It was the Hanson Duo, a man and woman trapeze act, in which the woman hangs head down supporting a trapeze and other apparatus by her hands, on which the man operates. It was conducive to perspiration to see her hanging upside down for a full six minutes.
Clara Theodore Trio started the vaudeville with feats on the rings and trapeze held by the stout woman while suspended on her knees from an upper bar. The ease with which the woman supports her male partners and some good strength stunts drew solid.
Pearson, Newport and Pearson are a couple of exceptionally clever acrobatic dancers, with a girl at the piano. Their stepping is along original lines, and the offering scored a hit.
Thornton Sisters (new Acts) were second and the Camille Trio, a standard knockabout triple bar combination, third. The Camille Trio, three men, affect the grotesque make-ups in a vogue a generation ago. They’re all experienced performers on the bars, and the Roof audience accorded the rough and ready comedy plenty of laughs.
Emile and Jean Nathane in a sterling routine of head to head, hand to hand, and body lift and balances, opened the show. The boys dress neatly and have a distinct style of working which impresses. The understander almost achieves a personality, which is going for some dumb act.
Martin and Moore closed with a likeable sight turn, each gaining attention and a bit of applause from the few who remained to the finish. Besides its effect on the audience the heat also left its mark on the box office attendance being about 35 per cent below par.
[New acts] Acrobats, 7 min; two. Two men in black tights, with gilt laced shoes and gilt belts. Combinations of hand-to-hand lifts. Understander does many of his lifts on his back on the floor. Topmounter does a few plange stands on his fingers from the floor. Understander, bent in half, head down, almost touching the floor, with his hands raised backward, does a new kind of lift, which eventuates into a series of twists and turn combination. Not over strong on showmanship and hence nothing sensational in the turn.
With the audience still yawning the Hippodrome opened its show to a handful of patrons at 11 am with Arthur and Peggy in a wire-walking act in which one of the members does a back somersault wearing heavy riding boots, this being the only feature that awoke the sleepy audience. The female member sang a scotch song – but Lucy Bruch, a tiny miss with bobbed hair and a violin, dressed in a gypsy costume took home some of the honors. She received the attention of the audience and made them like it. Her position on the bill is the only thing that held her back from being a feature attraction.
The Hayatake Bros. in a Japanese acrobatic routine managed to close the show nicely. A full somersault in the Risley work from feet to feet drew big applause. It is unusual trick and worked up with showmanship.
Elizabeth Nelson and the Barry Boys managed to pull down a fair amount of applause for their acrobatic routine, but the straight and blackface work of the boys got but fair returns.
