Variety (November 1915)

18 SHOW REVIEWS DARKYDOM. "Darkydoin" Is an all-colored show, with Miller and Lyles starred. It opened at the Lafayette on upper 7th avenue last week, and may be still there, as Friday night found a capacity house by 8.<K>, the regular perform- ance not starting until 8.30. The Interim was tilled in with a film. All-colored shows have an attraction to those who like to see something different in the musical comedy line once in a while, when the show is good—and "Darkydom" is good, made so mostly by the stars with their comedy. Miller and Lyles have played in vaude- ville They are not the ordinary colored two- act, ' straight and comic. Both of these men are comedians, which makes their combina- tion an unusual or extraordinary one, es- pecially alnce both are good comedians, in fact. Miller and Lyles, as per their work in this production, take first rank among all actual colored teams on the stage, in current or paat times, for it would not belittle Bert Williams as the great single comedian he is, to say that Miller and Lylea are a funnier team than Williams and Walker were. There is another distinctive comedian in this troupe, Allle Olllam, taking the role or a colored hobo. Were his stage partner, Will A Cook, up to GiUam's mark, there would be another fine team, but anyway, a show with three corking comedians should be enough. .. The show Is much the stronger on tne comedy end. Nothing startling about the music. A fairly good book has been written by Henry Troy, who Is also very prominent and agreeable In the performance as the singing "straight man." It tells of two tramps (Miller and Lyles) who were caught while stealing a ride on the special train of the road's president. The special had the right of road but was switched onto a siding In order the tramps could be thrown off. While on the siding a freight running with- out orders passed the special, and the presi- dent noting the narrow escape, sent his valet (Mr. Troy) to find the tramps whose stolen ride averted a calamity, and give them $500. The valet goes into Mound Bayou, Miss., where the entire locale of the piece has been placed, and runs across another set of local bums (Olllam and Cook). Steve Jenkins (Mr. Miller) and Sam Peck (Mr. Lyles) had wandered Into the village. Hearing the valet speak to the locals about stealing a ride, Jenkins and Peck suspect he Is a railroad de- tective, searching for them. The story then continues with the two local tramps trying to secure the money while the two hoboes en- titled to It are running away from the reward. Incidental to the action are four scenes, three of them In the final act of the two. Nineteen musical numbers especially written are by Will Marlon Cook In music and Henry 8. Creamer, lyrics. Jesse A. Shipp and Will A. Cook staged the show. A new movement In chorus girl work Is a quick moving action, so neat In Its simplicity It's odd no white producer thought of It. Then there Is a new bit of comedy business on a cellar door, the scene taken by Miller and Lyles. It Is funny enough to be minutely described in a review of the piece by a dally. "New comedy busi- ness" is so rare this cellar-door bit stands out like the Statue does down the bay. The singing department is led by Mr. Troy, Abbie Mitchell, Fannie Wise and Opal Cooper. Mr. Cooper has a lyric tenor that were he not colored would land him In very fast sing- ing company. Miss Mitchell is the same Abbie, a finished artiste of her race who never seems to grow older She did the ballads wonderfully well and It's worth listening to her for comparative purposes with the flood of lately recruited white singers of her line onto the stage. Frank Walker plays a China- man unassumingly and makes the character good for laughs In a quiet manner. The chorus Is large, with several boys in it, four of them composing a quartet. A little girl who rivals the ace of spades for color and a racing engine for ginger outdistances all the others for gettlng-over personality and work. She Is Ida Forsyne. There might be a soubret role written In the piece for her. The girl doesn't deserve to remain in the ranks, for two reasons, she is beyond that, and "shows up" the other chorus girls to the disadvantage of the performance. Miss Forsyne led "8cay-a-da-Mootch," one of the best rags of the evening, but It remains a question whether any but a colored person could get the number over as It should be d'>ne. Helen Baxter, another chorister, did very well with "Rat-a-Tat" that called for a conventional drum chorus behind her. It was this number that kept the lady drummer of the Lafayette's female orchestra on the Jump ovcry minute. The colored female orchestra may be a part of the show. The rag num- bers, however, need all the volume that may bo given them and It's up to the show's man- nRement to decide whether the women players can do this. The musical end Is strongest on ballads, of the straight and rag kind. In the early part of the show they followed each other too rapidly, and this part of the performance was somewhat ragged. It will likely be reme- died to provide better entrances, although a Hhlft in the numbers and perhaps an elimina- tion or so would be of help. "Live and Die In Dixieland" Is the ttnale of the first part. In the second act, Mr. Troy has "Life." nicely done by him. and Crelghton Thompson sings "Ghost Ship" which Is very well led up to, through the continual Insistence of a "nut" (De Koven Thompson), who wants to tell a ghost story. (This Idea of listening to a ghost story appeared to par- ticularly amuse