Variety (April 1917)

SHOW REVIEWS 15 BAftN UIUA1LBY CIRCUS. Otoow li the naU boor's delight n# tt ewer wm Md probably always wUl be. That m m i shew 4mm1 eppear to have DMA hooked up lor any especial auuii at- tention. It* Uke;thc etaec* of I** fear aad the year wafer* that, and ao on bask to too Urns whoa a "thriller" or a big freak was mads thef a ttr aoUoa, Wltboot either tt Is just a diss doog Dsrformaaoa, aad ao light la tanner with tas ourroot aaow mat too aroaa is given soar iT'ifr la bat two acts. las Great HisaaJatd Family Is oos of ths turns. It ahows Mat to stasias tbo nerform- aaoo, just bsforo Ibo aaaaaibia aortal displays, which aro fallowed hy tho Mlapodroajo recce. Ths Uaaaafofds oaaso sjp bofa from Cuba, leaving tbara whoa tbo iwfolatlaa broke oat. Tharo aro about sis aoaals la ths riding (bareback) act, aad It's the bast act of lta kind a circus ever bora ever carried. Tha •ur of tbo family Is a macs, who doss oomedy sod bareback riding walla solas It,HVe the boat barobaaji rfiler la America, aad for quiet unostentatious oomedy iiuoro remark- able In a rider; the rlas baa never bold as good a funny aua as be ta. This rider- com«aua mnnee tne Uarnum-lialley downs, who are undlatlagulahod la every way, ssom foolish, its iuuty tor that lonorn hunch or near-comics tho chow pieced the Uanaaiords so far down or they would have loot their soft Jobs this summer. One of tha girls of tne ttannaiord croup is very syrigniiy end a good rider ae well. She works with the star, they dancing around Inside the riding circle when ha to not doing oomedy. Borne of the ac rob atic corned Is as who thlak they arc doing something funny In taklag a sup from a table to the stage ought to see this Hauiuuord uotnedian do me same thing, but doing It from the back of a horee to tne ground. The Henna ford act Is so far and away the star turn of the big •bow this nothing else la It oomparee. The other alagle arena feature la v Leltsel, aa aerial aut, who Ova Taaguays away up high, oaa do all sorts of omnaaUo tricks, and baa been ha vaudeville, where she was a star performer aa aba la with this troupe. Early la tho performaooo a single trspese arusi uoiuing tne ceuier position brought con- siderable attention to himself by hie export and daring work oa tho ewlaglag trapeae, Using toe aad heel holds while nuking slant swinge, lie wsa uaprcgramed, but may nave been Clurlle Slogrlat. Blcgrlst also did a high Jumping stunt that eeems new for him. MacAleavey la another high lumper in the aame display, which alao iacJcdee a couple of Chlaeec acu broken Into three nana, each doing tne Laminar Cnineee Juagiuig and acro- batics. 8iegrlst aad MaeAJeavcy each Jump ever a hone of about IS baada, and for a hmah omcu go Into .an e&nauaUon Jump, leaping over a succession of ebalra placed closely together. They appear to waste them- selves m tnte latter olt twice dally. It will only wear them to a skeleton, aad will never get wnat it deeervea besides. Solomon, the man-monk, to there, alao a real chimp, "Prince," which does a horlsoatal bar act, ths chimp following the man. Solo- mon gives aa excellent imperaonatlon, but the layout la not good for cither turn. They ehould appear together, or the maa follow tho other. If Solomon will bo little more de- liberate In bio monkish actions ho will hare the actual mimicry more aearly perfect, aa hie make up l» realistic perhape. naturally. The ahow Is opened with aa "Aladdin" pageeat that la well aad seemingly expen- sively coatumed. it runs tnrouga quickly There Is notulng more than the flesh of tho Chinese drees to U. The pageant to fol- lowed by a search of ths freaks, having all kinds, favoring the contrastlag glanu against tbe mldgeU, With ths "What to ltf" aad bis wife In tne procession. Next came the elephant herds, programed this year to be put through their ^ work by women! Arllnc Puller, Albine Hynce and Oraee White, afooney was In tha middle ring nnd wore s white uniform wnloh distinguished blm from the rest, elso took eway from the female effect sought for through the women in the rings and on the program. The herds hsd no now tricks snd msde their ecu short. It was eeld about the Qarden afooney had been teaching the elephanu n bed trick all winter, but he didn't try to put It on ths first performance. At that show also the trainer In the first ring (nearest Madleon avenue—who only worked four aalmnla) gaffed the elephrau