Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-12

always ready to ego into vaudeville"
list of headlners at present offering one-act plays
dscoses fewer than twenty actors and actresses Of
recognized ability. There Robert EdeSon, Thomas
Wise, Bertha Kalish, Blanche Walsh, and until recently,
there was Nat G. Goodwin, who, truth to tell, drew
big salary less because of his really great hstronc than
because of his matrimonial versatility. Frank Keenan,
Edward Ables, and Maclyn Arbuckle (who has made
hit in Robert Davis clever comedetta "The Wecher)
have been stars within easy recollection and
in vaudeville also Amelia Bingham, w. H.
Thompson, Mabel Taliaferro, Edmund Breese Nora
duces its uminaries too; Cisse LOTUS for example,
and Elsie Janis who did speciality for years before
she was taken up by Charles Dillingham;.
Many of the ceverest entertainers in the world
identified exclusively with the varieties There are
Yvette Gubert, Albert Chevalier Harry Lauder, and
Alice Lloyd each of whom has following as large and
Other players less widely known go round the circuits
year after year. making themselves solid with class of
theatergoers that has to depend upon them for
half an hour of amusement. Cressy and Dayne
among these, Mr. and Mrs. Perkins D. Fisher
Clayton White Carrie de Mar Irene Franklin and Tom
Nawn George Cohan's career began in vaudeville and
who has owed twenty minutes of laughter to his
ability as raconteur will forget the late Ezra
Kendall Such men as Jesse Lasky and Joseph Hart
recognizing the opportunities of the 1.-TWO day." have
made elaborate productions of what really little
musical comedies and have presented them part of
regular variety bills Mr.. Laskys "The Love Waltz"
and "At the Country Club" pretentiously
staged any single act in comic opera
TT not my desire disposition deny the clever
doubt that today the most weared theaergoer could
find a vaudeville bill without two numbers that
would entertain him. The point is that this
seeker would be obliged to take vast quantity of cha
with his wheat to review endless procession of clog
dancers, trick bicyciss wire walkers, trained animals
tramp comedians, acrobats and equibrists before
ing to that part of the program which might interest him.
Most of these llersn notable chiefly for the
inspiring quality of their English and for their persist
ence in performing dangerous feats that when per-
formed, add nothing to the total of human happ
ness, knowledge, pleasure haven't been able to dis
cover why anybody should want to lion stand
its head, gentleman tie his legs in true lovers knot
and shall never understand the public penchant for
hearing "The Anvil Chorus played tin cans since
it can be played so much better on piano. One always
thinks of the wit who being informed enthusiastically
that some stunt or other was "very difficult, replied
Il wish it were impossible.
The worst of the matter is that there being COM
paratively few performers of merit, the people,
doing the things, return again and again to the
same theaters. l remember having team of
comedy acrobas, Rice and Provost times in the
space of single season, at the end of which period
had ceased to laugh uproar1ousy when of the
humorsts fell from table and struck his face violently
the floor In New York. for instance half the turns
at the Victoria this Saturday may be at the Colonial
next Monday that, unless you wish your entertain
ment, like your w1ne well aged you would do well to
make your vaudeville excursions to theater 1t is
too much to expect the average variety performer
change his act more often than in decade, and
then he is likely to retain everything that has been
specially well received. Of course you remember
George AIDES friends, Zoroaster and Zendavesta, who
at the end of five years substituted whiskers for
red and advertised Everything New
The managers certainly doing their best to be rid
of Zoroasters and Zendavestas Their agents search
every capital of Europe for talent and makes
hit in the music halls of London Paris Berlin
without Immediately receiving offer to come to
America Nor there any limit to the figures mentioned
in such offer. The salaries paid, both for imported
and for native talent supposed to have reached
their utmost height in the palmy days of Keith &
Proctor; but they have doubled since Oscar Hammer
stein announced his billboards that he paying
thousand dollars week to Marie Dressler There
a
and two who reputed to receive even more.
AnY number of headliners five hundred dollars