the colored attendance at the Lafayette.) Mr. Thompson makes his "nut" a sort of "Dr. Dippy" role, but It fits In. Miss Mitchell's best number was "Daddy Lips," but she did a "Smoke" song well. Lester A. Walton, a prominent negro, also concerned In the management of the theatre, and connected with the recognized colored organ, "The Age," has "Darkydom" under his direction. It looks like a show that can he rounded Into a standard colored attraction, good for touring purposes for a long time to come, while those two crackajack funny men, Miller and Lyles (who are both young), re- main the standard bearers. Of course, as might be concluded, "Darky- dom" was not extravagantly embellished sartorlally or scenlcally at the Lafayette, That was not necessary, and will probably be attended to when Mr. Walton assures himself he has a "show" In "Darkydom." He may be assured of it. He has, and the only thing needed besides building it up, Is judgment In bookings. It would be unwise to attempt too much too soon with two comedians who are there, but still have to be "made." When Miller and Lyles are "made" Mr. Walton can take a long chance. Until then he should be satisfied to trot along. 8ime. PALACE. Quite a conglomerate affair, the show at the Palace Monday evening. It seemed to lack virility, the reason for which may be gleaned without any laboratorlal analysis. In the first place, the headline attraction. Lillian Russell (New Acts), was not, perforce, expected to be other than a dainty offering. The operatic vo- calizing was entrusted, in framing up the pro- gram, to a condensed version of "Faust," In five scenes, and another straight singing turn in the person of Craig Campbell, a nice ap- pearing tenor with good "method," who bills himself as "distinguished." Maybe he is, which accounted for the applause which circumnavi- gated his stage offering. Mme. Kate Rolla was on hand and contributed her share to the tenor's acclaim. Mme. is Campbell's vocal teacher. She is also an old friend of Miss Russell, and perhaps she only visited the Palace on that account. In any event, she needn't be ashamed to stand sponsor for young Campbell. The tenor was on second, to clear the decks for action by the condensed opera organization, but "Faust" disappeared from the bill in the eve- ning and upon Inquiry the Information was vouchsafed "the act wasn't quite ready." Such slip-ups necessarily Interfere with the rounding out of a bill and In this case the Harry Oreen and Co. sketch was substituted, held over from last week. The LaVars, Cakewalk and society dancers, opened. William Courtlelgh and Co. offers a revival of "Peaches," with the slang brought up to date and still wallops the comedy points over by his legitimate acting. Viewed from modern standards, the sketch Is now too long drawn out and the "soliloquies" are rather ap- parent. Milt Collins, fourth number, with as close an Imitation of the late Cliff Gordon as it was possible to obtain, excepting the substitu- tion of a gray wig for Gordon's red one. His German tangle-talk—or rather Aaron Hoffman's —was delivered mechanically, without any va- riation to the inflections and with limited ges- tures. Mr. Hoffman Is entitled to about 80 per cent, of the salary of this act before any com- missions are deducted. McKay and Ardine opened the second half and chalked up a solid hit. It is a classy sing- ing, dancing and cross-flre turn. The Harry Green sketch received Its biggest applause on a line that Is difficult to figure. Where the wife realizes her folly and sits down crying and says: "What a silly fool I've been" and Green answers : "Don't cry, you're only a woman," the house rocked with the hand-clapping. Why? The strongest applause getters on the bill were Courtney Sisters. It began with the flash- ing of their number and continued after each song. Most of It came from the upper part of the house. Their voices seem to have Improved In the past two years. Bert Levy closed the entertainment In good style. He's a good show- man besides an artist with his brush. By "brush" Is not meant any reference to his facial foliage. Jolo. ALHAMBRA. The Alhambra program doesn't look particu- larly strong on paper, which may or may not have caused the light attendance Monday night, but It developed Into a corking good playing show with practically every number running for more than the average share of applause. The bulk of the honors were rather evenly divided between Dorothy Jardon. Mason and Koeler, and Chief Caupollean. but the bill has been so arranged, It runs like an automatic machine with every ounce of Its entertaining value utilized. Dorothy Jardon.stands out prominently be- cause of the novel proportions of her specialty. Miss Jardon, with her splendid voice and equally splendid stage appearance, has backed her talent with an act. Her repertoire of numbers speaks volumes for her constructive ability, for she probably has one of the best routines In vaudeville. "Araby" is the only popular song In the list, and this was un- doubtedly selected In preference to the pro- gramed number It superseded, because of "Ara- by's" rare excellence and the fact that It fltH snugly Into an otherwise exclusive program. As a rule a turn of this specie appeals to the music lovers only and seldom Interests those above the orchestra, but Miss Jardon awakened the entire house In an applause spasm and might have continued indefinitely were it left to the audience to decide. Mason and Keelor held the sketch position with "Married" and worked to their usual re- turns. The turn Is particularly