Variety (June 1915)

CABLES LONDON'S LEGIT MANAGERS FACING BANKRUPTCY FINISH Depends Upon Length of War. Business Going from Bad to Worse. Many Changes Looked for in West End Thea- tres Next Season. Music Hall Reorganization. One Big Holding Company and Booking Office. London, June 16. If the war keeps on much longer every legitimate manager and producer in London will be bankrupt. Business is growing worse and worse as time goes on. As recentty cabled to Variety, no less than 20 West End legitimate productions closed their seasons dur- ing May. Some were artistic success- es, but never did business. Others did a fair business and would probably, under normal conditions, have played to big receipts. This condition, vitally affected by the death of Charles Froh- man on the Lusitania will have the effect of revolutionizing the London theatrical map, and one need not be at all surprised to hear before next fall of numerous changes in the lesseeship of several west end theatres. There is also almost certain to be a reorganization in the management of the London and provincial music halls. It is on the cards that three variety circuits will be merged into a gigantic holding company, which will be under the direction of one prominent man- ager and that they will all be booked from one office, doing away with the expenses of two booking establish- ments, and the retirement from one of the circuits of a director who has been prominently identified with it for a number of years. The new man is known for his enterprise in encourag- ing production and importation of tal- ent and if the plan goes through as contemplated it will have a beneficial effect upon the music hall business in England. At several of the theatres this week a closing notice has been posted, made conditional through the managers not caring to chance the effect extreme heat will have. "MELTING POT WITHDRAWN. London, June 16. "The Melting Pot" has been with- drawn from the provincial repertoire in deference to the wishes of the Foreign Office, which feared the presentation of the Zangwill play might tend to of- fend Russia. OLD FIRM DISSOLVES. London, June 16. David Devant has left Maskelyne & Dcvant and will confine his future ac- tivities to touring. Maskelyne will re- tain St. (ieorge's Hall. FRENCH CUES INTERFERE. London. June 16. The Moulin Rouge opening at the Pavilion Monday drew a capacity house but the premiere suffered through the negligence or inability of the house electrician, who could not understand the French light cues. The show is being cut from 100 to 70 minutes, an<J the four weeks' en- gagement originally contracted for may be extended. BRAY COMING BACK. London, June 16. C. E. Bray, assistant general man- ager of the Orpheum Circuit, will leave here on the Adriatic today after an eight weeks' trip through the warring countries. Mr. Bray is accompanied by his wife on the present trip, having made the journey to attend to some personal business for Martin Beck. The Brays took an aeroplane flight during the current week. MUCH PLOT TO "POSONBY." London, June 16. "Posonby," the title finally be- stowed on Walter Hackett's Frenchy farce, opened at the Comedy June 14 and seems overburdened with plot. This will mar the success of the piece, which looked rather doubtful at the opening. TREE'S 'TRILBY." London, June 16. Sir Herbert Tree has made arrange- ments to produce a condensed version of "Trilby" at the Finsbury Park Em- pire, July 5. HEAVY BILL LIGHTLY BOOMED. London, June 16. The Grand Guignol program at the Coronet, opening June 14, was insuffi- ciently boomed. The program was weighted down with a Romeo and Juliet balcony scene and an English pianologist. DORZIAT'S WAR SKETCH. London, June 16. Mile. Dorziat, opening at the Coli- seum in a recruiting sketch by Ed- ward Knobloch. called "The Way to Win," did fairly. Sentimental Farce Doubtful. London, June 16. "The GreeA Flag" opened at the Vau- deville June 11. It's a sentimental farce and looks doubtful as far as its future is concerned. Closed After 11 Days. London. June 16. "Armageddon." after a run of 11 days, closed June 12. JOANS ADVERTISING CAR. Joan Sawyer left for the Pacific coast this week in a Paige-Detroit machine which she will advertise and demon- strate on the trip for the use of the car, which is supplied and kept in con- dition by the manufacturer without charge. The dancer will play several engage- ments on the road and open on the Orpheum Circuit in San Francisco Aug. 15. George Harcourt, her dancing part- ner, is doing the same stunt, taking another route, but arranging to meet Miss Sawyer at the different