Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-11-02
BEST ACTS AT THE END
OF NEW oRPHEUM BILL

You begin at the bottom of the
ladder at the Orpheum this week, just
like a captain of industry, and you
eventually reach the sunlight of
felicity. Until after the intermission
there are dark moments enough, but
the conclusion is one blaze of fun.
The last three acts strike sparks, be-
ginning with clever and original Mary
Norman. 1t is none too soon, for our
hopes were burning low.
Les Myosotis, followers, begin pro-
ceedings with their innocent but not
particularly significant revival of
Viennese dance steps. Then comes
Pilu, who looks at you mournfully
from his one good eye as If to say:
I'm sorry for it, old man, but I've
got to do 1t. I'd lots rather worry q
bone about the alley, but Art must
be served" Pilu, as you may have
gathered, is a dog. He is assisted by
q human being who speaks italian
well and says 'be-oo-tiful' in English
in q frenzied way. / suspect the word
is a signal to Pilu, for the latter COM
monty follows 1t up by pulling down
the right number on an ingenious con-
trivance in answer to questions put by
mysterious individuals in the audience.
The program says that Pilu is a mind
reading dog" but during his perform
ance | took the trouble to read his
mind, and we both know better 1t
is PLUS italian master who is the
mind reader. He reads the minds of
the audience before he puts the ques-
tions, ] believe. Be-oo-tiful!
Miss Edna Aug holds over in her
frequently amusing series of typical
characterlzations, and is followed by
James Young, Robert Straus and Miss
Lorayne Osborne in a playlet entitled
"Wanted-a Sister, by Rida Johnson
Young. The sketch exhibits signs of
having been distorted from the original
idea of Brown of Harvard" by the
same author. It's note is that of broad
and even rowdy farce, and somewhere
on the journey from the original au-
thors hands the lines have suffered
the inclusiCs of d few things in the
way of suggestive innuendo that should
bring the Orpheum blue pencil into
NAV. There are elements of improb-
ability in the principal situations, the
most obvious of which are the trousers
legs protruding from under the dress
of the chap who masquerades as a
woman to protect his friends reputa-
tion. Nobody notices a little thing like
that. All three of the players in the
skit act we'll. They deserve a better
vehicle.
Henry Give and Mai Sturgis Walker
continue to excite our laughs with
slight excuse beyond their own sur
passing audacity and the fragile nov
elty of their act of burlesque magic.
Next is Mary Norman. Miss Norman
is a tall woman of original tempera~
ment and an effective method. she
puts on several hats and forthwith
becomes the sort of creature who
would wear each--the rich, grabbed
customer, the bedraggled, fussy shop
per and many others. Each type IS
well portrayed, not overdrawn or
burlesqued. Then comes illustrations
of various dancers, sung in metrlcal'
unrhymed verse assisted by imperson-
alton. Finally this versatile artist re-
spends with the simple story of the
snatching of girl from the slums ana
her subsequent life as Salvation
army worker. The narration was ex-
celient and the inspiring story held
the crowd with a grip unequaled by
anything else on the bill. The sheer
sincerity of the speaker did At.
After these moments of seriousness
It was hard to rouse the crowd to
levity, but the Big City quartet finally
did it. and after many encores gave
way to Ed F. Reynard and his ven
triloquial village. Intricate scenery