The Lightener Sisters-Newton Alexander Revue closed and pleasantly shocked the customers with its lavish costume display, colorful ensembles and Winnie Lightener’s abandoned “nutting.” Newton Alexander has done himself proud with this production of his own authorship and composition and has provided a pleasant addition to the ranks of the rather abundant crop of revue turns extant in these parts of late.
O’Rourke and Adelphi, a couple of saucy misses, found No. 2 easy and might have done more of their piano act songalogue had they desired. Miss O’Rourke, a brunet colleen with a pleasant personality and delivery, advised them she was going to spend her honeymoon in Dixie-land for her opening number, thereafter the house was heartily interested in her further domestic and social affairs. Accordingly she let them in on the secret, “My Family’s Gone Jazz Mad,” whereupon she exited for a change to allow the titian-tinted Miss Adelphi a solo at the ivories. Saucily, naively, almost daringly, she pounded “Manyana,” all the while nonchalantly disregarding a persistently sliding shoulder strap.
Davis and Pelle, two men in an “equilibristic marathon” which consists of a fast six minutes of hand to hand stunts without intervening rest, was No. 1 and started the ball rolling neatly. A couple of feats are regular Rath Bros. thrillers.
John Giuran and La Petite Marguerite, with Shea Vincent at the piano, are one of the finest pairs of dancers doing high class stepping in vaudeville at the present time. Most of the others seem to have, been gobbled up by the musical comedy managers for their shows. Marguerite is a wonderful toe dancer, neat and daintily with case and grace. Then he takes the stage for him inimitable cuts, pirouettes, Russians, Arabesques, splits and back kicks, which raised.
Robert Emmett Keane evidently discovered at the afternoon performance that his stories were a trifle subtle for the Jeffersonites for he told them more slowly than usual and even stopped to explain a couple of them. He broadened them out and stopped to wait until they were assimilated. As a consequence, he registered a neat hit.
With the exception of Mae and Rose Wilton, second turn, the full bill are recognized as seasoned performers. The Wilton girls harmonize vocally with good results, one of them warbles an operatic selection with a flute obbligato, then adjourns to the piano to play an accompaniment to her sister’s fiddling: they sing some more and one does a bit of a toe dance. They were well liked and give every indication of talent, but they could stand for some drilling in the science of stage presence.
Jessie Brown and Effie Weston, third, gave the show the air of a production, with their magnificently costumed sister act. But there’s something more than wardrobe to the act, and everything the girls did landed. Both are good dancers, and they showed a variety of stepping that ran the gamet from a fancy waltz to a modern jazz. Miss Brown’s single, “Come Pay With Me,” a re-write evidently of Anna Held’s famous audience song, and a dancing single by Miss Weston, costumed classily with a scarlet fringed sash and big hat of the same color, pulled down individual scores. Dave Dryer filled in the piano while the girls were changing, singing well written little interludes explaining what was coming next.
Tuscano Brothers, following the Selznick Topical Weekly, gave the show a classy send-off with their battle-axe juggling. There’s a real thrill in the catching and tossing of those double-edged Roman war implements. The Tuscanos dress the act like showmen and work with an easy, sure methods that betokens complete mastery of their difficult line of work.
Joe Morris and Flo Campbell, No. 4, also stopped the show cold, being forced to respond with a speech at the conclusion of their comedy turn, and that after keeping the house in an uproar for 20 minute. Mr. Morris was in great form, and the bag from the upper box never went bet-at the Alhambra.
Smith and Hatch are a colored male pair that have gathered together several songs and a little more talk. The dialog is commonplace with the best laughs coming from the “language” bit. The songs are put over nicely. The “I’m the Guy That Paid the Rent” number used by the stout fellow, could be replaced by something with more comedy. Smith and Hatch should be able to make good as colored entertainers on small time.