towns. The auto people are framing the free transportation stunt as a race and are press-agenting a $5,000 prize to the winner. CHICAGO'S BALL PARK HIP. Chicago, June 16. The Hippodrome at the Federal League Ball Park opened Saturday night, and the opening attendance promises well for the venture. The stage was set on the diamond. Outside of a few song pluggers, the acts were "dumb" ones. Prices were 10-20-30. Sunday night another crowd of 5,000 attended the park. Monday night was rainy. The bill will be changed twice a week and the acts will do two shows a night. The bill is said to run at a cost of about $1,500 weekly. GERTIE MILLAR AT PALACE. London, June 16 Alfred Butt has contracted to pro- duce at the Palace in September a musical piece which is not exactly a revue but savors more of musical com- edy. Gertie Millar, the Gaiety favorite, "s to have the leading female role. HACKETT AFTER HOUSE. James K. Hackctt is after a house in New York for next season. The millionaire producing-actor-manager is said to have one theatre under con- sideration. For sentimental reasons he may try to secure the Harris theatre which was formerly named after him. SOUTHWEST TOO HOT. Louisville. June 16. The heat will cause the ending of the summer pop vaudeville policy at Keith's here this Saturday. HERZ PIECE SHELVED. The play in which Ralph Herz has been appearing on tour and which at one time was named "Wild Game" has been permanently shelved by the Shu- berts. It was intended to open in New York this month but the road reports on the production were such that it was decided to send it to the store- house. 5-Act Play by Justin Huntly McCarthy. London. June 16. "Sir Roger de Coverley." a five-act play l»y Justin Huntly McCarthy, is to be produced "at a West End theatre by F.dward (onipt<m. the comedian. GRAND OPERA AT GARDEN. (Continued from page 3.) man and Dippel may take the Brighton Beach Race Track for a Sunday, giv- ing an exhibition of wrestling there for an afternoon, in the open, to popular prices. They have secured an option on the race track for that purpose. Herr Rachman has made this coun- try the scene of his activity since leav- ing Europe last fall. On the other side he is equally famed for piloting big stars, with any American managers, and as a foreign impresario Rachman has directed tours of the biggest names ever there. He has arranged while here a tour on the other side for Frieda Hempel, the Metropolitan's prima, and the new firm will import to this coun- try shortly, Constantine Bernardi, the original, who has often been spoken of for an American tour, but nothing be- yond that has developed up to this time. Other famous European artists and attractions are also in contempla- tion by Dippel and Rachman for this side starting next season. SAME DAY AND DATE STAND. Jamestown, N. Y., June 16. Ringling Brothers' circus, which ap- pears here June 24, plays its first day and date opposition in Erie, Pa., June 25, against 101 Ranch. Jess Willard is being played up in all the advance press work throughout this section for the 101 show, and no doubt will draw an immense throng. The lots will be opposite. Up through the northwest where the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus is playing and has its stands pretty well billed by the Ringlings for a "Coming Soon" announcement of the Barnum & Bailey shows the former is making som? pretty strong remarks about the "op- position." The B. B. posters, giving no date, reaching certain Wisconsin towns, for instance, Racine, told the people to wait as that circus was surely coming and that it should have "the first call" as "the greatest show was the cheap- est to see, etc." To offset the B. B. "coming soon" bills the H. W. circus put out a "come back" that stated some pretty bald facts. They declared the "coming soon" shows were using "unfair and questionable show methods" and that the latter's chief method was to ascer- tain the H. W. route and slip in a few days ahead and put out its "coming soon" posters. The Hagenbeck-Wal- lace bills calls the opposition a "circus trust." and emphatically says the latter's bluffing, that it is not "com- ing" and that if it were really booked the circus would name a date. In Racine where the H. W. circus appeared June 12 these bills slapping the "Coming Soon" shows were circu- lated all over town to cover the B. B. bills that it was to appear there later. The 101 Ranch is drawing big with Jess Willard as the feature attraction. Willard is appearing in the concert after the show, and for which 25 cents is charged. If you don't advertise in VARIETY, don't advertise.