altogether too much, aad ss unnecessarily. to programed, and Ruth Badd waa also billed, but did not appear. Tbe show looked ehort of canvasmen. Opening so quickly after starting rehearsal could have aooountod for aaythlag out of the normal routine that occurred the first show. A few things of minor Importunes dM happen, a couple of waiu being particularly notice- able. Other ecu la tbe circus (taken from tbo program) are Prof. Carter lead hie mule), Bradne and Deriiok, Lady Alice's Pets, Wil- llem afoser, The Devenporte, Pear VclylsUkee, 4 IferrlUo Staters, Tbe Stlbona, The Paldroae, 5 Brunos. Pour Comrades, Tho Randowa, Hart Bros., Iteneas aad Areaaa, Tlebor'e Seels, Pallenbers/s Bears, Miss Camay's Beera. Cent Weire Aatoaato, Redrleeoe Brcsw Wolsso Troupe, Ths Millets, Per off Troupe, The Alleys, Burton aad Jones (beomoraag throwers), DoKoca Troupe, Ploeblaal Troupe. ■Ua aad Co*. "f|— Troupe. Beltora Troupe, 81egiiet-811bona, Sis NeapoTlUaa. The eloeest tbe downs got to fssnlsses waa when operating a steam roller. The B-B Circus eeems framed all right If reel war arrives. it seemed ss Tbe wildest riders had an Inning In tbe usual way. to the usual result, snd there were other riders In the rlnge who chewed now end then, passing In the moot casual manner. Some of tbe clowns went Into the rings for one display, tbe finish of which was left to "H. Rlttely," doing tbe Bert Melrose trick. Animals, mostly bears, had another display, and tbe Act Beautiful was split seven waye at another time to occupy all of the centre of tbe arena. This Is a good and probably a cheap act for the ehow. Next to the Hannafords' riding and oomedy came that of Slgnor Bsgonohl, again with ths circus, who got his fun out of tne use of tho Instruction "rider." snd drew the entire at- tention so completely to himself the other two riding sets st the ssms Urns In the rings might ss well hsve been In their dressing rooms. In another display Bird Mlllman wss fee- tured, but It looks ss though Bird Insisted upon it, for she stalled until ell others had left the rings, when she started on her fast work. In this display were Van and Belle, who caught attention with their boom- erang throwlnc They seem to hsve duplicated their act for the circus, ss another couple at the further end did the same thing. Mile. Nadje made something out of her figure, which 20TH CENTURY MAIDS. "The 20th Century Maids," under the direc- tion of the Theatrical Operating Co., present a two-act burlesque, with an attendant pan- tomimic novelty, more or less of a revised edition of the Apache Dance, the whole being entitled "The Aviator." The piece was pro- duced under the direction of John O. Jermon. The show, from a reproduction sUndpolnt, Is entirely adequate In scenic snd costume In- vestiture, snd the cost Is particularly strong on principal men, who handle their portion In n most satisfactory manner. Nine principals nnd a chorus of 18 girls and six msa. Ths male voices strengthen snd give tbe produc- tion the appeernnoo of being a big ehow. Of the women princlpsls Drene Mack, the ftrima donna, aUnds out becauee of ability, ooki and wardrobe. In all of these essen- tlels she Is right up with the procession of prims donnas In ths greater part of tho 12 productions on Brosdwsy. There Is locking, however, a good gingery soubret wtio can put numbers over. Arllne Donnlre sttempu the role that would naturally be designated as that of the soubret, but It Is too large for the girlish costumes she effects. Merle Don la is the third woman principal. She carries s couple of numbers over in the early aectlon, but ahlnea to greateat advanUge In the pan- tomime, where she play* the lead opposite Julee LeBarbe, and la one of the partlee to the acrobatic feature daaco. Jsmes Barton la the principal comedian, sbly assisted by John Barry, the dancing specialty of the two In the first act being one of the features A capable straight to played by Jemea Howell, end tbe Juvenile leed la carried by Walter Morrison, who displays n voice to great advanUge. Two minor rolee tn tbe first part ere played by Arthur Toung end Julee LeBarbe. "The Avtetor" Is divided Into two acts. The action centers sbout the efforts of en Ameri- can confidence man to engineer a fraud by having a pair of Amerlcsn tramps imper- sonate a world famoue aviator end hie me- chanlclan, ao the con man can obtain the money that haa been offered for a flight. The errlval