Cowboy Williams and Miss Daisy gave the show a big shove forward with Mr. Williams’ cannon ball catching and bayonet juggling. For a closing trick Williams catches ten cannon balls in eight seconds – actual timing – on his neck, the balls being dropped from the flies at a height of about eight feet. Similar cannon ball stunts have been done before Paul Spadoni, first some 20 years ago, and others, but none have handled the trick in a more daring or showmanlike way than Williams. The team would do well, however, to drop the talk now used or get some real material. Daisy acts as assistant, lending atmosphere to the stage picture through a piquant personality and first-rate singing voice.
De’Lea and Orme are one of those sure-fire small time combinations that couldn’t fall down on the roof if they tried. The woman of the team is a tall, lanky comedienne, who suggests, without imitating wither, both Kate Elinore and Florence Moore, with a dash of Charlotte Greenwood. She’s a natural comic who could raise some little commotion in a $3.50 production just as she did on the Roof Monday night. The man acts as a feeder, and knows his business. With a little brightening and refinement of the material De’Lea and Orme should find the road to the better houses an easy mark.
: 8 Mins.; One. Anges Truesadle hasn’t much of a voice, but she has some wardrobe.
Frank Ward, next to closing, and De’Lea and Orma, No. 3 divided comedy honors. Ward is a real monologist, one of the very few offering a genuine monologue with all his subjects related and delivered with a finish and comedy method second to none on big time. He does novelty encore that’s about an original as any piece of business can possibly be. This is an illustration of the different kinds of dances, but done by means of manikins on ward’s hands, with his fingers showing the dance steps. If the big time don’t capture Mr. Ward the big time will have to stand the onus.
The American Roof is an institution in its way much like Tony Pastor’s was a generation ago. There’s a certain individuality and character about the Roof just as there was about Pastor’s famous old variety house that many a far more modern and pretentious vaudeville theatre might well envy. Like Pastor’s, too, the Roof has a clientele all its own, discriminating, quick to recognize and appreciate talent and charitably disposed towards mediocrity. And to further carry out the parallel the Roof, like Pastor’s has its own way of arranging the sequences of its bills.
11 Mins.; One. The Manhattan Trio appear in opera cloaks or capes and carrying canes. Afterward they wear simple evening dress. It is some appearance when these three boys, graded in size (although their evening dress coats are all of the same length) strut upon the stage, and start to sing. They have a mixed selection of songs, doing their best with “Hats Off to You, Mr. Wilson.” This put them over in an early spot. It’s hard to forget that the trio looked quite nifty with the capes and canes (almost English), and a kindly motive prompts the suggestion that they permit the capes and canes to become a part of the entire turn, not removing them while on the stage.
11 Mins.; One (5); Full Stage (8). Auremia is a female impersonator, who features “The Dance of Death” on the billing matter. This is the finale, a sort of snake dance, without the snake, but incense pots or something like that. The opening number is a song of roses, with the singer carrying some. Another song enters between the first and the dance, after which comes the disclosure that Auremia is a man, who wears nice clothes, that any woman single on the small time would sigh in envy. Female impersonators somehow appear to be more fortunate in procuring more extensive, elaborate and expensive wardrobe than women who merely sing. Perhaps impersonators command much higher salaries. Auremia, although “No. 2” on the Hammerstein bill (an early position this week, as it was the last week), did very well, the somewhat light house present when the disclosure occurred applauding as though wanting to hold up the show. As an impersonator in skirts, Auremia is better than the average.
13 Mins.; Three (Interior; Delf Setting)
Title: It didn’t take Lucy Gillette long Monday night to prove that novelty still abounds in juggling. Here’s a woman of pleasing appearance, acrobatically inclined, and with prodigious strength which she uses without assuming undue masculinity usually manifest in acts requiring display of physical prowess. She registered a solid hit at the Colonia, being a wonderful juggler, steady of eye and quick of hand. Miss Gillette shows no bugly muscles, yet she’s of stocky appearance. She wears a dutch outfit, as also does a man who assists in handling the articles. The setting is also of the Dutch delf scheme. Miss Gillette juggles all sorts of heavy articles on her forehead while spinning plates and basins with her feet and hands. Her routine is varied and pleasing, difficult apparently for even a man, but she gracefully, prettily and smilingly executes each trick to big results. Miss Gillette is one of the vaudeville treats of the season. The big time could use a few more with women of ingenuity and originality.
10 Mins.; One. It could be asked – Why blame it upon Atlantic City? – but from information which should be correct, Smiling Bunny Gray did play in Atlantic City – once, perhaps longer. Maybe she played in vaudeville. The Hammerstein program says she was found on the Boardwalk. That’s rough talk for a program to send over anent a featured attraction in Broadway’s big time vaudeville. And the program calls the young woman without a voice “Similing Bunny Gray.” Bunny didn’t live up to her billing Monday evening. She didn’t smile, but used up four songs, one a ballad, walked carelessly around the stage, some times stepped over the chain almost into the footlights, then stepped back again, not smiling even then, and the most noticeable indications were that bunny wanted to do “nut stuff,” but didn’t know how to go about it. Maybe she wasn’t familiar enough with her surroundings. But if Bunny is drawing a regular vaudeville salary for this week’s work, she can smile at that, although she isn’t apt to remain long in vaudeville. It’s probably back to the cabaret for Bunny, but Bunny won’t care if her listleness in working gives a true line on her hopes and ambitions. “She Sings Songs in Her Own Unique Way,” adds the program.
14 Mins.: One (3); Full Stage (special Set) (11). Gene Hodgkins and Irene Hammond, described as “A Yankee Boy and an English Girl,” do a combination piano and modern dancing act, in a pure white set that is extremely slightly the set occurs after an opening in “one,” when the couple sing a song. It would seem a useless procedure to start the turn in “one” with that set in reserve. During the full stage portion a picture drop is employed to throw a representation of the Blazing White Way on the screen, with the electrics doing the different dance steps. It afterwards shows the dancers before the camera doing the maxixe. They are supposed to come down a short flight of steps, burst through the paper and continue the dance themselves upon the stage. Monday night the drop didn’t take care of itself. A large hole was torn in the top and this ruined the effect of a rather clever stage idea. The couple do a fox trot to a song, the music of which is popular about for the fox dance. In getting away from the familiar two-act and “society dancers” while still remaining both, the act has brought its most value. With the opening in “one” out and both ends of the act proper made more pronounced, Mr. Hodgkins and Miss Hammond should become popular in vaudeville. They have the necessaries.
