17 min. open full stage, close in 1 – A rustic comedy sketch, “Courtin’ in ‘61”, in which both are made up in character, the woman being particularly funny. Both introduce comedy songs that fit the characters and go a bit of eccentric dancing. Some of the man’s monologue is the same as that used by Arthur Sidman, and more of it is stolen from Ezra Kendall. Act a capital one for early part of the show here, and in some placed I can easily understand its scoring a big laughing hit. It is certainly above the average of such acts.
11 min. in 1 – In comedy, singing and dancing specialties. The little chap makes up as the usual monkey faced Irishman of the varieties, but has no dialect and is only funny by spasms. The girl poor all around. Act just about passable for an opening place in the bill here. Kicked on place in bill, alleging had been promised orchestra.
2 shows – 12 min. in one – She had hard work to get a hand. She had a difficult place on the bill and could not make good. Her hair was not becomingly arranged; she was dressed in very poor taste, and she made hardly any impression on the audience. Her name is a drawing card; but she has gone backward since her serious illness and is not at all the artiste she used to be.
2 shows – 28 min. – Assisted by a man, in a sketch, entitled “Election Bets.” They have had many better sketches. However, this is a good comedy sketch that was fairly well received, but it created no great enthusiasm and was hardly strong enough for a headliner. It could not hold them at 4.30.
2 shows – 30 min. – Open with black art; then in one; close with spec. Set for water trick – They open with their old black art, which, or course, has been worked to death for years. The second part the girl does a few tricks in one, some of which are cleverly and others clumsily presented. The act closes with the well known water trio. The audience was much interested in Ten Inchi’s thumb trick; but aside from that, the act did not go strongly and did not receive the applause anticipated.
Man and woman, in a talking, singing, and dancing act; went much better than we had anticipated, from previous criticisms. It is very lively and the man has a couple of good parodies. The feature of the act is the endurance dance of Miss Wright; but the whole act went strongly with our audience and was liberally applauded.
Man and woman, in a sketch, entitled “A Honeymoon in the Catskills.” In capable hands this would be a good sketch. As it is, the man looks and acts like the champion welter weight of the East Side. The woman is not natural and inclined to be affected.
Woman in white on a revolving globe, using full stage, with a dark back ground and depending on light effects and pictures of national celebreties [sic] thrown from the stereopticon on “Fluttering white wings,” after the style of Onri. The act is a very ordinary sort of an affair and deserves no better place than it gets.
I am of the same opinion as that of every one else who has seen it on the circuit. It is a direct attempt to copy Farham and Hubbard, and is a lamentable failure from that standpoint. They manage to keep their audience fairly well interested while they are on, but that is about all. 12 minutes open in full stage, and close in one.
Black face comedian. John is as reliable as he ever was, and in a bad place on the bill and only a few people in the audience he managed to hold his own. I think that he is about one of the surest propositions in the business so far as holding the audience is concerned. I know that he would go strong in a better place on the bill, and he gets a much better place in the night show, but he is so sure of entertaining the people when there is a small house that the temptation to use him at that time is almost irresistible. 12 minutes in one.
