12 min, drapery in one. This young lady arrived from Detroit at 10:30 Monday night, 10 hours late, and her absence was the cause of a 15-minute wait in the show. Her work was up to expectations, and she made good for all that had been said of her Providence. She has a way of talking and acting her songs, after the style of Edna Wallace Hopper, and although some of the more conservative in the audience might raise objections to her ‘drunk’ song, she possesses the cleverness to carry it artistically.
CDF, 23 minutes, 2 shows, can close 1 – 4 or 5 min. Man and woman in comedy musical act new to me and, I guess, new to this part of the circuit. The woman is rather nice looking and well dressed and simply there to do straight for the man, as she did not play music at all. Man handled his instruments well and showed a good sense of comedy. The act was a distinct hit. The [sic] introduced the old Monroe & Mack potato cutting act and got quite a bit of fun out of it.
Garden 3, 18 min, 3 shows. Juggler whose act in general in familiar to all the other houses, but he has some new billiard ball stuff with a mechanical hat that was new to me and apparently also to the audience for it got them very strongly. I think he is doing a better act in general than he did formerly as he seemed to have gotten over the habit of dropping stuff.
CDF, 15 min, 3 shows. Man and woman, man with a very bad make up of silly kid, woman rather nice looking though she seemed somewhat amateurish. Hanvey was with comedy quartette until recently and sings the songs that he sung with that quartette with a fairly bad tenor voice, but the character of the songs made them go as they wars of the ‘home and Mother’ order. In order to allow his to change from the silly kid to a dress suit for the last song in one, the woman does what she announces as a bit of ragtime but it was only passable. I would not advise the act for other houses until the man gets a make up more befitting his character work. He might pass through with this remedied up about number two or three in the other houses.
Garden 4, 8 min, 3 shows. Very old timey skating act alleged comedy make up. It is so long since we have had a skating act in the house – I think 8 or 9 years – that the falls these fellows made the women laugh. They are not much on fancy skating, but the act went all right here for an opener though I would not advise it for the other cities. They are very cheap and cheesy as to make up.
Good 4, 12 min, 2 shows. Eight men in a camp scene sketch part of which was Gatling gun drill in which they go through the full drill of taking their Gatling gun apart and putting it together with accuracy of movement. The act is a new one to the circuit. As to its value in this town considerable of that was taken away by the work of the Hoosier Zouaves which was at the new house week before last which is a faster and more exciting act. The finish of the act represents an attack on the camp which gives the excuse for grinding out about 100 shots from the Gatling guns, which rather effective.
Street in one, 10 min, 2 shows. Hebrew comedians who have been, in the reports from the other houses, compared very favorably with Yorke & Adams. Their work here today and the results they obtained scarcely showed them as up to that comparison. Their redeeming point being that they are able to sing a little bit better than the usual Hebrew comedian. They scarcely help up this place on the bill this afternoon, but I hope for better results from them tonight, and if I don’t get them I will shove them a little bit up the bill.
Drapery in one, 15 min, 2 shows. This act also is familiar to the circuit and I have seen it go much better in the other houses than it went here today. I think she allows the youngsters too much liberty of action on the stage, and this audience, especially the down stairs portion, seems to be made up considerably of Missourians, and they did not seem to think today that she was showing them. The act went fairly well, but not nearly so well as I expected it. It is just possible that the audience may be a little warmer tonight and they act may go better. I will have a talk with her and trim down the picks a bit.
Palace 3, 10 min, 2 shows. The peculiarity of this act is that I booked it as ‘The Two Lamonts’ and he generously gave me four performers. The work Lamonts, man and woman, is fairly familiar to the circuit. They did their work as well as ever as it was thoroughly appreciated. One of the new people who appeared today is a young man who is about as good a-lightning tumbler as I have ever seen, and he was the hit if the act. I also permitted Lamont here to introduce his little five year old boy who did a couple of little tumbling stunts that captivated the woman folks, and it makes a pleasant little addition to the act. I suppose this will be missed in Boston, Providence and New York, though it might be tried if the act goes there. The act ought to go all over the circuit as it is a good one, especially.
Full stage, 11 min, 2 shows. In their old comedy acrobatic act which will be all right up about 6 or 7 on the bill, as it is a closing act unsuitable for the place. The act is very much overpaid and very rough. The one thing that redeems it being the very little tumbling that one of them introduces into the act.
