The Washington times., 1914-06-21
Roulette Dancing Is
Latest Phase of
Ne1D York
Gdyety
By BEAU RIALTO.

NEW YORK, June 21-The cabaret
Iaager who hasn't a new stunt for
e edification and amusement of his
ssts at least once a week is indeed
'.-e. Sometimes the stunts prove too
3ular to be superseded by another
Thin a week. Such is the case at the
cw York Roof, where such a little
ng as roulette dancing" draws great
Owds nightly.
The New York Roof has its dance
or chalked of into circles just large
.ough for a couple to stand in, pro-
led they stand close together. These
-Cles are numbered. On the wall Is a
Ee wheel divided into as many num-
red segments as there are circles on
e dance noor. While the dance is
/. a whistle suddenly blows The
.. Isic stops. Every couple is supposed
p, Jump INTO a numbered circle. The
. ad waiter at the blast of the whistle
.rts a pointer in the roulette wheel
inning. II, when II stops, il points
a number corresponding to the num-
'or OF the circle on which You stand
u win prize Some of these prizes
e mighty attractive, too. They may
a vanity box, a cigarette case. a
gar holder, or lighter. The scheme
IS proven so popular that dozens of
ance hall managers have stolen the
ca Theft of an idea in this town
proof Of its popularity.
Even in wicked old New York folks
ont stand for everything and any
1lng. The last straw was placed on
complacent camel's overloaded back
hen the plaintiff in a recent breach
T. promise and heart-balm suit against
indiscreet multi-millionaire was
abbed up as a headliner at a local
low house, which for years has de-
r1ded on principals in the sensational
ID sUrdid happenings in the metropolis
its big acts.
or a time this sort of thing got by
e manager practically waited at the
0rs Of breach of promise courts, SEN
iOnsl murder trial court rooms, and
, exits of chambers where lurid d.
rec proceedings were being heard, to
.atch one or more of the principals
Is headliners. After the second Thaw
al the public was given an oppor-
IIty TO give Evelyn Nespit the once
er by this enterprising management.
ter 4 young husband had sued his
10 for divorce for posing for artists
e the altogether this same manage
mt signed up the woman in the case
do series of so-called living pic
. -es. There was absolutely nothing
the act to commend it The woman
ant even have a good figure.
little later a women who had mar |
d the son of an extremely wealthy |
high in exclusive New York and |
e. Tport social circles. sued her youth |
husband for maintenance. When |
woman lost she was taken on" at |
theater. There are dozens of other |
liar cases. The one which finally /
Sened the public. however, was the |
rloyment OF a young woman who re-
.rtly sued a fabulously wealthy man
heaFt-balm because he stopped pay
her some $4,000 a year to keep up
handsome apartments she lived in
Riverside Drive The young woman
al never seen a stage except from the
7!ence side Of the footlights. The
= few nights the usual crowd of
IBID and curious flocked to see the
oman falter and stumble through her
act, hut New York was tired. The
'owds have stopped going.
one doesn't have TO go far 10 find
.asons for the numerous failures that
sre marked the l9l2-13 ana the 1914
atrical seasons, and for the mere
dIocre success that has marked most
the new productions that were not
'gres. The last issue of one of the
theatrical publications Of New
rk-a publication that is the un-
'ial organ Of the vast dramatic in
st here-goes to the length of
~ 400 words to admit that two
rs are chiefly responsible for the
5ent state of affairs in theaterdom-
ley are the movies and the cabarets
q movies are offering really Won
-'Il values" The caliber of the
- who perform for the film con-
les. taken as a whole, has been vast
superior to that of the theater folk
70 have not acted before the camera
to this the ten, twent'. thirt ad-
sions and the fact that the movie
Hence can see more action in less
than the theater audience, and the
"er is easy. But the movies are
doing all OF the value offering.
cabarets are neck-and-neck with
movies when it comes to giving the
payers value received. There are
oxen palatial palaces of eat in this
where you can, by paying a little
for YOUR food, get a mighty en-
hle vaudeville show thrown in.
p toward midnight enters the tan
Te-Dsichore, in which new form ;
- still has little old New York ut her