Variety (November 1916)

2& STtOW REVIEWS THE CENTURY GIRL "The Century Girl" Is a tremendous show. Charles Dillingham and Floreni Ziegfeld, Jr., co-Jolntly produced It for the Century the- atre. It opened Monday night at 8:26 and ended that ssme. evening at 12:58. The daub;? effort of Messrs. Ziegfeld and Dillingham seemed to he individual after all. for In- stead of giving hut one show, they piled up two or three in one. It might be some fun to hang around and listen to those two managers discussing what there Is to be cut out or the performance. Or they may make It neutral and call In outsiders, to save Injured feelings. As there are only about 90 or 100 minutes to be taken out. It doesn't require much of a knife, Just a hydraulic dredge. "The Century Olrl" could throw every- thing out, retaining only the second act finale and the burlesque ballet and still be certain of two sure draws. The second act finale, to a march song by Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom, was staged by Ned Wayburn. It's all Mr. Wayburn did In this show and It's enough. Wayburn can now retire on bis laurels If be wishes to. for be has surpassed all of his own efforts as a stager and those of all others by this one thing. The re- volving stage is employed. On it are high flights of stairs, and with the background of Urban scenery, the set looks like a steeple- chase course. Olrls In patriotic dress line the edge of the stage. In single file. Behind them are grouped sailors and soldiers, boys and girls. As the stage commences to re- volve, the girls edging the stage do a single side step, to the music, while those behind march and countermarch, In twos, fours and eights alternately, up and over and down the flights of stairs, presenting a spectacle that has a real stir, and a sight that is the only thing In this performance worth going »er once to see. Tne Herbert muslo of this number stands out beyond the other melodies of the show, especially written by the two composers, Mr. Herbert and Irving Berlin. Mr. Berlin made a serious mistake and a natural one, In writing lyrics and composing for the Century. He evidently overlooked the bigness of the house. So doing and gfv- lng the lyrics of his numbers the customary Berlin attention, the Berlin songs of the show did not get over as they should have done. None of the women principals has a voice capable of sending a "lyric" over in the big auditorium with its poor acoustics, and the chorus fell down the same way. The "Alice in Wonderland" scene had a splendid lyric probably Intended to carry the thing along, but few in the house got it. The nearest Berlin's songs and music got to the front was in "They's Got Me Doing It, Too" as sung by Elsie Jsnls during a "Stage Door" scene with the 16 English (Bell and Tiller schools) "Sunshine Olrls." And at that ons couldn't deplde between Miss Janta, the song or ths dance finish of the number as to which was responsible for Its success. Another Ber- lin song helped by a number was "Hunting for a New Dance" In the "Forest Glade" scene that ended with "The Chicken Walk." This waa Leon Erroll's staging contribution and also a bright production spot in ths per- formance. The other big thing of the Cen- tury show, the burlesque ballet, called "The Ballet Loose," waa staged by Edward Royce and Mr. Erroll. Harry Kelly gets his single chance in it and more than puts It over. Marie Dressier and Mr. Erroll are the other principal comedy players. Vera Maxwell and Blllle Allen In this make one of their many "straight" appearances during the evening. The ballet Is 1 all comedy, very broad and with some slspstlck, but It la truly funny and the house roared as any audience must at It. The scene is "The Stone Age." There are cave-men with clubs and cave women with little dressing. Kelly is the King of the Clan, He and Erroll are faking a play for Miss Dressier. A hill runs up from tne stage to s height of about 28 feet. Its floors are padded and the players are necessarily padd- ed, for they roll or come down the Incline flat upon their stomschs, "gliding" toward each other. Errol does a peach of a fall down the entire length and Miss Dressier alto takes Elsie Janls at 12:30 made the personal hit of the show. What Miss Janls Is doing In this performance tells why she Is in con- tinual demand on two continents. Next to Miss Janls in favor was Sam Ber- nard. Mr. Bernard made them laugh when- ever In tight and capped the evening for himself by his vaudeville political apeech Just before the finale of the second act. There were other individual scores of greater or less extent. Myles McCsrthy made one as "straight" when working with Frank Tlnney in the "Street Trafflc' r scene. Mr. Tlnney did not fsre as well. There was a lot of Tlnney in black and white face, be- side* Miss Janls' Invitation. While Tlnney with a remark here or there got a laugh, no- body would deny his material aa a rule seemed forced without any brilliancy at any time. Tlnney'a talk at times was Juut a trifle rough for the production he waa in. Saying "Mr. Ziegfeld Is a liar and Mr. Dil- lingham is one, too, but he puts the oil on" (In connection with those manager's promise before opening and what they actually do) may be very humorous to a wise first night audience or a professional matinee crowd, but the Century must have the public at large. What little talk there Is in the show is al- together too "wise." There Isn't much, the TnanBR^m^nt