The San Francisco call., 1907-06-30
EH.ENAT INC NAUDEVEL 4. =

WOlfsohn to give recitals on tour, or
] may decide TO resume the work Miss
Easter and / gave up to come here,
We stayed in Chicago all of last sea-
son and were kept busy filling plat
form engagements and singing at
house parties I sang in alienation
with Rudolph CAM piano playing,
and at the home of Fannie Bloom
field-Ziegler-"
"She was warmly complimented by
Madame Schumann-Heink," Miss
Easter glowingly interrupted
"And with such a handicap as that
she actually tries to attain favoritism
in vaudevillep I exclaimed
How bad vaude-villain am II"
plaintively inquired the recipient of
Schumann-H eink's approval
"Ill submit that question TO select
committee OF your local admirers, with
Professor Wolfe as chairman and Paul
Steindorff as secretary" I replied
60" she commanded, "and urge
the committee to report quickly.
What the Invasion Means
Just what Klaw & Erlanger are
doing in the way of revolutionizing
vaudeville was explained by Mr. En-
langer himself the other day to New
York newspaperman.
I'VE shall not conhne ourselves to
any country" he said but shall get
the best in all countries We now
have agents all over Europe and we
shall keep them there permanently
to get the very best novelties for
America, no matter what they may
cost We shall also bring over the
big English vaudeville features.
Instead OF making up the bill each
week, as is now the custom, we shall
have on tour 25 companies which will
remain practically intact during the
entire season. By following this plan
we shall know that an entertainment
opening in any OF the various cities
where we have theaters will contain
no new material that is untried and
that the bill is a good, smoothly run
ming performance That is one of the
principal innovations we shall make.
Every company sent out will be
equipped as completely as regular
organization playing the SO called
legitimate theaters. Each company
VIII have a manager, stage manager
and musical director.
Brighter Entertainments
"In my opinion this system will
make the entertainments brighter and
better; each act will fit into the pro-
gram; It viii have been tried; the
people will have been working to-
gether for months instead of coming
together as strangers every Monday
in short, the opening show will not
be trial performance.
There will be another innovation.
Instead OF having only one headliner
we shall try to have the whole bill
made up Of headliners. We do not
intend to have one big feature, sur
rounded by inferior acts, condition
which is a hardship not only to the
I performer who heads the bill. but a
greater one to the patrons who are
obliged to sit III a theater for two
hours in order to get IS minutes of
real entertainment
Instead of having weak acts, called
/ 'chasers, we intend to have the best
come last and to end the bill with
musical comedy or farce Our vaude-
vile houses will be conducted on
precisely the same principles as our
regular theaters A short farce or
musical comedy will be cast with the
same care that we would give to a
production playing in first class
New York theater."
In Pursuit of Headliners
Mr. Erlanger believes there will be
no difficulty in getting talent to sup
ply the increased number of vaude-
vile theaters, but how 1t will be OBJ
tanned he does not lucidly explain.
Just now President Meyerfeld of the
Orpheum circuit is in Europe book
( ing attractions, and there is no rea-
son for believing that he is not as
we'll equipped financially to get the
best in the market as are the agents
Of Klaw & Erlanger. Headliners are
being hunted by Orpheum representa-
tives on both sides of the Atlantic,
but the supply of performers entitled
10 headline distinction was limited
before Klaw & Erlanger entered the
chase That is why such ultra
refined acts as the Heinrich Easter
chamber entertainment have been
thrust into vaudeville.
Rumor has It that Klaw & Er-
LANCER have already secured control
OA llNdACA IA Ddit L dllNioNO anu
every other city of considerable pop
uiation on this coast, and that their
attractions will be in direct competi-
ton with the Orpheum circuit next
fall. If ali this IS true the patrons of
vaudeville and the performers will
have no reason to complain, and if
Mr. Erlanger is to be believed, there
will be no reason for carping by the
impresarios.
Our vaudeville may not pay as
well as some vaudeville enterprises
are now paying" he said, ''but it will
pay Hammerstein's Victoria theater
brings in more money than any four
first class New York theaters to-
gether, with the possible exception
Of the New Amsterdam and the En-
pire. twenty-five years ago Mr.
Keith started in the vaudeville bust
ness with a freak baby, and short
time ago he refused an offer of
$5,0o0,000 for his interests.
Profits for All Concerned
In all American cities the people
..,Lo a+fand x-a,,daxrfiie oerforr71oucec