good for this couple, for It provides, innumerable opportuni- ties for both principals to emphasize their best line of work. Chief Caupollean was somewhat of a novelty and this combined with a surprisingly fine voice earned him a place among the show's favorites. The Chief scored on legitimate points, with no aim at heroics. His section of talk has been extensively strengthened and his delivery shows the result of experience. The .house responded as one to his singing and forced him to several encores. Kartell! opened the show with a series of slack wire stunts. He surpasses the ma- jority in his line and seems to possess all the requirements of a standard attraction ex- cept a "name." Unless he displays some signs of progresslveness he will continue to open shows indefinitely while some proper exploiting would lift him up among the recog- nized leaders. Burnham and Irwin were on In second posi- tion and eked out a safe hit with little or no trouble. Mr. Irwin has added "Green River" to his solo effort and It fits In nicely without breaking up the thread of bis story. Miss Burnham's personality does much for the turn, and while the pair were palpably handicapped by their position, they were a valuable addition to the bill. Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Wilde, the sole sur- vivors of the shadowgrapblng art (Insofar as big time vaudeville Is concerned), added the desired touch of variety to the show and were especially well liked. They were followed by Caupollean and the Mason-Keeler combination, who closed the first section. Following the In- termission period Vaaderbllt and Moore danced their way to an easy hit. Primarily dancers, this couple carry plenty of versatility and have Interpolated a goodly portion of comedy talk. Miss Vanderbilt's wardrobe is a side feature; but on the whole they can be classified among the topnotchers in their particular division. Al Herman followed Miss Jardon and gath- ered a continuous string of laughs with his Improved, monolog. Herman opened with "Plney Ridge," which gave him a satisfactory start, and he then proceeded to bottle up the comedy end of the bill with his talk. His remarks anent the preceding acts constituted the strongest section of his specialty, and while some may question his originality In this respect, none can argue on his ability. For several years Jack Wilson relied on this style of comedy to carry him along, but Herman shades Wilson by a considerable margin. He closed with "Along the Rocky Road to Dublin," with Harry Hoch assisting in the audience. It rounded out his offering in excellent shape and as it stands now Herman can take a whirl around the country without a single change. The Kerville Family closed the show with few walkouts, the majority waiting for the closing tricks. Wynn. FIFTH AVENUE. Capacity at the Fifth Avenue for the matinee Election Day. The bill had -a couple of names that seemed to be an attraction. Mike Donlln and Ben Deely, and Barnes and Crawford got receptions on their initial appearance. The show contained a little too much dancing of the same order. Only three acts of the seven really got over. All three followed one another In what might be termed the second half of the show. They were the Five Musical Hodges (billed as "The Military Quintette"), Mike Donlln and Ben Deely (New Acts), and Barnes and Crawford. The latter act completely stopped the show. One other feature on the bill was a riot. That was the animated sheet with a singer offering "Back Home In Tennessee." The show was opened by Rose and Arthur Boylan, dancing. The couple have not their routine in shape as yet, and it will take weeks before the act shapes up so that it can be considered for anything except small time. The two can step and the pantomime bit at the finish will be worth while when properly worked out. Ford and Ramsey (New Acts) held down the second spot and by working very hard got their comedy talk over after a fashion that pleased. "The Heiress and the Mummy" (New Acts), "a girl act," passed on the strength of the work by the comedian. A comedy picture followed and the animated song came next. The Ave Musical Hodges opened with a brass selection and then went to their xylophones. The boy Is offering two solos. The first is Mother Machree" and later, from one of the boxes, he sings "The Song of Songs." The big punch comes In the playing of the drums by one of the women. This is used for the finish and it gets the desired result. Down next to closing Barnes and Crawford held the stage for exactly 25 minutes. Miss Crawford also had "The Song of Songs" and put It over most effectively. The Ward Sisters in their "Doll Girl" finished the bill. Fred "SPORTING WIDOWS." Jacobs & Jermon's "Sporting Widows" are in poor condition to make the eastern tour at the present time and unless circumstances compelled their appearance at the Columbia this week the producers should have tem- porarily side-tracked the show until alter- atlons were completed. The book Is practically shattered with no rhyme or reason, although apparently under- going the process of gradual strengthening, hut it should have been moulded Into better shape for the New York opening. The pro- duction makes a creditable showing, and the cast, or at least the majority of the caSl, seems entirely capable of staging a good per- formance, but the present vehicle la wholly U .Mm t i ab,e ? n £ h *y° n * carrying the usual pos- sibilities might be classified as worthless. The show is given In two parts with four scones, three utilized In the opener The lat- ter