seemingly have r<?al!?ed the lm- pofmtbMltv of the Century for a rruHcal com- edy "story." There Is not a bit of "story," "book" or "plot" to "The Century Olrl," Just big scenes and acts in "one" to make the nets. Some of these latter are bo heavy It calls oft'times for more than one act In "one"' to make ths time. Through this perhapa It looks as though all the "As" turns were si lowed to do all they could. This In part helped to delay the performance until the late hour. Still Harry Loagdon withdrew from ths show Monday afternoon and it was reported as ths reason Langdon was given ru\»* mluute !n "coe" to do aid turn ~<Tbe Langdons). Another act somewhat a disappointment in the matter of applause were Doyle and Dixon, who did nothing new In the way of a dance, falling their hardest In the "Toy Soldier" scene (where a portion of the props refused to properly work). The dancers, though, will likely do better before houses not as familiar with them as the first night- era. Mr. Errol in his "drunk" dance with Gertrude Rutland got applause at the finish through his Bryne Bros, trick exit and re- appearance, but this was lost In the rush of ths big things) of the show. Adelaide Bell (sounding as though from London) did a two-foot kicking dance in the first act. She did well and at her style of dancing can get over. A hit of no mean proportion scored early was msds by Van and Schenok, from vaude- ville, with their own songs. While the ap- plause sounded more healthy than one would think warranted under the circumstances, there was no doubt the house liked the boys, who had a novel opening. Two dress- suited young men the audience thought were, the principals retired immediately sfter the Elano was set, and the "stage hands" who ad moved on the piano turned out to be the singers. Van and Sohsnck nearly did their full act Tlnney did his blackface turn in the second act, aided by Max Hoff- mann, the orchestra's conductor. During this Tlnney played a rag on the bagpipes. Maurice and Walton also before the curtain did a series of dancing, doing very well and going even better with their finish, an imi- tation of a college boy dancing with a girl, something Mr. Maurice has caught right, perhaps from observation at the Hotel Bllt- more. A song and dance, "Jumping Jacks." with Errol and the "Sunshine Olrls." all as red heeds, did nicely and was well staged by Mr. Royce. Miss Dressier did a song specialty In ths lsst act (there are three), and her heavy, rough comedy waa well liked all the way. The show starts off with an Imposing scene. "The Celestial Staircase." that an- other product might be happy to use as a finale. "The Garden of a Modern Olrlo' School" was next and one of the weak spots of a weak first act; this scene was mads more so by "The Muslo Les son " by Berlin (a sort of "Simple Melody" Idea to Herbert's "Kiss Me Again") that Arthur Cunningham as Herbert, and John Slavln aa Berlin could not get across, although ths scheme waa of a professional benefit plan, anyway. A Grand Central Station scene hsd Miss Janls In male garb dancing with Doyle and Dixon. Miss Dressier and Mr. Bernard were also In this. "Alice In Wonderland" was on the revolv- ing stage. It was pretty in affect end In- tended mostly for the children. The revolv- '3g stage was again employed for "Under the Sea," opening the third act, staged by Mr. Royce, with about the only Item of any special Interest the flying-floating mermaid as done by Miss Maxwell, who had a couple of quite visible wires attached. This scene wss conventional. The show Jumped Into lis finale, "On the Train of a Wedding Gown," with Hasel Dawn in it. The Jump skipped the "Pro- cession of Laces." probably a "parade," that may have been thought unnecessary, ss It seemed also wsrs the Barr Sisters, pro- gramed, but who did not appear. Miss Dawn looked her prettiest and played the violin once, but kept her voice on the stage al- most as much as herself. Among prominent show girls In ths prin- cipals' billing are Flo Hart and May Les- lie. Irving Fisher was the tenor and op- posite Miss Dawn he did not seem tall enough nor with a voice of sufficient calibre for the big show. Fred O. Latham Is the general stage di- rector. William Pbetance and William Tor- pey are the stags managers. The scenic end by Urban guaranteed it- self before the show opened, while the cos- tuming is In step with the rest The Century hss been redecorated throughout and looks better. The stage has a second proscenium srch to cut down Its also In looks. Messrs. Dillingham and Ziegfeld have built up opposition to their other musical comedy enterprises In "The Century Olrl." Whet they will do with this show to competitors will be a pity. It's the biggest thing of Its kind New York has ever seen, and no one will sidestep It No one can afford to. 8ime. PEG '0 MY HEART. (International.) "Peg o' My Heart" did remarkable business at the Grand opera bouae, Brooklyn, last week. Erlday night the attendance was so good the box office was selling standing room for four bits, even if the ticket did read "Ad- mission 35 cents." There wss s fringe of standees behind the orchestra rail, the first time since the Tnternstlonsl season - started that the audience at this stand has been more then three-qusrtera capacity. "Peg" mlRht have beer. mn*.r to order for th* "pop" r.lw.uiU, with Us single, Icexperslv* Interior setting and Its small cast of nine. It makes mighty satisfactory entertainment, al- though for present purposes the original has beon ever so slightly roughed up snd, of course. It Iscks ths charm of Lauretta Tay- lor. It was Interesting to see the piece done minus Miss Taylor. 