Variety (April 1916)

22 SHOW REVIEWS R1NGLING BROS. CIRCUS. Chicago, April 10. Heforo a packed audience at the Coliseum Kiugllug Nros.' circus opened In Chicago last Saturday night. Circus history repeats itself. The clrcuB as unfolded beneath the en- closed steel and wooden canopy of tho co- liHeum. brings little that is "°/»";" bl y Jf* to the circus devotees. The majority of acta that are on the Klngling payroll this beason were here last year and the year before. It Is a show, barring several phases, that has been primarily built for the road. That much Is evident from the time the show opens with the •Cinderella" spectacle until the close of the chariot race and the baud sounds "taps " More time seems to be devoted to the -Cin- derella" pageant, spectacle and ballet than In other year- and to the Rlngllng'B credit must be given for tho adequate costuming and em- belllshing of the "spec." The costuming ftnd equipment are not as cheap and tawdry as one might imagine from comparisons made w some of the pageants produced in days gone by. John Ageo is again equestrian director, but at his elbow at the opening was Charles Ringllng and within beck and call of C. B. were other Ringllng family links. The band- master is J. J. Richards, while Lew Graham is with the show as official announcer. The Ringllng elephants, five to a ring, handled by Oscar Voght, George Denman and Norman Johnson, opened the circus proper. Denman had the center ring, his pachyderm performers doing a few little stunts the others did not perform. Routine much the same In other seasons. Main novelty a bit with prop telephones. Next appeared the Nelson Troupe and the Clarkonlans. The Six Nelsons do some clean, effective work, but the Clarkon- lans, with Ernest Clarkonlan featured In the billing, stop the entire show long enough for Ernie to do his double twisting somersault on the flying trapeze. Bareback' riding followed, with Slgnor Baghongl. long of the B. & B. show, getting the call here, the other rings being occupied by Charles Augustus Clark and Reno Mc- Cree, Jr. With the dwarfish Baghongl. Im- ported from the other show for the Chicago opening, doing his grotesque riding suspend- ed by a swinging rope which had the audi- ence roaring, the other riders attracted little attention. Simultaneously appeared the DeMarlos, Jo- hannes Troupe. Cblng Hang Lee Troupe. Ta- maki Troupe, the Jasons, the Jardons and the Delanos. The DeMarlos have the center ring. Their contortion stunts were cleverly and effectively done. They are able to return from foreign conquests and hold their own with other featured turns. One of DeMarlos best feats Is a contortion twlBt of his legs around his neck while sitting on the one-inch can top that stands about three feet high. The woman is also flexible and supple, having a good figure and a pleasing appear- ance in ring action. The Johannes and Ta- makls, with their respective methods and tricks of gllma and jiujltsu, again halt tb« show for their closing demonstrations of self- defense. The Ching Hlngs have one man doing a slide from the Coliseum rafter by his topknot t _ , „ On the next display which brought in line Alf. Loyal, the Helllotts, Charles Smith, Wink Weaver and Roy Rush, the work of Loyal's dogs, two in particular catching the* crowd, drew the most attention. The somersaulting canine acrobat. Toque, and that clownish, sa- gacious side worker, were features that stood out on their merits. Loyal and his dogs work- ing with clocklike precision and there wasn't a single slip. The Helllotts' bears had an off night and one of them acted as though he were Just learning the ropes. The dancing bear of the Helllotts and the skating bruin of 8mlth'B still hold novelty. Display No. 7 brought out for aerial per- formance Mile. Leltzel, the Floyds, the Roon- eys, the Cromwells, the LaFayettes and Mons. Demllo, who Is none other than the contor- tionist DeMarlo showing amazing versatility. Leltzel Is again a big featured performer and again the show stops as she does that one-arm swinging feat. Leltzel has lost none of her circus cunning or attractiveness and tho cute little ring artiste repeated her suc- cess of last year. The LaFayettes duplicated their thrilling midair exhibition. A word Is due the others for their efficient aerialism. Display No. 8 had honors going without contradiction to the Bobker Arabs and the Orpington Troupe. The Orpingtons, with their