of the real a victor (Arthur Young) leeda to the necceeary complications for fua making. In this scene are ten numbers. In- cluding the opening chorus. The girls make one change of costume, while the six men throughout the ecenes ere In dinner coots. The msnner of suglng the scene resemblee ezsctly the first scene of the long slnoe fsmous "Queen of the Moulin Rouge," even to the use of one of tbe numbers from thet production, which was an Interpolation In the original. The eecond scene Is e steemshlp wharf, with a comedy cross fire tslk that geU laughs. The third scene Is a represenUtlon of tbe Brooklyn Bridge. Two numbers ere presented here, tbe first being e "Broadway" eong led by Mies Msck, end a Bowery number done by the six hoys snd a like number of girls. A little clog attached to this that makee it effective. . Yiie pantomime follows. It Is "The Myster- ies of Ports," and makes an ineffective clos- ing to the first part. There Is something lacking In It for that aectlon of the ahow, al- though the double scene novelty carrlea some little weight, and the cafe scene used to close holds attention. The beet bit In the entire to the pantomimic souse that Barry furnishes In the latter scene. The second half has three comedy bits, Bar- ton doing yeoman service In each. The flret Is a burlesque boxing bout, the eecond the measuring bit with the prima donna, and the third a Roman travesty, ell big leugh get" tcrs. The chorue elso ahowa to better sd- vantsge In tbla section, making any number of cbsnges snd looking smsrt throughout. In- clusive of the op»nln* and cloelna numbers there sre but six In this section, but they ere well pieced snd their popular quality csrrlss them over. The finale. With a single file march across the stage, gives the show a hurrah finish to an entertaining evening. Fred. An act playing the Pelaos for the first time Is "Ths Ueadliuers," with Henry B. Toouier featured. It Is a Lewis * Oordon production, first showing st tbe Fifth Avenue some months ago, then going west on a route that has kept It out of town until sbout now. Its a comedy bare euge act by Aaron Hoffman, suged by Al Lewis. Mr. Toomer and Mr. Lewie seem to have done the most for It. Mr. Toomsr glvee en excellent performance of the hick actor in a vaudeville two-man act, while Mr: Lewie put on the piece very well. It's about Oawn and Dunn, "refined song and dance artists," headlining at Markowlu' Happy Hour theatre. On the same program accord- ing to a three-eheet outside ere "The Olrle from the Morgue" and Joe Miller. Oawn and Dunn rehearse a "goat" gag ouUlce the house, but when appearing upon tbe stage Dunn forgeU tbe point end Oawn, who says be always makes e speech efter the third bow, geU the bird while talking. They sre then canned, but afterwards word Is sent there wae a mistake—it wss Msy Blossom, s soubret, who got the sir. Miss Blossom meeU the couple outside. Her husband Is Dunn. They bed split e few months before because Dunn re- mained out until 12.40, and upon returning homo told hie wife he had been to n spaghetti party. Then comes s reconciliation. Mr. Hoffman has employed about all tho sure fires bare eUge arts have ever had. There are one or two new lines, but there to noth- ing original or novel in tbe turn, It depending solely upon the msnner In which It to played. Certain houses here not seen too many of this type and they will enjoy It. Wrltun tech- nically of the small time, all big time audi- ences will not get sll of it. Marty Wood- ward is Dunn snd Esther Drew the soubret, while the soft part of a euge manager to Uken by Frank Mitchell. Closing the first part were Maud Lambert and Ernest Ball in their spring reunion for vaudeville. Miss Lambert ssng populsr num- bers and Mr. Ball sang his own compositions, besides using a medley of them ao well. Ths set did very well. Miss Lambert changed her clothes three times, once for eech number. In tbe first pert (No. 8) wss "Ths Four Husbands," return engagement. The vocal ensemble sounds Improved and the looks of the turn still bespeaks It. but the oomedy aad the dialog mitigate against the results, be- sides which the act Is running too long, one of 1U first faults. The msln princlpsls ere the eame ae before, Ray Raymond and Flor- ence Bain. Savoy and Brennan had no trouble In securing s hit, following this set. It's the second week for the couple et tbe Palace. Lohse end Sterling opened the