'Teg" becomes rather a different person, and ths play lack- ing the spies of the original Peg, Is to tell the truth, rather a slight dramatic story. Carewe Carvel, however, has the charm of ?outh and has been carefully Instructed, here *re times when the suspicion grows that she has been too painstakingly trained for the part What shs gains in elocution and stage deportment she loses In that spon-. tensity which is so esssntlal to the part of Peg. It Is as though one had been taught to sing to the accompaniment of a metronome. Nevertheless, Miss Carvel does very well In a conscientious performance. The company behind her Is entirely satis- factory. Clara Sidney makes a dignified Mrs. Chichester; Hamilton Christy is capital in the comedy part of Alerlo and Vera Short managed to sketch out the picture of the un- happy Ethel. N. Murray Stevens departed somewhat from the Jerry of the Lauretta Taylor, company in that he began his long- distance love-making earlier and made It more emphatic, but his Jerry was extremely well done. Here again Is emphasised the desirability of short casts and simple settings for the In- ternational offerings. Just as the fewness of the plsyers hss msde It possible to advance the average of ability, the cost of equipment all has been put into one good stage ost In- stead of being spread out pretty thin over four shabby ones. Robert Campbell, who sponsors this International property, had his play and equipment made to order before he undertook the enterprise and producers enter- ing the circuit must build from the ground, but It is worth considering that the best things the new concern haa shown to dste hsve been distinguished by the element of small, compact orgsnlsatlons. BROADWAY BELLES. Joe Oppenhelmer's "Broadway Bailee" are the Election week attraction at the Olympic. The show has been doctored since the start of the season snd In its present shape is one of the poorest aggregations on the Amer- ican Wheel. A large portion of the deficiency is due to the Illness of the producer, which hss kept him from active harness for some tlms with the show evidently put on by out- siders who have most effectively felled to deliver. "The Broadway Belles" is not a new show In any department The costuming Is old snd the material at hand far below par,, leav- ing the company to rely on effects such as the use of a flag at the finish of ths first act to put the ebow over. The first part is entitled "Cohan's Night Out," ths credit for the producing of which le given Forrest O. Wyer, "straight man" with the aggregation and Its stage manager. Wyer has shown little in this to give him sny distinction as a stager. This portion Is in five scenes. It hss ths familiar tough resort and cabaret scene. Both sets are old. The best portion of this hslf Is a New York harbor scene and the patrlotlo finale with the customary flag business. The burlesque Is entitled "The Fortune Hunte-a" and starts off with more life than Its pre- decessor. Joe Msrks heads the cast aa a Hebrew with Sam Bachen playing Dutch opposite. Msrks is a rough and tumble comedian with little respect for the -lews of decency. His work st times In the early portion was extremely obnoxious. Other than the nee of a few hells Bschen would pass ths censors. Wyer ss straight has ' the physique to become one of burlesque's best in thst line, but seems to have gotten into a rut with this, company, playing In an indifferent way. Len Wills plsvs bits in both portions satisfactorily. There Is little choice among the women with Amy Brans a slight favorite. Miss Ev- ans looks well en most occasions. Dolly Southern flits about without causing atten- tion to be drawn towards ber. Trlxle Taylor is a diminutive soubret who Is lost as the show progresses, slthough giving the impres- sion at the stsrt she would go over. Myrtle Dsy figures inconspicuously snd apparently is only placed In the show on account ot the call for another woman to work up the wife idea with the comedians. The chorus Is a nondescript collection of all sites snd shapes. The girls were not aided by fetching costumes snd suffer accord- ingly. There were 17 of them. "The Broadway Belles" Is not a standard Wheel show. FOLLIES OF THE DAY. Little of the old Barnev Gerard book re- mains In this oeaaon'e version of "The Fol- lies." John B. Williams does a short poli- tical speech ss a "bit," but that Is sbout all. The enow delivers a good average bur- lesque entertainment and all the people work hard to make the performance register— there are times when they work a little too hard. The reault la an atmosphere of forced and artificial fun that takes something away from the spontaneity of the offering. There la perhaps too much time given to the comedlens st the expense of the glrllnesa of 'The Follies," which Is not of the Wheel purpose cr *lm. It is likely the entertain- ment would take an added snap by the ad- dition of ons or more principal women. As the two pieces are arranged now all the work falls upon two. Gertrude Hayes, the leading woman, and Anna Propp, us gingery a soubret as the Wheel has disclosed thra ysar. * . . .. For some reaaon that does not explain lt- aelf Else May was concealed from the audi- ence until nearly the end of the