Butterfly and the Rose

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11 minutes full stage. 2 ladies. 1 man. Singing of one the ladies fairly acceptable, while the violin selections by the other lady are fairly well done. The act as a whole falls down because the illusion is far from perfect. The racket and noise occasioned by the manipulation of the apparatus is very objectionable being plainly heard in the extreme rear of the theatre. Again the girl in the guise of the butterfly does not float over the heads of the audience as do some acts of this nature; the crane supporting her extends hardly to the orchestra pit, and instead of a smooth rhythmic motion in the flight it is all a series of jumps and jerks thus robbing the act of its real pretensions, the flight of the butterfly. There is much to be done in the way of lubrication of the bearings and other parts of the machinery before a perfect illusion can be attained, and without this, the act falls far short of its advertised intentions.
Source:
University of Iowa, Keith-Albee Vaudeville Collection, Manager Reports, 11 May 1914-1 July 1915