seemingly Impossible hnndhalancing and the Bonkers, with their ground acrobatics, elicit- ed the closest attention. The Qeorgettys. Al- fred Bros.. Jansleys and Gud. Mijares went through their skilful athletic demonntratlons with credit. Another display of bareback riding had the MrCree-Davenport Troupe In the center ring, with Nellie Lloyd on one side and Josephine Hedges on the other. Tho McCree-Davenport outfit shown up-to-dntedness. first In dress and then In ring execution of their riding. Miss Lloyd worked hard to please while the mas- culinity of Joseph Hodges led many to opine that It wns a mnn In feminine attire. Though no wlp was doffed nt the close, there were plain Indications that a man was doing tho equestrianism. Display No. 10 brought more horsemanship, with two sets of posing horses and docs hold- ing the two stages. Tn hi eh school feats were John Foley nnd Mrs. Clara Melnotte In ono rln* (F. f llrady nnd (Miss) Mnmle Wood- ford, and Mr. Walverton nnd Miss Lcflor took care of the "poslnir"), while the other end rliiK had Mr. and Mrs. Dan Curtl* with Min- nie Davl t- and Clara flamlskardl In the cen- ter rliit? rolng through hl»^h school horseman- ship. The sfatuatory poslnc animals held up this section as the hli?h school routine was "omewhat disappointing, the horses acting as though they were Just being put through their paces. Some agile and skilful ladder an* perch feats were shown in Display No. 11 by Mlrano Bros, fcenter ring), the Ortons, the Al- berts, Jahns and Andresen Brothers. Following some quiet clowning by the Ring- llng clowns appeared one of the best parts of the circus, namely Display No. 13, which em- bodied the wire walking exhibition of J. Mi- jares (center ring), Slgnor Manola, Bertie Ford (programed as Birdie Ford), Melnotte- Lanole Troupe and the Tysons. In this dis- play also appeared Evans and Sister In a pretty and pleasing "sight" demonstration of object Juggling by the pedal extremities. J. Mijares, resplendent In a handsome and costly new toreador outfit from head to feet, was never seen to better circus advantage and be was another of the carded features that halt- ed proceedings while he did his marvelous slack-wire swinging. Manola did his cele- brated complete somersault on the wire while Bertie Ford dexterously and gracefully ex- cuted his wire-walking stunts. This Is Ford's first appearance with the Rlngllngs and his performance comes up to all expectations. The Melnotte-Lanole Troupe displayed Its usual skill and daring and fully held up their end of gymnastic wire work. Evans and Sister fitted In this display nicely. Display No. 14 was more equestrianism. In the center was the Antonio Zlngaro Troupe of five riders and acrobats. In the other rings were the Greens (Silas and Sallie) and the Famous Four Lloyds. This display Is reported as being one that C. E. Ringllng devoted much time and at- tention. To lend novelty, the Zlngaros were dressed like gypsies, the Greens like rubes and the Lloyds as Indians. At the Coliseum opening the Lloyds attracted the most atten- tion through redflre realism and some In- dian feats of roughiiding. The Zlngaros de- pended more on acrobatics than bareback rid- ing, and It looked as though some of the aerlallstlc (this takes in the Clarkonlans) were In there as principals. The Greens also showed ability with the rough-riding in the rural garb. The riders here looked like the McCree-Davenport troupe. Next came a pretty feature and one the Rlngllngs can depend to draw exclamations on the road. All of the teeth-performers, billed as the Ellet Sisters. Tybell Sisters and Da- coma Sisters, worked In rotating, flying unison In varl-colored lights and the "sight" was es- pecially pleasing. Rlngllngs had a wild west exhibition. At the Coliseum there were several accidents which marred the rough-riding and the broncho busting, but the work of several cow- boys stood out conspicuously, particularly the riding of Panhandle Stroud. While not as Imposing In point of work as the late Otto Kline, he Is Just as daring and his main feat Is a swing around under the neck of the horse to the saddle. Cedora of the Golden Globe la the "adver- tised thriller." It Is the same motor-cycling loop-the-loop stuff worked several years ago on the enclosed saucer tracks, but retains Its clrcusy thrills. Too heavy and cumbersome for road purposes. The Ringllng circus isn't great. But It Is good. All