Ella Bradna

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Equestrienne. Recently with the Barnum & Bailey show. This act is a novelty and good one of its kind. The only fault to find with it is that it is a little too short, running only about eight minutes. She carries a large padded mat that covers the stage in a circular manner. The pad is an invention of Miss Bradna’s and is really one of the best things of the kind I have ever seen. It is so constructed that the horses can work on it without making any noise and without slipping. She uses two horses in the act and goes through a routine of bareback riding which is nicely done. There is nothing startling about the act, but it has a nice appearance and is a distinct novelty and, I believe, is a good acquisition to the vaudeville field. She has nice costumes and wears them well. In addition to her horses she does a little stunt with some pigeons which I eliminated entirely. It hardly looked in keeping with the rest of her act. It might have been all right in a circus but not in a theatre. 8 minutes full stage.
Source:
University of Iowa, Keith-Albee Vaudeville Collection, Manager Reports, 14 March-21 November 1904