9 Mins.; Full Stage. Two men and a woman, the latter exceptionally attractive through neat dressing, offering a routine of fine work with the usual featured semi-sensational finale, in this instance being a leap and pull to a hand-stand, the Orpington’s using but one hand in the experiment instead of two. The understander is very capable in this work. Closing the Alhambra bill, they finished to a filled house with any noticeable deseetations and in these days of late shows, this is quote an accomplishment. They can go the route anywhere at either end of the bill and satisfy.
27 Mins.; One. Clara Palmer and Bobby Barry won their spurs in musical comedy. Their experience in the legitimate is now serving them well in the present turn. Barry in Romeo make up and Miss Palmer as Juliet are supposed to be at a ball. They sing, dance and talk, with stepladder comedy, a burlesque on the balcony scene from “Romeo and Juliet” being given. For the closing Miss Palmer is dressed in an Italian outfit while Barry is in evening clothes. The act runs too long, but they appeared to relish Barry’s fun making immensely. The act will do better when played more. It may depend too much, though, upon the former musical comedy work of both Miss Palmer and Barry.
15 Mins.; One. Florence and Lillian would be enough. Nobody would stand for the inferred “sister stuff” after a single look at them. After that the girls want to hie themselves to a couple of publishing houses and get new songs, then get someone to arrange for them a routine, and they will, with the aid of some work, evolve a “sister act” that will go right over the small time like a race-horse. The girls are dressing nicely, have good voices, look well, and it seems indeed a shame that they were not properly advised before breaking in. The taller has a rare voice for vaudeville, outside of the regular prima donnas, and the little girl looks, as though she might be a possibility as a comedienne. Just at present she is working straight and it is handicap. A few weeks with some one who could tell them what to do and pick their material would make the girls a contender for better time. They look fresh, and vaudeville is always ready to welcome new faces, if you can back them up with talent, which these girls seem to have.
15 Mins.; One. Sidney Barcy and Frank Farrington are the two leading male players in “The Million Dollar Mystery.” The pair have had little experience on the vaudeville stage, as their present turn shows. They are picture actors and it is to their disadvantage that they have sought vaudeville. Anyone upon seeing them on the boards will never give them the credit they should get for their work in pictures. The act opens with a reel showing the men as they appear in the serial. They receive a note from the management stating they will be cancelled if they do not put in an immediate appearance as the audience is waiting. Some trick photography is used in the dressing of the two men. Their clothes spring to them from places around the room. The picture shows them rushing to the theatre. At this point they appear n the stage and the few real picture fans present on the roof Monday night (not many, or they would have been downstairs) let forth some applause. The two men stood upon the stage in an assumed dazed manner and questioned each other what they should do. Bracy told Farrington nearly lost his life in one of the last episodes. Then both threw bouquets at themselves with Bracy finally going into a sob recitation, the best thing done. Farrington follows with a burlesque story on his job of villain. This failed to amuse as did many of his antics. Frank may be able to do a number of things before the camera that won’t go over in vaudeville. For the finale the two sing about the “Mystery” and they make a hasty exit, to return for a last attempt at comedy by Farrington. It is a freak act and the names should bring business in the houses where the picture has been playing. The turn is running too long, opening.
18 Mins.; Full Stage. Two women and a man are the principals in this sketch of the popular melodramatic heart-interest type that always goes over in the smaller houses. There is the deserted wife who is left with a baby; the comedy Irish woman (in this particular case the usual janitress and the foreigner, an Italian second-hand furniture dealer) always the one engaged to the comedy character woman. Deserted wife is bewailing her solitary and destitute fate when janitress enters. “baby will die because I have not the money to buy milk to feed him.: is the speech, and then there is nothing for the C.C.W. to do except steal the milk from the dumb-waiter and obtain the good will of those in front of a laugh or two. The Y.D.W. then relates the tale of her early life and also shows how she was brought to her present plight and then C.C.W. again comes to the front and offers her a home. The man enters the scene accompanied by the C.C.W. He is to buy the furniture from the Y.D.W. is willing to marry him and she exists to change to wedding gown. In the meantime Y.D.W. returns and discovers that the man is her uncle and there is a clinch and the C.C.W. walks in on it, explanations follow and a comedy finish. The act is small timey from start to finish and the role of the Young Deserted Wife is poorly played.
10 Mins.; Two. These two girls announce themselves as appearing in “A Professional Tryout.” They sing published numbers and work in “two” with a couple of dresses hanging on the back wall of a supposed dressing-room. The stout girl is on the June Mills type and puts her songs over in much the same manager. Her partner is a slim person, and sings rather listlessly. The big girl has a change to put the turn over, but title might as well go out, for it is useless. They just sing, that’s all.
Castor’s Minstrels, an artistically produced singing and dancing act, attracted attention with its costuming from the start and held ‘em all the way with a succession of fast specialties.
[New Act] songs, 14 mins; one. A man and woman team, with piano and songs, the man playing the instrument. The woman attempts to deceive the audience into the belief she is a female impersonator, or it seems that way from her remarks, but if she succeeded it made no difference.
It’s a small time mixed double with songs. The pianist plays a solo. Among the songs sung by the woman in “Little Cottage.” At the American it was placed to open after intermission, appearing without a silk curtain it carries. That may help some in the No. 4 small time position.
A familiar turn in the second part were Robert Henry Hodge and Co. in “Bill Blithers Lawyer.” The act played the 5th Avenue last week and is now started over the Loew time. It’s a laugh maker, with Mr. Hodge’s rural attorney the central figure together with his work, and will do much better in a theatre proper than it did on the roof, though it passed there.
The Weiss Troupe (from the circus) in No. 2 had a bad handicap through being unable to use their long perch. It prevented the roof crowd from securing the real line of the three men, now appearing without a woman and attempting some comedy.
