The Futuristic Revue is a conventional grand opera singing turn. In the old acts of this type there sued to be three and four. In this they have eight. Four women and four men. The singing is mediocre. The three standbys of opera are given quartet from “Rigoletto,” sextet from “Lucia” and Toreador song “Carmen,” none handled over well. Leonardi, a woman violinist of ability if not greatest, as the billing outside the 58th Street stated, played two classical selections, executing each with a fine show of technical skill. The Futuristic Revue has a whole carload of scenery, which some how does not help the singing as much as might be expected. The main trouble is that there isn’t a voice above the ordinary in the act. Operatic music demands real vocal quality or else it is far from pleasant to listen to – and often painful.
Byron and Haig, third with “The Book of Vaudeville,” passed with the familiar singing skit. Betty Byron, who has replaced Miss Jason, does very well with the doubles. She looks cute and adds to the value of the act by her appearance. The grand opera travesty got something and the minuet of grandma’s day also brought good returns.
14 Mins.; One. A little girl who is offering a kid characterization that will fit in nicely on any small time bill. Miss Andrews is a small blonde person, looking exceedingly well in the little pink kiddy dress. She opens with a kid song that gets over nicely and follows this with a number of kid stories. Some are rather old, especially the one that ends with “Come in I tooked it off now,” but the way she tells them gives the little yarns a new sort of atmosphere and they bring laughs. She closed with another song that earned her three bows.
[New Act] Comedy magic, 11 mins; full. Lampinis is assisted by a girl and for the greater part of the act tries for comedy through burlesquing mind reading, etc. His principal straight feature is the Herbert Brooks truck trick which is very well handled. This latter earned a hand for the act. It is a neat small time offering of its kind.
[New Act] Violin, talk and dancing. 12 mins; one. Good little small time comedy offering. These two boys in the act, which is opened by one starting to play the violin off key. He is interrupted by his partner who starts a routine of talk trying to sell something to the audience. It is the old fashioned book idea, but it gets laughs from small timers. The boys later go in for some dancing with rube stuff predominating, Their double dance at the finish sent them away nicely.
Combe and Nevins, with a combination singing and piano turn, put over a routine of songs rather effectively. Whichever it is that does the singing he would do well to keep standing at the piano instead of skipping about the stage while doing the numbers. The skipping detracts and does not lend comedy, if it be aimed in that direction.
Bert Melrose had the women folk in the audience shrieking with his antics prior to the time that he started tipping the tables, and when he arrived at that portion of his act it looked as though a couple of them would pass out of the picture.
In the next position Connelly and Frances proceeded to get the audience laughing with some chatter at the opening, and then carried them along with song. They are a youthful couple, full of pep, and ideal for the pop bills.
[New act] Comedy sketch. 20 mins; full stage. A slapstick vehicle made up of rough clowning without either rhyme more reason. Tommy Allen plays to familiar old style slavey [sic] pretending to run a hotel and roughhouses everybody in sight. There is a lot of pretty shabby matter concerning a half pint flask. The offering might have been taken from a turkey burlesque show. Miss Allen shows a certain knack in getting the rough stuff over to the amusement of her audiences. The 58thStreet crowd liked her.
[New acts] Song, dance, talk. 15 mins; one. Two men as physically spry, but externally aged “hicks.” “Sadie Green, the Village Vamp,” is vocalized for the opening. Crossfire ensues. More or less telling. A dance finish. They wager a postage stamp one could outstep the other to disprove their respective theories the other is physically “all in.” The bet is anted to a bottle of sarsaparilla and the stepping begins. They are showmen, both, and deserve the encouraging returns they earned. This style of act has been seen before and possibility the same duo may have been reviews under another same. Small big and big small time should find plenty of bookings for them.