In “His Japanese Wife”. Interior in three, 30 min. Miss Bergere carries a number of articicial [sic] flowers, screens, etc. which help make a beautiful setting. This is one of the best sketches we have ever played. Her support is good. I wish we had more artists in vaudeville who are as painstaking in their work as Miss Bergere.
In ‘Christmas on Blackwell Island.’ 18 minutes. This act is going very big. They are compelled to respond to several encores at the close of every act. I consider the singing fully as good as their act of last season and it goes much better with the audience since they cut out the sac-religious parts.
3 shows, 20 minutes, interior. This is not a good act. The little girl is fairly good, the mother does very little, which is not good, and the comedy of the father is very unwholesome. We were compelled to cut out four or five of his principle laughs which he said had never been cut before.
14 minutes, full stage. Special set. I do not consider this act nearly as good as Jewells. While it does not get nearly so much money as the Jewells, I would prefer to play Jewells at the advance figure. The act is only going fair with our patrons.
In one, 14 minutes. This is simply a rapid fire monologue, Mr. Leroy doing most all of the work. Miss Woodford have very little to do which I think is a good thing for the act. Mr. Leroy went very well considering the hard place he had on the bill, following Bloom & Cooper.
20 minutes in one. This act shows moving pictures of a minstrel first part and carry quintette, a leader and a man to operate picture machine. The music is timed with picture. The people work back of the moving picture drop. They do all the talking for the end man and the interlocutor, in fact give an entire part, lasting 20 minutes. This was a big hit with us and the quintette were compelled to take encore in front of their drop at each performance. This act is a novelty and one which I think draws some money.
Palace, 23 minutes. Juggler of Cannon Balls and other light and heavy objects. This is surely a great act-one that makes people talk. I think the one fault with this act is the fact of its being entirely to long. Instead of doing 23 minutes, if he were to cut it to about 13 or 14 minutes I am sure the act would be much more valuable. As it is, the audience tires somewhat. At the close of the act the applause is not nearly so strong as it would be were the act shorter. I have tried to tell Mr. Spadoni this but he seems to think the managers want long acts. However, it is an act that would repeat with us.
The Man with the Hats. 14 minutes. Street in one. Mr. Burch burlesque a melo-drama and the only change he makes to play the different characters is to use a different hat. The act is surely away from all others and goes very well – the idea being one of the best I have seen and in the hands of a better performer than Mr. Burch I think would be a great act.
Full stage-wood, 25 minutes. This act is a surely a novelty in the way of animal acts and could be improved very much. Mr. Watson’s idea of comedy is not good and we were compelled to cut his talking down quite a little. He wanted to do 25 minutes. We cut him down to about 19 and 15 minutes. However, it is going very well and feel sure that with a few weeks work that he will see the necessity of cutting out some of his English comedy.
20 minutes, full stage. Interior. In ‘David Carrick on the Art of Acting.’ I think Mr. Dixey’s sketch is one of the worst that I have ever seen. During the sketch he introduces the very over-done ‘learning to act’ which is done very poorly. If it were not for the ability of Mr. Dixey it would be a pitiful affair. The act is not going with our patrons and I have not heard one word of praise for it during the entire week.
