‘Tough Love,’ termed ‘A Slang Classic.’ Own set in 2, 23 minutes. An act modeled somewhat after those done by William and Ticker, and to a certain degree the young lady’s voice resembles that of Eva Williams, but there the resemblances ceases. The act is amateurish, the talk dull and uninteresting, and it fell dead on the audience to-day, but on the close they received a very fair hand, which I attribute as much to sympathy as to anything else. They will open our show the rest of the week, as in this position they wet blanket everything that follow them. 3 shows.
Kid juggler. Wood in 4, 15 min, 5 min in one. A fair juggling act, helped along by the rapid fire talk with which the young man accompanies it. His fruit-fork-catching act to-day was a farce, he catching but one apple of all that were thrown at him but some were thrown so swiftly that it served to put the audience in unusually good humor and carried him off to a big hand, which was somewhat deadened, however, by the necessity of having him do some work in one. He, however, did some fairly clever acrobatic work and earned a fair hand for this. 3 shows.
Farm landscapers in 4, 13 min, comedy bicycling and bag punching; man working as tramp with a very nice appearing woman in act but little changed from their recent appearances here, but which went exceptionally well to-day, the woman doing the bag punching and doing just about enough to interest and enthuse the audience with the result that they went better than they probably have ever gone in this house before. 3 shows.
Open in drapery in one, then to full stage, 21 minutes. The act opens with four attractive and refined looking girls, two playing clarinets, one flute and one bassoon, the girls being dressed in the pearl gray cap and gown of Vassar College. Their work on these instruments was well received by our audience, interspersed as it is with a little singing; next six girls appear playing saxophone and presenting much of the latest opera music and popular song hits, which were also well received. Then the eight appear clad in the same raiment, four playing cornets and four trombones, working up a strong finish for their ‘Electric Dance,’ which is done in darkened house and stage, and scored an undoubted hit, being frequently interrupted by storms of applause and closing very strong.
School room in 3, 24 min, 9 in one. An act patterned somewhat after that of Al Leech and the Three Rosebuds, save that there are four men doing it, and also similar to the act of the old Manhattan Four. The comedy work, in which each took part, was very strong, the singer above the average, and the dancing unusually good. They earned by far the largest amount of applause, and caused general laughter from a good sized house. It can certainly be classed as a very good three a day act, and fully equal to many two a day shows. 3 shows.
Acrobatics. Two local men, one working straight the other blackface. Garden in 3, 12 minutes. Received a slight reception, and, at the amount paid to them, are no doubt better than many higher priced acts we have had, Payne’s acrobatic work being exceptionally clever. The comedy work just about gets by. It would seem to be a very acceptable act for the circuit at this price, A.R. 3 shows.
C.D.F. 4, 21 minutes. The audience had evidently been waiting for this act, and they were both accorded a grand reception on entering. The first words uttered by Ray were greeted with a scream of laughter, and his gorilla like antics and peculiar Irish speech brought forth general laughter throughout the whole of the act. It might be said to have done all we expected of it, although the applause at the finish was not so hearty and general as we had looked for.
Palace in four, close in one, 19 min, about two minutes in one. Four women and one man playing a variety of stringed instruments and concertinas. Very ordinary music, no part of which seemed to arouse the audience with the possible exception of the harp solo. The work of the two girls on the bells was bad. The act could be wonderfully improved by introduction some brass instruments, if this could be done, and might result in making the act valuable, as the girls are neat appearing and they work rapidly. Received little or no applause on the finish. Two shows.
Palace in 4, 9 mins. Couture’s work was received with frequent outburst of applause, and the comedy of the partner gained a number laughs, though they did not finish strong. The writer has always regarded Couture as a marvelous acrobat, and his work today was fully up to his usual standard, and, I think, was deserving of a more applause than the act received. 3 shows.
35 mins, spec set in 3, man and woman in a sketch ‘The Black Cat.’ A log cabin. Handsome Jack is a miner and the poor little wife chose him instead of Harold Gotmoney. It’s a hard luck story, tearful and pathetic, and the larger part of our audience would rather have stood on Chestnut Street and watch the cars go by. The Ushers on early in the bill gave the audience plenty of hard luck talk for one show. ‘The Black Cat’ is tiresome, heavy and melodramatic – too much as far as our audiences. The bit of comedy there is in the act is swamped by the hard luck.
