11 Mins.; One. Bissett and Bestry, dancers, go through their allotted time without singing. The dancing at present is too similar. The solo dancing is the best. Some new steps would put these boys along with the best of the dancing two-acts.
11 Mins.; Full Stage (Curtains). “Danceland.” After giving Rose Dolly and Martin Brown credit for framing their act for a Palace audience, and knowing enough to get away from the hum-drummed “society dances,” also noting that Monday evening at the Palace the somewhat light audience held a considerable portion of their friends, there isn’t a great deal left to be said of this new dancing turn, expecting that it is another instance exhibited where a vaudeville audience will fall easily, if the bunk is delivered right. Mr. Brown has come back from Europe with several ideas new to the American dancer. They are quickly reorganized as belonging to the French dancer. The Russian steps or style Brown affects he has more trouble with. And Brown often articulates “Voila!” after the manner of French acrobats, though confessing Mr. Brown’s garbled version of the French word nearly disguises it. Miss Dolly dances well enough with Brown. She can do that with any good leader. They do a waltz or two, doing their worst with a Spanish effort mainly consisting of foot stamping. The dressing for this is picturesque, what there is to it, but not much clothing is worn by either. Between changes of costume a Pierrot sings the story of the next dance, before the curtain. Many flowers were showered upon the couple. Their friends came early, and remained to see Fanny Brice later on. But the house was not filled by quite a large margin (for the Palace) even with Houdini headlining. Dolly and Brown will gain a reputation for class with this turn, and maybe dancing also. Both are fair dancers in their line, which appears to be classical from this exposition, but when classical dancers are spoken, of there’s a long list to be read off before Rosie Dolly and Martin Brown’s names are reached. The American vaudeville audiences – which have stood and stands for so much in the dancing line that isn’t – will be as easy as they are gullible for this team.
W. Horlick and Sarampa Sisters, formerly Herlick’s Gypsies, have a novel dancing act with a special blue eye, combining the whirlwind gypsy effect with Russian hock steps. They closed with an up-to-date acrobatic tango.
Adams and Robinson, in the deuce spot exchanged a note of songs in the duet key for some effective harmony. One plays the piano and the other dances. The colored men were well received.
Jessie Brown and Effie Weston made a bright spot in the right place with their colorful series of dances and costume changes. They wear a million dollar’s worth of clothes, the value being in graceful designs instead of abundance of materials. The stepping is enlivening and has a wealth of variety for a two-girl combination. Gaps for changes are neatly filled by a pianist in evening dress who has a fragment of rhymed announcement for each succeeding number.
Florence Walton stood in the electric outside, dividing with Miss Gunning. Her two fur wraps, one of real chinchilla and one of ermine fairly screamed of staggering overhead and her diamonds echoed the same thing, the cyclorama drop that furnished the background murmured modest thrift to the extreme of shabbiness. The fact that the offering so emphasized class made this unsightly detail distressingly insistent. Young Allan Faran is a refreshingly manly dancing partner, a relief from the anemic youth of that profession, and the violinist who covers two intervals for Miss Walton’s changes is an artist. However, Miss Walton’s assistants merely furnish a framework for her sartorial orgy Miss Walton herself is put in the shade by her possessions of clothes and baubles. Although she is the same slim, graceful dancer as before.
Elsie Schuyler, assisted by Janet Audrey, who does a maid, followed the mind reader with four restricted number, the best being “Jinx Wedding Bride,” and Bungalow Land.” For the last number Miss Schuyler used a miniature bungalow set showing the newly wed couple in the “Love Apartment.” While Miss Schuyler makes changes Miss Audrey fills in the time with a couple of nifty dances.
Mazie King, the little toe artist, with a cute variety of matter running from her own neat dances to tricky novelties and smatterings of dialog, fared generously.
Conn and Whiting, a two-man dancing combination with a neat hotel set to back up their specialties in the stepping line, opened. They sent the show off to a hurrah.
Brown, Gardner and Barnett opened following the pictorial. The latter held nothing startling, the audience passing it up in anticipation of lights and the opening turn. The dancing of the couple merits praise for their effort rather than their grace. The pianoist scored with the house in his own specialty while the other make the change.
