theatrical world. Their commissariat is said to have been fashioned after that of the Barnum and Bailey circus when that show toured Germany a few years ago. Performances for the entertainment of the wounded are being constantly given, but it is likely that some of the material will have to be scrutinized be- fore being given. Recently one of the artists stood on a box in a large hos- pital ward, the beds of which were occupied by seriously wounded soldiers, and sang: "We Don't Want to Lose You, But We Think You Ought to Go." The war has done one thing with respect to music hall bookings, and that is* the failure of the managers to continue the practice of booking turns for years ahead. This has been abandoned, and, from all accounts will probably never be restored to favor. In the olden days the managers figured that an act that was worth a modest salary at that time would never be worth less for the next ten years and were quite willing to contract for an- nual tours for their circuits. With sev- eral it worked splendidly, but in other instances it is not always the most fa- vorable thing. For instance. Marie Lloyd is playing a lot of dates booked years ago at a salary of £60 ($300). She probably is not worth that much now to any of them. Marie has gone back and will continue to go back. SAILINGS. London, April 14. April 17 (for South Africa), Gintaro Gladys, Mauvius Manual Francois, Happy Atwood, Edna Lyall. LLOYD-McNAUGHTON SHOW There is a probability that Alice Lloyd, and her husband, Tom Mc- Naughton, may be co-stars in a legiti- mate production on Broadway next season. It is to be a musical piece. Miss Lloyd finishes her vaudeville season at Detroit May 16. Mr. Mc- Naughton has been principal comedian in "Fads and Fancies" at the Knicker- bocker, at a salary of $600 weekly. When his wife returns to New York Mr. McNaughton will confer with her on the starring proposition he has received. Despite the bad times west, Alice Lloyd has upheld her reputation as a drawing card and has gone over all of the Orpheum Circuit, including Win- nipeg. She is at the Palace, Chicago, this week. CRITERION'S SUCCESS. London, April 14. The Criterion has a success. It opened April 10, and is "The Elixir of Youth," renamed for the Criterion en- gagement, "Three Spoonfuls." The newspaper notices on the piece were enthusiastic. They acclaimed Zellah Covington for fine character acting in the play. Despite the favorable reviews the play received, it was necessary to pa- per the house Monday night, to make a showing. CONSIDINE COMING EAST. John W. Considine is to arrive in New York the last week of this month so as to be on the ground May 1, when there is an important move ex- pected in connection with the final ar- rangements in connection with the tak- ing of the Sullivan-Considine houses by the Loew circuit REJANE'S DRAMA POOR. London, April 14. Rejane opened at the Court Monday in "Alsace," a poor drama that, how- ever, contains a fine role for the star. Rejane put on the same play a couple of years ago at her own theatre in Paris. It was written by Gaston Le- roux and Lucien Camille. The title gives an inkling of the story, which should have proven of greater interest to London in this time. K' FARCE A FAILURE. London, April 14. The Half Sister," produced at the Apollo Monday is an unqualified fail- ure. It is a farce by Agnes Croysdale. Vernon Davidson, Lawrence Rob- bins. Margot Kelly, Netta Westcott and Mona Harrison are in the cast. Harry Vernon Has a Son, London, April 14... A son was born yesterday in the Harry Vernon family. If you don't advartls* In VARIETY, don*t ad*«rtlM.