7 Mins.; Full Stage. Ballin has two assets to support his vaudeville presence, i.e., a mandolin and an American flag. He plays the former while standing on one foot, and then with the instrument resting on his shoulder (making both look like a day’s work) and finally atop a table where he lies on his shoulders with feet suspended upward. At the psychological moment (there is one) he blows a small tin whistle and the stage crew pulls the necessary string to bring Old Glory into view, Ballin meanwhile picking a so-called patriotic number on the string, labeled “U.S. Sounds of Peace.” If the number he played goes for peace, those present seemed inclined to favor war. Ballin is either a museum, picture theatre or amateur act. His present routine is impossible.
9 Mins.; Full Stage (exterior).
Three English dancing girls, who dance only. That helps some. Usually dancers find it necessary to sing. There are hard-shoe dancing and high kicking steps in the routine that fitted in on the early spot. The girls dress neatly and put vim into their work.
“True to Nature” 20 Mins.; Five Grant Carpenter has written a comedy playlet for Kathryn Osterman that carries more comedy at the finish than at the commencement. Its title, “True to Nature,” was once employed by Tom Mann. The Carpenter piece is about a divorcee who has attracted a married man to her side. He is a galivanting husband, and when discovered by his latest flame to be married, pleads his wife is an invalid, who forces him to seek congenial companionship of the opposite sex. To assure herself of this, the divorcee, receiving a check for $250, from the “chaser,” buys gowns with it, depositing the receipted bill into his overcoat pocket at his next call. In this way the wife learns of her husband’s latest infatuation, and calls upon the divorcee. A preamble ensures upon the duties of a wife, and the necessities to “hold a husband.” The wife is a dowdy looking creature, in contrast to Mrs. Best (Miss Osterman), the divorcee, elegantly gowned in evening costume. They talk and talk with smart repartee on the wife’s side calling for a repression of injured pride by Mrs. Best, Mr. Smith, the husband, is calling. Mrs. Smith had better slip into the new gown, and follow Mrs. Best’s instructions, which she does, to the consternation of Mr. Smith. He exclaims, “Can this be my Mary?” or something like, when Mrs. Best breaks in saying, “Listen, the biggest chump in the world is the man who finally finds out he has been buying wine for the wrong girl.” The speech seems to make a bigger hit with the audience than with Mr. Smith, for as he leaves the room with his wife, Smith runs back a minute to remark to Mrs. Best, “You are the loveliest woman in the world, and you little devil, I’ll get you yet.” The action starts with the entrance of Mr. Smith (James Kyrle MacCurdy). Mabel Wright plays the wife. The early portion should be edited by a non-interested party, and the husband introduced before ten minutes have elapsed as at present. Miss Osterman carries her role nicely, looks extremely well, and her assistance ably assist her, particularly Mr. Macurdy. The principal and the playing should carry the piece along nicely for one over the circuit. The sure fire of it is its appeal to women everywhere.
9 Mins.; Full Stage. The World’s champion heavyweight announcer, Loney Haskell, introduced the world’s champion lightweight pugilist, Freddie Welsh, to the Hammerstein audience Monday night. One gained his honors by talking and the other by fighting. Both showed how they did it that evening. The Boxing Commission would not permit a sparring exhibition, so Mr. Welsh went through his simpler methods of training as a stage display. These were interesting, including pulley and floor exercises, shadow and dummy boxing. Though a lightweight, Welsh is a slimly built young man, of fair appearance, and did neatly and nicely what little he could do under the limitations imposed. As a stage attraction he should have some value, for the championship, wrested by him from Willie Ritchie, holds much concern to fight fans. There’s no doubt, however, in a long distance or finish contest between Welsh and Haskell Loney could talk him to sleep.
14 Mins.; Full Stage (Cage). In Haveman’s Animals vaudeville has secured an attraction well worth while. A wild animal act of mixed beasts has been seen about on the variety stage for a long time. Hammerstein’s has not held one for years, or in fact, since Haveman last appeared there about eight years ago. This German doesn’t “train” the beasts, he plays with them, going so far as to feed them raw meat while in the cage, feeding three lions, two tigers, two leopards, and two cross-breeds (lions and tigers). When you are familiar and popular enough to give the full-grown kings of the forests a lunch of raw meat while putting them through tricks, it’s about due to the man who does it that he be dubbed the King of Trainers. Maybe it isn’t much of a feat, but it has never been seen before, and there’s no one hanging around this part of the country who wants to try it. Mr. Haveman fondles one of the leopards while it is munching the meat. Others he teases with the food, passing it before their faces, but while pawing for it, they do not leave their positions. At the finish, Haveman stands under the largest tiger, which is on the top of a pedestal and allows it to lap his face and head with its tongue. Other little points of interest are wrestling with a lion, rolling over with three or four of the animals, and allowing a tiger to punch him underneath, the trainer face upwards. Pleasant little pastimes. It’s especially a fine act for children, as an example of superior animal training or mastery hasn’t been touched to date. Haveman starts off with such speed and beyond the usual animal training, the house can’t understand it for a few moments, then everybody is marveling. It is said about the theatre Haveman sleeps with animals. It needn’t be doubted, for from the expert work shown, he will soon have lions and tigers running errands for him.
