The San Francisco call., 1909-12-20
ROADSHOWP PROVES
A HIT AT ORPHEUM
Singing Amazon on White
Charger Is Pronounced Im=
mense as Spectacle
''Bit of Old Chelsea" introduces
Ida 0'Day, Who Plays a
Flower Girl
By WALTER ANTHONY


The orpheum road show and the ele-
ments batued yesterday. The road show
won. for although it rained. or driz-
zled drearily during the early hours
Of the afternoon. there were enough
vaudeville shoppers to I'll the big Or
pheum. nook and Granny in spite Of
ardor dampening weather. The show
is well balanced ia point Of interest.
and one good turn follows another from
start to the final curtain.
Strangely enough the big feature
act-the one that gets the money and
which is ~headlined" vigorously, was
not the popular success it was expected
10 be. But after all, this frequently
happens in vaudeville. The acts that
get you there are not the acts that
keep you.
La Titcomb is the performer referred
TO- She is declared 70 be the acme
Of female loveiiness, a second Venus,
and that in her the beauty of form
and face dividen finds its personifi-
cation and perfection. More, she
sings, and The Storm" is but a
part of her vocal offerings. Also
she has a pure. white charger Of
Arabian genealogy upon which she does
a serpentine dance. Kew York gave
Ia Titcomb ecstatic approval and
praise.
AMAZONIAN AND USDRkPED
IT develops that La Titcomb is indeed
''beatchous. as Dooley would say. She
IS Amazonian and considerably un-
draped Upon the curtains rising she
Is discovered upon the steed. backed by
flying clouds and confronted with an
orchestratfon which her voice does not
get past AS a Valkyrie she fits the
picture, but not the music
Then follows some disk riding"
wherein her mount travels with spurred
nervousness a slow march upon the
disk which is only three and a half
yards in diameter. Then La Titcomb dis
mounts and sings a song which yes
terday was poorly done, after which
she again mounts the beast and is pro-
vided with La Lou wings wherewith
10 wave a screen against the colored
projections from the stereopticon.
The disk begins 10 revOlve and null
tcOlOred images are patterned on the
white horse and against the white OF
the riders costume. This portion Of
the act becomes the best The electri-
cal effects are dazzling. The curtain
falls with the reliable stars and stripes
pictured on rider and horse. and the
audience applauds vigorously and per
haps periodically AS a singer La Tit
comb viii not do; as an animal trainer
she is good; as a spectacle she is i'm
mense
ARTIST INSPIRES LOVE
"A Bit Of Old Chelsea brings quaint
and sometimes archaic sentiment into
the bill It also introduces Miss Ida
ODay. and that one might almost say.
IS the best thing il does. The one act
y s-r. -,
talents. ] suspect Miss ODay does it
better She is a pretty flower girl
-Saucers" they call her. because her
eyes are so big. She faints on a Lon
don street corner and is carried by Phil
Mcdonald. an artist. TO his room.
The girl revives and the man wants
her 20 go. He is to be married and
shudders to think Of the consequences
III the episode gets noised about in his
circle of artist friends. The girl has
no disposition TO 90. She says she
can't. and does not understand the con-
ventions which Phil would bow to.
Within IS minutes this innocent girl
falls desperately in love with Phil,
learns he is 10 be married. and then
leaves while he sleeps on a couch near
the fire.
PLAYERS WIZ APPLAUSE
The sentimental touch at the close
OF the sketch lights up the entire act
and makes its incon gruitfes good. like
flames from the CRATE which soften and
half iilumine poor pictures on the wall.
Miss ODay Is Winsome and pretty in
hex innocent role and plays the part
with nice attention to detail and re-
gard for contrasts and effects. She was
given an enthusiasts curtain call
Fay. the two Coieys and Fay. supply
an excellent batch Of nonsense, which
ends with some new business efec-
lively done. Their act. and that Of Mae
Melville and Robert Higgins are un-
compromising vaudeville and win big
applause
REAL MONKEYS As ACTORS
"a Night in a Monkey Hall" is given
by a lot Of Junior Charles the frsts.
Monkeys provide 2 vaudeville entertain
ment-real monkeys. I mean. on min
iature stage An orchestra OF monkey
players faces the stage. and the leader,
e tiny simian. beats his baton with
the assurance Of a real director. Then
the curtain goes up and strong man.
an acrobat" and some monkey comedy
is indulged 10 the hilarious delight Of
the audience. The act made an earned
hit yesterday.
Hyman Meyer the man at the
piano has the same act in which he
appeared here before. and his playing
and limitations went well yesterday.
Only two holdover ac1s are retained
from last week and they are both good.
Carl Nobel. ventriloquist and Harry
Fox and the Millership sisters are the
detained entertainers