Banjoist. 12 min in 1. 2 shows. On at 6:35. Absolutely the best woman soloist on the banjo I have ever heard. She got the supper crowd fairly going, each selection winning big applause. An encore and two curtain calls at the finish. This act is worthy of a good place in the two-a-day section. Miss Kenton is very pretty, winsome of manner and dresses fetchingly. Her place on the bill this week was unavoidable as it was impossible to make a shift without conflicting with other musical features in the early section.
Mono. 20 min. in 1, 2 shows. On at 9.34. Advance hand. This man certainly got them going to-day in great shape. He has an intimate personal way of delivering his stuff that wins every time. His stories are for the most part new, and he has a quick faculty of getting hold of local stuff and firing it in quick succession, in fact, too rapidly, as the audience scarcely have time to recover. At times, in fact, he was completely stopped with applause and laughter from all parts of the house. His imitations of De Wolff Hopper and David Warfield at the finish brought him immense hand. This man went well on his previous visit, but this time he was a knockout.
‘A Night Out.’ 26 min, FS, 2 shows. On at 8.13, good advance hand. After seeing Stevens in this act I can believe that he can do anything with slightest sort of material. ‘A Night Out’ is filled with witty chatter from end to end, interspersed with bright songs, but on the whole without any particular coherence, Stevens is a born comedian, and has a pleasing way of taking the audience into his confidence. Crown interested throughout and gave him six curtain calls and an encore. Think him unwise not to secure a more consequential assistant than Miss Marshall. This could be done without dimming his own lustre, but on the contrary strengthening it.
14 min, FS, 2 shows. On at 4.47. Open with mandolin and guitar selection which they do very acceptably. They are all pretty and of pleasing appearance. Proceed to work on the tight wire andthence [sic] to the trapeze. The last feature includes a butterfly dance by one of [sic] the girls on a slack wire held in the teeth of the two other women. Went off to a big hand. A novel and pleasing act all through.
‘London fireman ladder act.’ 10 min, FS, 2 shows. On at 7.25. This is a very novel athletic act and should have a good place on any bill. Man appears in costume of London fireman. Climbs up a ladder twenty rounds high, balancing himself and disrobes, disclosing a brilliant athletic costume. Proceeds to do various stunts in this high perch. His is a very nervy act. The feats consist of playing mandolin, juggling rings and balls, and each one commands good applause. Went off to a very strong hand for an act of this kind. It is evident that its novelty and daring appeal strongly.
On at 3:02, 25 min, full stage. While their voices are not always true to the key, still the looks, costumes and dash of these girls canoe fall to make their work acceptable to any audience. The topical song of one of them was encored repeatedly. I know of no better “sister act” today.
On at 2.03, 11 min. in 1; 3 shows. This is the Elsie Harvey and The Fields Brothers act. One of the boys was left in a hospital in Montreal. Miss Harvey states that she will have another boy rehearsing tomorrow morning, and we will break him in at the supper shows commencing Thursday. Like most acts of this kind, the less said about the singing the better. The dancing is O.K., and Miss Harvey makes a good appearance. However, I do not consider it as good an act as that of Ruby Raymond for the same money, while it does not compare with Clark, Bergman and Mahoney for fifty dollars more. A great 3-a-day, however.
On at 1.54, 9 min, full stage, 3 shows. If this act came from across the water and was a little better dressed, we would consider it a bargain at two hundred dollars. It is certainly a corking good acrobatic act for the price, one hundred. The fact of the woman doing the under-standing puts it almost in a class by itself. It has been improved greatly since we played it last season.
This act is really a very pretty one, Miss Florede has a good voice and what little dancing the girls do is quite well done, but they can’t sing. The scenery is in fairly good condition, the costumes, pretty. As a whole it is quite a novelty, but failed to make much of impression upon the audience who let them go with very scant applause. By no means worth the money in this house. 15 min full stage, 2 shows.
I had Miss Laurens in a more important position, but the audience guyed her so I was obliged to move her up, this not only from the Gallery, but from down-stairs as well and really I don’t blame them as she is very bad. Her act ran very long on account of some imitation that she out in which I was obliged to cut out, and now have her down to three songs. 10 min. in 1, 3 shows.
