Brada & Derrick
min. This has always been classed as one of the best riding acts in vaudeville. It has played here several times and always made good as it did today, giving thorough satisfaction in the closing position.
Sylvester Schaeffer
What a wallop Sylvester Schaeffer was to the Fifth Avenue audience the first half. The versatile performer topped the bill and walked away with the honors with ease, even though he was not his best and seemed rather nervous at times. Placed down in the middle of the show he had no difficulty in holding the attention of the audience, and pulled applause frequently with his various feats. The horses were particularly liked, especially the high school animal.
Pallenberg’s Bears
9 min. a corking animal novelty. The bears do a lot of remarkable tricks and the act held the audience seated right through to the finish. Very showy act and dandy for the closing spot.
Gobert Belling Co.
16 Mins ; Full stage. A foreign animal turn, pretentiously staged and with a comedy foundation that will distinguish it from the average, but in its present state it is far too slow for American vaudeville. Belling and an assistant work in comedy clothes, the latter executing some fine falls. A burlesque bull fight, featured. brings the desired laughs, also a mule with the usual bucking routine, but on the whole the act lacks enough solid comedy sketch. An unnecessary encore took a few minutes and lacked a punch. For this country Mr. Belling will have to accumulate more speed.
Sultan
Sultan, a trained pony, was the opening offering. The girl who is handling the little steed could not be heard beyond the first few rows, and the cueing of the animal with the whip is palpable.
Mlle. La Toy’s Models
Mlle. La Toy’s Models were doomed after that. Anything in the way of a dumb act couldn’t have survived at 11:30. They would have walked out on Barnum’s three rings. The turn deserved better treatment, for the still poses of the dogs are extremely pretty and the effects splendidly set out with clever lighting effects.
Winston’s Sea Lions
Winston’s Sea Lions was No. 3, an act that could have taken the closing position. It’s a vaudeville stage attraction. There has been none like it in the skillful manipulation of the seals as against the humans, two girls in union suited costume. Mr. Winston it is likely who tells the house of the different tricks. He handles himself and the stage nicely. It’s a sure fire novelty act and makes people think how it is possible to so thoroughly synchronic the several seals with the water tricks of the girls.
“Richard The Great.”
16 Mins.; Full Stage. It’s rather a late date for the metropolitan debut of “Richard,” a trained chimp whose routine contains many of the tricks introduced by the predecessors, besides a number of others that look new for a monk. “Richard” opens with the familiar table scene, after he rides a bicycle, roller skates and “walks” a large ball, the latter section being featured. “Richard” also undresses himself and shows more than the average animal intelligence in supervising the erection of his apparatus, used in conjunction with the ball riding. He guides the latter up an incline, over a see-saw and down a flight of steps. “Richard” is a good as the best in his line and much better than the average. He should have arrived with the pilgrim monks. Even now he’s a good attraction, great for the kinds and interesting to the elders.
Haveman’s Animals
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.
Alfred Latell
Alfred Latell, the animal actor followed, announced by James J. Morton. Estell [sic] is like good whiskey, he improves with age. The kiddies in the house just went wild over him, as well as the adults. His partner is growing a little large for her part, but does it well nevertheless.