ahow, with Joe Cook No. 2. Cook did qulU well until overdoing It Among new matter In bis set Is s ballad, sung by himself, snd also a saxophone, played by him. Bests. PALACE. The Palace haa quite a heavy bill this week, In so far ss a couple of the star turna run very long, making a late performance. Th* Monday attendance was big, albeit nice weather and Holy Week were against a box office showing. May Irwin (New Acts) is the attraction. Miss Trwln appeared second after Intermis- sion snd on this program, next to closing. Merck's Lion closing the show. "Patrla" opened. ALHAMBRA. Two things proved at the Alhambra Monday night. They ere that an acrobatic act with an unusual routine can go Into a bill In the third position and become one of the snpisuse hiU of the evening, and that Jim and Betty Morgan, In second half, In a bouse slightly more intlmsU thsn the Colonial, can clean up a solid success. IncldenUlly the Alhambra wae one of tho best there In some time. It was a ehow thet ran smoothly, beginning with a thrill and culminating with a terrific laugh supplied by Savoy and Brennan. Monday night there were a couple of rows st ths rear vacant. The Hearst-Patbe news weekly opened, the portion of the film thet Is recruiting propa- ganda meeting with an enthusiastic reception, and the flag wave at the flnleh wae tbe olgnal for cheers. Nosck, who opened, ran through six minutes of chslr balancing that brought applause. A brief ennouncement there ere no catchea or fastenera of any sort employed on the apparatus could be made. Noeck trlee to convey tbla by pantomime, but It doee not eeem to drive the Impression home. Lola Wentwortb (Now AcU) seemed e little too good for tbe eecond spot while the audience was still walking In on her. The Rath Brothers In the third spot occu- pied exactly five mlntues, but those five min- utes were enough. They work with sn ease and skill that Instantly * ins the admiration of the audience, and the fact that they run through their feata of strength without sny misses or stalling brings them unlimited applause.. They were one of the genuine blta. Orace Leigh and Dave Jones In "Love Gamblers" were a distinct hit. the work of Jones stsndlng out to edvsnUge. He bes improved to s remarkable extent In the last few years, snd now bids fair to step Asrd on the laurels thst hsve been bestowed on flam Bernard as s crestor of eccentric Oermsn characters. The act was a isugh from start to finish, but Miss Leigh's delivery of lines was faultv st times. Mrs. Thomss Whiff en snd Co. closed the first part, scoring. The Morgsns, opening the second hslf, walked right on after a lengthy Intermission, which gave the audience a chance to get com- fortably seated, and they were there from the start. Sallle Fisher In "Their Cholt Re- hearsal" got the hit of the bill, scoring with "Love Is a Wonderful Thing," a number resurrected efter five years. Then came Savoy and Brennan In the closing spot. "Patrla" finahed. Fred. ROYAL. Hniy w«»V f n the str!*» ? A r»e failed in any visible manner to effect bu«1ne*s. th* nel*h- hood houses rarrylne their usual average at- tendance, with Keith'* Royal getting the breaks on business, posslhlv because of the program which roglatcr^d strlrtly up to big time calibre from beginning to end. There were standees aplenty at the Royal, the houae filling rather early with the "solo out" algn coming into eight before 8 o'clock. And the Royal buslnees waa not accldeutal, beceuse Just serosa the street st Loews National, thoroughly picketed, the attendance wss right up to the normal point. The Royal ahow this week la n genuine treat for tbe Bronxltes for tbe admission fee, carrying a trio of specialties that could in- dividually topline any big time bouse in America. Nan Halperln is given tbe top honors, but Sam and Kitty Morton and Lubowaka could have shouldered the respon- sibility with little worry. The bill opened with the customary Pathe pictorial and through the patriotic vlewa re- ceived a flying start that never loat 1U apeed Frank Le Dent with bis familiar Juggling turn waa In the flret vaudeville spot and went through his routine without a single miss. Le Dent has added some smart comedy to the act, and tbla helped to a degree. He le a good opening turn and waa fully appreciated. Caryl and Plynn, a pianist and male tenor alnger, drew a safe hit with a group of fairly well picked numbers, the tenor cinching the returna