Introduces a cast review with" the prin- cipals Impersonating a number of stage cele- brities. This might be entirely eliminated in so far as Its value IS concerned, for the effort is wasted. Among those Introduced by £ r ?. xy !J ere Htt «T Fox, Richard Carle, Nat Wills, Vesta Victoria, Charlie Chaplin. Anna Held and Chauncey Olcott. Harry Short acted as master of ceremonies, at the same time Impersonating Carle. He did well, but the good Impression registered by Short was eclipsed by the bungled efforts of his asso- ciates. Ruth Lockwood as Anna Held scored substantially, and Billy Evans, while not a riot in the Wills Impersonation, recorded any number of laughs with Wills' material. The Chaplin bit was sloppy and so crudely done It failed to aid. Of the principals, several showed up suffi- ciently well to promise a good future for the reconstructed performance, especially Miss Lockwood, Evans, 8hort and Ave Leavltt, who brings to the big wheel several numbers and bits from the second circuit Leavltt as- sumed a light comedy role throughout, but he, too, was noticeably handicapped, although continually trying. Anna R. Mack, tall and of good appearance, Is evidently the principal woman, while Daisy Mayfalr, who seemed acrobatically inclined, Is scheduled for the soubret duties. Vincent Ducey and William Grieve held unimportant parts In both pieces, and Lorenzo and Fox rambled on for a brief few minutes In both the first part and bur- lesque to offer their specialty. With this list of principals It seems reason- able to believe Jacobs ft Jermon will event- ually bring the aggregation around to some semblance of a good show, but Just now any serious comment would be quite useless. The show, as It stands. Is decidedly clean and the numbers, also being rearranged and tried out, look sufficiently promising to warrant their re- tention while the general staging passes the margin mark. The troupe could stand a few weeks or at least one week for the necessary rehearsals, and under the guidance of Leavltt and with the cast at hand should develop Into a good staple, entertaining burlesque show. Wynn. BUSHWICK. The Bushwlck Is not sporting a name head- liner this week, but on the whole the bill at the Eastern District house is more than satisfy- ing and those who remained until the last were well repaid Monday night The house held near-capacity, although the weather was a trifle warm and the night before election can not be counted upon as one of the best In the year. It was a toss up to decide where first honors were due. Among those that figured moet conspicuously were "The Bride Shop," Herbert Clifton, Dolly Connolly and the Avon Comedy Four. There Is little choice between any, al- though spots helped some more than others. Herbert Clifton (New Acts), on just before the big act. gained Instantaneous appreciation for his work and was easily one of the eve- ning's best. Dolly Connolly, assisted by Percy Wenrich, came second after Intermission. Her songs are up to date and always a favorite in the neigh- borhood, she was unhampered In putting over an easy success. The Avon Comedy Four got applause on their card and it never ceased until they finished, after taking a number of encores. Harry Goodwin of this quartet comes to the front in the singing division with "Plney Ridge." The Morln Sisters, dancers, opened. The customary picture opener was shifted to clos- ing the show. A wise move. The dancing girls, two now, held down their spot with ease, taking several bows, all .earned. Bond and Casson, "No. 2," are evidently Brooklynltes, the floral demonstration at the finish suggest- ing this. They sing and look well and make up an altogether likeable two-act. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Murphy, a two-act of another or- der, followed the song and dance team. Their Jovial Irish wit never missed once, with the speech topping it off well. Opening Intermission, Ota Gygl played the violin and his playing was a little over the heads of the Bushwlcklans, but there were some present who heartily enjoyed It. This unassuming chap brings vaudeville's musical standard up a peg or two. De Witt, Burns and Torrence with their acrobatic work closed satisfactorily, pictures topping off the evening's entertainment. HARLEM OPERA HOUSE. w™ o W< i! k J 8 .. Ann j™™ary and Manager ai 77 ? w, £ hBd ft 8how ' th « first half that would be hard to duplicate In any house charging the same prices. J Dorothy Regel and Co. headline with a one of the best things of the afternoon Election S?# y " ♦*. MI ? 8 Regel tt8 the c, * ar counter girl Eu . 5 e .l urn ? vcr as tne b, KSest kind of a ?„«»£« 'S 6 ^ 1 ~ ame ,n for exceptional at- • tentlon. Robert Emmett Keane was another big timer of note. He was his customary sue-" cess with jokes and the recitation finish. Fatlma also helped to make the entertaln- one interested with some audible snlkers being noticeable occasionally. Plsano and Bingham, who followed, put over the hit of the show muchly due to Miss ningham's burlesque on the dancing of the former. ♦K Tn ir , h0,,da y 8 how started early. Among »n°i H We u e K Hunte T and Chappell, who slnf and trifle with comedy. The act needs speed- ing up The remaining turns under New Acts were Josephine and Frank Farrell, Barry Carr ami Ilragdon and the Four Palettes Business was phenomenal Tuesday afternoon with a crowd waiting to gain admittance fo? the second show before the first was through The bouse In addition to having I big bill*Is presenting the ladles with attractlv, sSuvenlrH at the matinee performances.