sections combined will enable It to give bully satisfaction on the road. PALACL Out of 100 head liners (if there are that many) 00 would sidestep the Palace, New York, for Holy Week. But Eva Tanguay Is the 100th, If not the first, for she Is there, and Monday night proved Eva's sagacity—the house was full. Besides an endless and bound- less vivacity of ginger, that girl haa nerve. Other than Miss Tanguay, though, the Pal- ace didn't take any long chance on its Holy Week program. A couple of what look like Important turns are new, really "showing" at the Palace. These were Florence Nash and Co. and Mildred Macomber and Co. (New Acts). The first half seemed a singing and danc- ing carnival. Either one or the other was In each turn, with the Three Du-For Boys opening the show. They did very well, did these boys, with the kind assistance of their aunt In the back row. Auntie was all cued up for the applause moments, but sometimes It looked as though auntie didn't have her mind on her business, for she passed over the proper moments to applaud, when the audi- ence took the work up for her, resulting In the dancing trio doing unusually well for an opening turn. The Du-Fors are English. Their ensemble stepping looks good, but neither In that nor their individual dancing Is there anything exceptional. It's the trio Idea that gets them over, notwithstanding that they sing. One of the songs was "I'm At Tour Service. Sir," which sounded as though It might have, been sung by a principal woman In an English musical comedy, and the other was about the golden palisades along the Hudson, probably written in Long Island City where they guess at so many things. "No. 2" held Beatrice Morelle's Grand Opern Sextet, sub-called "A Study in Royal Blue." It's probably too late now, but Miss Morelle should have selected another title for her turn. The act Itself and the setting could stand It. And Miss Morelle had better have a heart-to-heart talk with some music publishers. Monday afternoon, while Johnny O'Connor was standing before the Palace, he was approached by a man who asked him If ho wished to see the show. When Johnny wants tn look foolish he can beat George Felix's boob character. And this was Johnny's foolish day. He Inquired what the Idea was. The man said ho had an extra ticket to stand up. "What must .» do to get It?" asked Johnny. "Applaud the second act," replied the tlcket-glver. "Is your wife In it?" he was asked, and answered, "No, I'm from Wltmark's." Miss Morelle's was the second act Monday. It doesn't need that sort of stuff. Her act Is quite sightly* the six women look well, four of them as a quartet do nicely vocally, and Miss Morelle, whose contralto sounded so well In the ensemble singing, might have taken a solo, although the soprano (Louise Arnolda) did very well In hers with "They Wouldn't Believe Me." The setting Is blue, from drapes to gowns, with Colonial headgear, this afterward changed to white with blue winged foots to stand off the blue slippers, which are not changed. Miss Mo- relle's act should have opened after Inter- mission, a spot occupied by Alderman Fran- cis P. Bent (New Acts), who lectured on Mexico In a very dry way with still pictures to make it worse. McKay and Ardlne were called upon to step Into No. 8, after the rather long session for a straight singing turn No. 2. Mr. McKay and Miss Ardlne. did very well. They sing and dance, at least George does, and Miss Ardlne dances, any style. George McKay Is a good dancer and a good performer. He re- ceived a real compliment from George Smith, who watched him Monday night. Next came Claire Rochester, substituting for Nan Hal- perln. It sounded as though Miss Rochester had not been working for a long time. Her soprano was away off, although her contralto (forced into a baritone for "double voice" singing) sounded regular. It's probably her natural voice and she might cling to It solely. Miss Rochester may have had many "aunties" In the audience, for the applause did not sound proper, with Miss Rochester so closely following the Morelle Sextet, both straight singing turns. Miss Macomber's varied act closed the first part The most it did was to start a discus- sion as to its merit. In the second part through Jack Wilson de- clining to take the first position there, he was obliged to go Into the closing spot, and held the house, getting a good start to do so through Miss Tanguay next to closing not