evening, when ahe appeared aa a number leader. She has a pretty voice and makes an entirely pleasing picture of youthful femininity. Six other chorus girls were listed on the pro- gram, but they had no individual part in the proceedings. On the other hand there were eight men wfecs* names were dlqnifiVd by ij;^ Most were not conspicuously concerned either in the pieces nor in Interpolated specialties. There were njne men on the stage at one shne during one of the numbers. That Is not orthodox burlesque. Gerard has collected a first rate bunch ot 18 choristers of assorted weights and sizes. Ons has a voice of vaatly better quality than Is ordinarily heard in a burlesque theatre. It forced her to the front during the oper- atic finale of the first act, but thereafter she retired again to the line and waa lost. The costuming throughout is bright In the usual way, but It may not be entirely new this year. Certainly some of it Is not For one thing the spangles on the dresses worn In "Romany" come over from last year. How- ever, Gerard Is no piker In his productions He haa loada of drops and wings and things and does give his people plenty of colorful stage backgrounds. George P. Murphy is "Dutch" according to his familiar methods. Chester Nelson does nicely with his rube sheriff characterisation. He could do better If he had "fatter" lines and better material to work with, and the same statement goes with added emphasis for Murphy. Both do altogether too much of the "bits" that have become official by long use. The "Undertaker bit" has long since been worn threadbare. They have much too much money changing and like stuff and the comedy re- volver Is too frequently in evidence. The Columbia producers are doing all they can to break Into new fields of comedy snd leave these familiar tricks behind. The Gerard comedians will do well to follow the general trend. Miss Hsyes looks well at all times. 8he knows how to work and makes her numbers count . Shs dresses particularly well In a blue spangled affair for a number with an extreme decolletage that makes her look all to the Kitty Gordon. The show has pretty girls, a wealth of va- riety and some amusing comedians. Election night the show was slightly cut and this may have taken some of the edge off the general effect, but even at that It put over an entertainment up to the new Columbia standard. PALACE. The Palace gave extra measure In its pro- gram for this election week. Ten sets maks up the bill. At the Monday matinee It ran from 2:20 until 6:10. By Tuesday afternoon, through starting earlier and taking out the picture, the show rsn from 2 until about 5:05. Hardly an act on the bill did less than 20 minutes. This was more strongly noted In the first section than In the final part. A program switch after Monday placed one of the headllnera, William H. Thompson and Co. (*!3w Acts) In the "No. S-" position, after occupying ths first half closing spot. Mr. Thompson Is playing a dull sketch, respon- sible for the change. The other headllner Is Nan Halpeiin, re- turning to the Palace and In the next to closing spot Her "Song Cycle" has so firmly established this girl as a vaudeville headline attraction, It doesn't make much difference where she is on the bill. For the type of song employed and her style of delivering It Miss Hs!perln stands above them all. Par- ticularly one or two who have been In vaude- ville and tried for this especial thing, the Halperln girl does so well. Her oulck chsnges of costume help the speed. Another single woman entertainer and a rare one in her class was ahead of Miss Halperln. She Is Beatrice Herford, In the "No. 4" place, doing "The Matinee Girl," "Hotel Child at the Breakfast Table" and "The 10-Cent Store." Her first two sounded new for the Palace and were hugely enjoyed. Miss Her- ford pieces her emphasis and points so well the humor cannot be mistaken. Next to the closing the first part were Pilcer and Doug- las. Now that Gaby Deslys has gone away and Is sbout forgotten, this tesm must go In for more solid work. The singing and clothes changing are not enough without the Gaby thing to back them up. They use Gaby only at present for the final bit Before that happens la considerable useless matter. The turn should be shortened. They Just about pulled out. Opening the performance were Van and Bell in the showiest boomerang throwing turn New York has ever seen. A man and wo- man do the work. There Is a apodal pretty woodland set. The boomerangs of all shapes and alsea are deftly caeted. They seldom go singly, most often In groups, and the final flock of many email onea la about the only Imitation the stage haa ever seen of bird flying. The ballad number after the close of the turn proper, sung by the young woman, seems misfitted. The act should end In full stage, with no staging or talking, the man taking care of the latter through a mouth-whistle arrangement. It'a a novelty turn of its kind. The Lovenberg Sisters snd Neary Brothers, "No. 2," call their dancing act "Around the Compass." It waa written by George Spink and haa several drops. Likely if the two boys and t?:c s'.rls did a straight dancing ad they would faro better. In this tdrn there la too muoh singing, and after the act la thought to be through, it commences all over again In "one," with the- four In blackface, and one of the boys even proceeding farther, to sing in falsetto for the exit. A rearrange- ment might do a lot for the act ss vaude-