“Just for Fun” 22 Mins.; One (4); Two (4); One (8); Three (Parlor) (6). A comedian and comedienne from the legitimate, both in vaudeville before as respective features, are now copartners in a travestied mellerdrammer and drama that takes up four periods while the derails are being worked out through the medium of a song to carry a thread of a story. The song is sung in two verses in “one,” while the other periods are the meller effect in “two,” when De Angeles is lashed to a board before a revolving sawmill, and the other during the time in “three” when a “Camille” travesty is used, the finale arriving when Miss Davenport, of large propositions, falls against and upon Mr. De Angelis, much smaller in height and girth. In between is some indiscriminate talk that deals with the action of the farces to follow, also Miss Davenport’s weight and De Angelis’ chances through that. Both principals are accomplished laugh producers in their own field. Together in vaudeville they can continue to amuse the audience, although having followed a very well beaten path in the building up on this act. It is only the art of this couple that could be deepened upon to get across the material they have, but they do, and for the prominence of the “names” in connection with it, may be said to have sufficient. Still the turn could stand condensing, in each period. It needs more speed than now contained. Eighteen minutes at the most would be plenty. When that is done, the De Angelis-Davenport combination if the managers will agree with them on salary, can go over the route once with the present idea.
“One Word Bill” 18 Mins.; Full Stage – Exterior (15); One (3). George Felix and Emily and Clara Barry have a new construction for Mr. Felix’s pantomimic nonsense and the Barry girls’ songs and dances. It is called “One World Bill,” by Junie McCree. The ground work amounts to giving Mr. Felix a reason for being on the stage. He speaks but one word at a time, and that not very often, only in answer to questions by either of the sisters. The act is an exterior, bare stage really, with a fence and a table about the only set pieces in it. Mr. Felix enters behind the fance. He is pantomimically awkward as of yore, and finally clambers over the picket railing, although the opening in the fence is but a few feet away from him. When later discovering that, he climbs back, and re-enters through the gate. The fun of the new turn is all Felix’s as much the same as his former familiar and popular act, in which the Barry girls have been assisting him for a couple of seasons. The newest item in the current number is the closing in “one.” It starts with a “table scene,” Felix as the waiter, and briefly culminates by converting the table and chairs into a comedy taxicab, Mr. Felix as the chauffeur, driving the two young women off. To the audience the trio played as though roughly broken into the new act, but the regulars around the rail Monday afternoon, aware the turn was lately launched, knew that Mr. Felix would improve it in spots with repeated playing. His comedy work is nearly relieved and set off by the Barry girls, who dress well, nicely sing and dance besides handling the dialog necessary for the best effect. It’s Mr. Felix’s fun-making that holds up the turn, however; in fact, would hold up any act he is connected with. He has a field to himself over here in his particular line of work, and he is very funny at it.
14 Mins.; Full Stage, One and Full Stage (Special Settings and Drop). The Golden Troupe has returned to America, after a long absence. When here before they held the lead among Russian dancing acts of numbers, and from their present layout, in routine, work, appearance and costuming, they bid fair to retain that position. The act opens in full stage in a winter scene, Russia presumably, goes into “one” for music on string instruments, then returns to full stage, when the dancing, most important, is gone through. The dancers include a ballet stepper, a young girl, who does her little gracefully before the fast Russian dancers get into action. Of these there are several, with three of the boys proving themselves competitors for all honors in rapid whirling and twirling on their feet. It makes a fast finale, and the act provides plenty of “sight” through the picturesqueness of two changes in costume. Monday afternoon at the Hammerstein’s, after five o’clock, it held the entire house until the end. The Golden Troupe for color, life and class is well worth booking. Opening the second half with the present layout should be its position on all big bills, unless needed to close the first half. Monday afternoon the second set for the act was not hung for some reason. The first set shown is very tasteful.
Reine? Without the question mark is a female impersonator. The query might be placed after his name to keep the house guessing, as he, like most of the female impersonators of present times, does not disclose himself until the finale. Until then a big time audience would wonder what Reine? is doing as a single act. But at the disclosure some applause is gained, as this fellow looks like a girl, has an abundance of “clothes,” and Monday there seemed to be many of his friends in front. He sang three songs, perhaps four. One was something about “Sweet, sweet” or anyway those words were in the chorus. Another number was a “Mermaid.” Reine, with or without the question mark, came from the small time evidently, and will go back there. It will do him good, for this impersonator has a chance if he will or can improve his voice, now too coarse and masculine, without a seeming effort on the singer’s part to soften it. That would be very well if Reine did not use the question mark. He might take a lesson from another act on the same bill that is doing a double-voiced turn. No reason why Reine should not do this also, which would gloss over any vocal defects, and might increase his value, the combination of double voice singing by a female impersonator not yet having been tried on Broadway. But just between us, there are too many female impersonators cropping up. The best only should be given time and that’s not intended as an opening for a bad pun.
13 Mins.; Three (Parlor). Nelusco and Hurley, a boy and girl, are programmed as “Europe’s Versatile Novelty.” Be that as it may as to the “European” portion. Neither speaks during the turn, but on the act and the individuals, it would not be guessed they had arrived from the other side of the bill had not mentioned it. Some palming with cards is first indulged in by the boy, who later does some shadowgraphing, and again goes into magic, having a variation of the very familiar ever-flowing cornucopia or whatever it may be, in this instance a bottomless cabinet, small, drawn up from the floor a few feet and left hanging there. While dressed as a Chinaman Nelusco draws from this flags, birds and flowers. The idea itself that the act should consider this important enough to close with, precludes the possibility of believing it came from Europe. The shadowgraphing had nothing new. The boy and girl have some appearance, but the best thing about the turn for the big time is the Chinese character the boy takes, and that cannot hold it there. It’s a small time turn and apparently has been playing in the wilds. The boy shook hands with himself to the audience when receiving a little applause at the finale. This turn needs more experience, some originality and showmanship. All of it had better be gained on the smaller time before another attempt to put it over in the bigger houses is tried.