los- ing a customer. The Wilson trio now carries Frank Hurst and Lillian Boardman, both quite capable. Miss Boardman especially so. Her natural voice Is of much aid to the sing- ing portion of the act that concludes with an operatic parodied medley Mr. Wilson can cast away any time he thinks of something better. Mr. Hurst Is a fair straight with a voice he handles rather well. Mr. Wilson, closing the bill, had a full swing at all of the acts and he used the position to advantage. Several bits by him evoked plenty of laughter. Some are new and others not quite so much so. His parody on "World Behind" without music, was a scream. It was after 11 when the Wilson turn finished. As for Miss Tanguay, she did what Tan- Siay always does. 8he's the human gyroscope er vitality might be a scientific mystery. Miss Tanguay sang any number of songs, Including a couple of new ones, and had to finish with "I Don't Care" after trying to dodge It by using "Father Never Brought Up Any Foolish Children" for an encore. The new numbers were "Intrepid" and "I'd Rath- er Be a Booster Than a Knocker." The last- named Is more In the Tanguay style than "In- trepid." The personal note In a Tanguay number has grown to be so acceptable from her It looks as though Eva In vaudeville has only to follow along that line. The girl, her figure, clothes and song all resolved Into the hit of the bill, and she did more than that, she filled the Palace on Monday night of Holy Week. 8ime. R0TAL Holy Week and Passover period. What an awful catastrophe for the Bronx amusement business I And what a tough "break" to have two such religious times fall simultaneously! And where on earth does such a combination of holidays, feast and fast days make such an Impression as In the Bronx? That conventional half-mile line that gene- ally adorns the streets In the immediate vi- cinity of the Royal and National theatres was perceptible a few blocks farther north leading to a flock of churches and temples. And at the Royal three big time turns shared the billing honors. On paper It looked like a corking good show. It played somewhat differently but this was primarily due to the lack of enthusiasm displayed by those pres- ent. The trio of headllners included Savoy and Brennan, Dooley and Sales and Ball and West, the latter holding the early position, appearing fourth on the program, with the Savoy-Brennan combination opening the sec- ond half and Dooley and Sales In next to clos- ing spot. The Ball and West team did not register their usual hit, much of the comedy patter soaring high, although Foster Ball's characterization of the grand Army man was duly appreciated. With the continual play- ing and replaying of the Ball-West turn. It might be appropriate to occasionally change the material, returning now and then with a few new "gags," If not a new routine. The usual welcome accorded them will eventually wear out. Savoy and Brennan pulled the show out of an atmosphere that leaned toward gloom, their cross-fire talk landing with a resounding wallop. The patter Is strictly original, well handled and cleverly distributed. The "straight" makes a great contrast to the fe- male Impersonator and for a specialty de- pending strictly on talk they look as good as the best. Dooloy and Sales have eliminated some por- tions of their turn, bringing It properly up to date and showing a flash of progresslveness. They corralled the big hit or the bill without any trouble, and timed their stay to a nicety without overdoing. Mario and Duddy opened with a comedy bar act, the feature showing a loop around a horizontal on a specially constructed ap- paratus. It made a good seml-thrlller, fol- lowing a line of fast work. After Stella Tracey (New Acts) came a comedy skit la- belled "What's the Matter With Ruth?" In which the responsibilities are entrusted to a principal seated In a stage box. While the supporting cast enact a melodramatic playlet the comic Indulges in a side conversation from the box, basing his remarks on the action of the skit. The Idea Is novel and modernised from an old thought, but the comic could be comfortably supplied with much more dia- log. His laughs are natural, well timed and of the suro-flre brand, but not plentiful enough. The possibilities are there for many more and should be taken advantage of. The Royal Ponclana Sextet and "Which One Shall I Marry?" (New Acta) were sandwiched in between the headllners, while