[New Act] Comedy Acrobatic, 10 mins; full stage. Although there is but one man billed, there are two in this act. It is one of those straight-and-clown acrobatic turns along the lines of the old Rice and Prevost act. The clown does a flock of falls all the place, while the straight offers a number of stereotyped turns and twists. It is a small-time opening act.
[New Act] Dancer, 11 mins; one. Nat Burns is a hard shoe dancer who also included some comedy chatter with his stepping. He appears a likely candidate for the small time in an early spot. Both talk and stepping, while not extraordinary, will entertain small-time audiences.
Next to closing the Texas Comedy Four served up some ditties that were satisfactory to the audience. The way that the boys handled the “Memphis Blues” went a long way toward their scoring.
McKay and Ardine held the next-to-closing spot with their former vaudeville offering. George kidded and clowned as usual, a whole lot of his fly stuff getting past the Fifth Avenue buunch [sic]. New touches were “Broadway Rose,” a ballad offered seriously by McKay as an encore. The latter was in a clowning mood for he walked on during the opening of “Going Up,” which closed the show, and after clowning a bit walked off with a tag line.
Stevens and Lovejoy, in a dancing conceit, got over nicely. Both are good steppers and have quite some production, with two special drops and a pretty gold-and-blue cyclorama. The act contains an idea that requires all the scenery to unravel and winds up in a fast dancing double in the full stage set. The dialog is mostly in rhyme and tends to slow up the action considerably between dances. In an effort toward novelty speed has been sacrificed most of the 15 minutes running time being occupied with the rhymed unfolding of the story.
Walter Fenner and Co. in “The Bet,” preceded the picture and, although nothing could be said against the members of the cast, the playlet has not real punch until the conclusion. The title being derived from a bet of $50 which is made whether a girl has a heart or not. He accompanied by one girl companion, enters a supposed slum resort as an aristocratic couple. The story is framed that he has never taken a drink but is about to make a start as a tippler. The conversation is overhead by an underworld women sitting nearby. She jumps up, commanding his not to drink, thereby showing that a woman has a heart. He leaves the room after paying the debt and the fact is revealed that the two girls are friends pulling this bunco scheme whenever they have a sap.
Walsh and Edward, man and woman of very youthful appearance, went over big and they deserved all credit. The couple could be classified as kids, for neither member appears over the voting age. They have a corking good dancing turn, the singing hardly measuring up. The make member sure can step.
Thames Brothers, an acrobatic team in neat white tights did well in the opening spot. The turn is away from the customary acrobatic offering, working slowly with hand to hand tricks, done while atop a specially built platform, the center of which revolved manipulated by the performers.
Menetti and Sedelli, comedy acrobats, opened the show in place of the programmed Mlle Nana. The comic of the pair wore spectacles or at least the shell rims. He pulled many nervy falls, topping them off with a somersault, landing flat on his back. This man also did the table fall at the close.
Ben Smith placed between Miss Wirth and the Masters and Kraft turn, went off to excellent returns. His confidential parlor car chatter drew some laughs though there was a bit too much familiar matter. When he flashed his tenor, however, he had things his own way. His use of “Sweetheart Blues” counted more for the medley worked in. But Smith showed a nifty lyric with “A Union of Our Own,” the lines being based on the labor federation idea.