with his closing medley. "Hawaiian Butterfly" does not belong In the repertoire for it takee away from the classic impreeslon registered prior to its Introduction. It may be a good song In IU own way, but not for an act of tbla nature. An Irish tenor and a Hawaiian "rag" number don't Jibe well. Otherwise the turn aa played should carry this couple through. Rice snd Werner (New Acta) eame next In order and then followed a hit In Dy«r snd Fay. The billing la deceptive for the third member of the combination, a decidedly pretty girl with a good voice, doea much to aid in its success. Fay's comicalities soon con- nected and the house went through a continual laugh during their stsy. Lubowaka cloaed the flret division of the bill with her daqcLng production, the arrange- ment running a^T>ifie "high" for tbe Royal gathering. They misinterpreted the classic work for comedy and took the edge from what should have been a aure bit The Mortons opened the second half and the Royal crowd greeted them with a hearty wel- come. The appearance of tbe two youngaters at the finale aignaled continual spplauae, snd from that angle the Mortons esrned all hon- ors. Nan Halperln came next and abe, too, went exceptionally well. Tbe Nlcholaa-Nel- aon Troupe, a combination of hoopiata, cloeed the vaudeville section, with "Patrla" In IU customary poaitlon. During Intermission N. C. Oranlund apoke on the strike conditions and favorably im- pressed the bouse. Among tbe rallblrda was Frances White, of Rock and Wblte, having fully recovered from her recent apell of - "nervousness." Wffnn. fifthTvenue. 1 Tbe Fifth Avenue had a middling bill the first half. Some of the acta were new, ethers not, with the stand-by of tbe bouae, Mabel Burke, in illustrated songs still there. It's two yeara Miss Burke has been the ill. eong singer of the theatre. She's ss popular with the audience as the house itself. This week MIsa Burke Is singing "Let's All Be Ameri- cans Now" to an animated picture, and the singer is a riot with It. Of nice personality and owning a voice Miss Burke is the Fifth Avenue'a permanent attraction. Tbe ahow opened with the White Trio, two men and a woman on tbe rings. They did some good tricks In tbat line and would heve a better effect If working In a semi-light throughout, as all sre dressed In wblte with wblte appsrstus. The principal male member does one remsrksble lifting trick. Mllllngton and Paull (New Acta) were next, followed by HIU and Ackerman, the comedy acrobeta. Hill snd Ackerman are the first bumpetl set to hold tslk. but they hsve gotten so fsr away from the Rice and Prevost Ides the turn can't be ao classed. It'e a pure comedy act, and with but little change le going to be s corking good one, good enough for any bill. The woman In the turn suffered from a bad cold Monday night. 8be Is Important and works well Little things In the act show the men sre giving It considerable thought and they are certainly building up a very laughable turn. Their wire acrobatic finish got them roars of laughter. After Ml«e Burke and the pictorial weekly were Beatrice McKenzle and Co. (New Acta), followed by Charles Howard and Co. In How- ard's usual act minus the dancing finish. Mr, Howard could Improve upon his straight man. The girl seems to get over, on looks and work. Winston, Rosen and De Msr (New Acts) were next, then the Bowman Brothers, with their blackface comedv and alnglne, one of the Bowmana stating he Is the originator of black- ing up before an audience. He gets under the cork very quickly. The couple went to a big finish singing, and the comedian previously had rotten lsugh* with his quiet methods. Horllk's Russian Dancers closed. . 8ime. AMERICAN ROOF. The American show the first half was one of the oddest that house has ever hsd. Tbe predominating feature was the number of turns whleh dealt with the Inner workings of «hnw business, three set* helne devoted en- tirely or in pert to s certsln phase of theatre ]\r» From wpn^rel «nncnr , »nr»" the sudlenee enjoyed the Idea, but It waa served up In too laere a otiantlty to r«ener »t>^ K« s t returns.. Jaek Onrl, e Juggler, opened. He Is a' Jueeler alone nrlelnnl lines His work Is c»«»nn cut and routined In a snappy manner. Morris and Braun. two alrls. In "A Pro- fpqotonsl Trvout," a dr*e«1n* room skit with sones. were No. 3. The glrK both of whom are large, hsve a goodly amount of person- continued on page 80.)