Tom Kuma, a ring specialist, closed the show. Wynn. COLUMBIA. Something always happens at the Columbia on a Sunday. It It Isn't Jack Shea, It's something but usually it's Jack Shea. In order Jack won't think that's a knock, it might be well to say Mr. Shea will have his annual benefit at the Columbia very shortly, and Just to show that the benefit mention Isn't a squarer the date of It must be advertised by Jack—If he wants his Cort- land friends to buy complimentary tickets. The something Sunday was Mr. Goldlng of Goldlng and Keating fainting In the wings after the first number by the team. Miss Keating did her single number following, then an announcement was made the couple could not continue. Mr. Goldlng had a bad cold and was filled up with medicine, which, with the heat from the footlights, probably caused his temporary weakness. The couple had gone on at the Columbia for a special showing to some production people. Mr. Goldlng risked it rather than disappoint them. And Jack Shea was again on the Job. Someone around Mr. Goldlng said, "Get some water, quick" and Jack brought the fire pail hanging near-by. It was Palm Sunday. The Columbia didn't have a larger crowd than was expected. "Duff" was on the Job upstairs and every- thing was quiet, for that Duff Is some guy, Fred McCloy admits It. The big flash of the bill was a "Fashion Show" by Catherine Crawford and Company of 0 or 10 people, mostly girls. The scheme of lay out of this Crawford Fashion Show that has been playing the small time quite sets the big time "Fashion Show" of the past season very far in the rear. There's more ginger to Miss Crawford's exhibit, the gen- eral plan Is more In line with good showman- ship, and the production contains more en- tertainment In all besides Interest for the men than the other ahow did. There doesn't seem any particular difference In the gowns, for from the numerous dresses worn by the girls which were carded as made by Mme. Rosenberg, this exhibit displayed gowns as modish In their looks as those worn In the big time act. Besides there waa a neat Idea In dressing the gHrls In athletic costumes, although the Important Item for the men was a bathing suit number, also a corset display. If as reported the Crawford act goes Into burlesque for next season It should be a decided novelty on the Wheel, and with the added girls, also principals, ought to guar- antee a profitable season In advance. Miss Crawford should have aimed this turn for big time. With very little added It could have followed the big time "Fashion Show" which was too much "fashion," and the sav- ing grace of the Crawford act 1b that It is not. Rosalre and Leo opened the show. Romm and Little (New Acts) were next, and the Great Leroy (New Acts), followed by Gold- lng and Keating, and after the Crawford turn came Nevlns and Arnold, Harry Holman and Co. (return date this season—unusual for the Columbia), Willie Weston, and tbe 3 Bobs. Bime. 125TH STREET. The new policy rtcently Installed in the Proctor houses appears to be boosting busi- ness to some extent. Tuesday night Proctor's 12ftth did not pack them In, but for a vaude- ville show that ran 120 minutes with a feat- ure picture closing the evening, a fair Bized attendance was on hand. Navln and Navln (New Acts) opened the show with skating after which DeVoy Faber and Co. held the "No. 2" spot with an im- possible sketch. Recently these people were at least Identified with a piece worthy of a position on some of the smaller bills, but with present sketch, as played, they might better erturn to the former playlet until such time as they decide to change for the best. Nina Estey was next with banjo playing, hardly coming up to the standard of other musical acts. Miss Estey Is a young miss carrying a fair personality, but will all this her act Is not right. As a single musical girl, she has a hard Job confronting her. Ruby Cavalle and Co. scored some success, duo to the novelty of her turn. The enter- tainment derived Is little to the audience, but the novelty of the set and the little dancing is enough to keep It going. The balloon finish appeared to take them by sur- prise. Rertle Herron and Milt Arnsman (New Acts) were followed by Gabby Bros, and Clark who closed the shof with their club swinging. The boys were doing so much kid- ding, they missed a number of times, never- theless for the closing set they did as well as any on the bill.