Jessie Brown and Effie Weston, third, gave the show the air of a production, with their magnificently costumed sister act. But there’s something more than wardrobe to the act, and everything the girls did landed. Both are good dancers, and they showed a variety of stepping that ran the gamet from a fancy waltz to a modern jazz. Miss Brown’s single, “Come Pay With Me,” a re-write evidently of Anna Held’s famous audience song, and a dancing single by Miss Weston, costumed classily with a scarlet fringed sash and big hat of the same color, pulled down individual scores. Dave Dryer filled in the piano while the girls were changing, singing well written little interludes explaining what was coming next.
Tuscano Brothers, following the Selznick Topical Weekly, gave the show a classy send-off with their battle-axe juggling. There’s a real thrill in the catching and tossing of those double-edged Roman war implements. The Tuscanos dress the act like showmen and work with an easy, sure methods that betokens complete mastery of their difficult line of work.
Joe Morris and Flo Campbell, No. 4, also stopped the show cold, being forced to respond with a speech at the conclusion of their comedy turn, and that after keeping the house in an uproar for 20 minute. Mr. Morris was in great form, and the bag from the upper box never went bet-at the Alhambra.
Wilton Sisters, opening after intermission, did their regulation varied turn, the raggy violin and piano stuff putting the girl over solidly. One of the sisters has developed into a first rate comedienne, delivering a comedy speech that held up the show.
Frank Matthews and Ada Ayres, fourth, were a laugh from start to finish with their “Hard Boiled” skit, by George Ryan. The author has collected all of the known “Stingy man” gags and interpolated them, but they’re all so well handled by Matthews and Ayers, the old ones land just as strong as the newer ones.
The LeGrohs, second, one of the classiest of the acrobatic acts in vaudeville, caught up the running and surprised the regulars with the smoothness of their ground tumbling routine. With the LeGrohs it isn’t what they do, it’s how they do it, the real test of showmanship.
Rudinoff, opening, caught a nicely settled house and entertained pleasantly with sketching, shadowgraphing and whistling. Rudinoff does all the familiar shadow stuff, such as “the serenade,” “man smoking,” etc. They ate ‘em all up as if they had never seen ‘em before. Whistling with handkerchief in his mouth, which recalled Marshall Montgomery, sent Rudinoff off to unusual applause for an opening turn.
John Giuran and La Petite Marguerite closed intermission. Giuran’s specialty drew rattling applause and the turn ran through to big appreciation. Marguerite’s jump at the close of the toe dance to a corking feat which started something.
Harry Holman and Co. led the comedy section showing number three with his new “Hard Boiled Hampton.” It’s a champ comedy playlet, by Billy Miller and Stephen G. Champlin, who have provided many sure fire lines. There, too, is a sob on the plot which has the patient young widow of a boy lost in France. In “Hampton” Holman has his best vaudeville characterization and it’s an act which should do service for him for seasons to come. One little detail can be improved on. When the bottles of supposed booze are taken from the grip, they ought to contain something – water will do, because of the colored glass of the bottles. From the front rows, it could be clearly seen that they were empty.
The Wiltons showed showmanship when their musical medley was interrupted by the entrance of a kitten, which couldn’t find the way out and ran back and forth until someone parted the curtain in one entrance and “Krazy” went off. The sisters stopped playing and laughed with the house. There is a rather welcome change to the final encore, the girls now using the popular “Left All Alone Again Blues” from “The Night Boat.”
