Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-05-01
VAUDEVILLE ON
MONDAY MORNING
Weekly Rehearsal Which Is a Show
in Itself-How the Leader and the
Singers Put Together the Weeks
Entertainment.
BY KENNETH MACGowAN

| TTNHE house was decidedly cold-both in the
i thermometrlc and the theatrical sense An
audience Of one gazed into the glare of a
bunch" light whose bulbs sprayed out from
china reflector up on the stage. Other
wise, no "foots." no curtain, no scenery; just
a welter Of ropes from the gridron, wood
wings" props" and gymnastlo apparatus.
Down where the footlights should have been
mlddle-aged woman In mannish coat sat
sideways on an ordinary kitchen chair say
ing things
Keiths was going through It's regular
Monday morning rehearsal.
Ordinary players lump all their times of
tribulaton into a bunch and go over and
over their lines and scenes and acts In three
or four furious weeks before the FIRST
night" Not 30 with the "two-a-day" Every
week is new production with 1t. Every
week the vaudeville theatres have to put to-
gether their shows and synchronize orohes-
ira and performers. In some ways it's more
fun to watch than the regular performance.
Frank" the Hero
The hero Is the orchestra leader though
sometimes the performers mistake him for
the villain. During the regular show he has
to be ready with tho proper asinine answer
when the comedian leans over and says,
Hello, Frank, how's buslnessr" Therein is
the dark secret Of this hero's tragedy. Mr..
Schrader, who leads Kelth's orchestra, hap
pens to be named Charles
Mr. Schrader has n lot to do. He has to
see that all the bundles of music handed
him by the performers have enough parts to
go round. If they haven't, there may be n
strike. He has to satisfy the technician of
the band-in this case it's the cornetist--
that he can play the music the way the
. 4.
way. Every now and then he has to put in
a full rest or add three measures of "vamp."
And always. ell tho time, he must listen to
everything the singers say. take down all
their cues, remember just where to slam in
the tempo. and make the whole business
come out even ~ times a week.
How They Do 1t
Here Is fair sample of tho way he does
1t with singing and talking team
The lady on the chair is Bonnie Thornton
SO this week. She kisses her husband, Jim"
at every performance and they sing some of
the famous old songs, like annie Rooney"
which he wrote when he was not "the
youngest of the old-timers."
Good morning." says Mrs. Thornton to
Mr. Schraders shirt sleeves. And then,
We've resurrected whole lot of dead
ones"
They're sometimes the best" replies the
courtly leader.
"Well, we couldn't stand out here and sing
grand opera Wasn't 1t awfully hot
yesterday"
Then the orchestra gets a look at the
musc-its first look, The natural advantages
of playing old standbys like annie Rooney"
instead of the usual new stuff "at sight" are
compensated for by some very minute direc-
tions from Mrs. Thornton.
"Now bring us on" says she in the clear
and careful tones of one who Is sending the
office boy out to change a thousand dollar
bill and buy bank. Now bring us on very
forte and loud and die away when we reach
centre Then you don't play a thing till I
say. The title of my song is 1.-THE Same Old
Place. Got that? Then I go over here"
and she gets off the chair for the first
time, land you play just as piano as possi-
BILE for the end. I do some talking after
that, but my next cue to you is Annie
Rooney No matter what I say, that's my |
cue. Do you get me?'
Back of her, things are happening. The |
stage crew have hauled up the big black |
backdrop which the ambidextrous Jap
writes backward and upside down. 1t threat
ems to get tangled up with the rubber tubes
of talking machine which the Jap is test !
ing out as to length and position.
"Anne Rooney" Ad Lib.
But all this time Mrs. Thornton Is singing.
It's "Annie Rooney" in sections, with pauses
to listen to the orchestra and to put II on
the right track, The result is something like
this
She's my sweetheart
I'm her beau,
She's mot too forts)
I'm her Jo
Soon wen
Never to part.
Little Ia little louder, please)..
Is my sweetheart.
There are 10 minutes more of instructions
while the female impersonator stands fdget-
ting behind the bunch light. The principal
results are; after that chorus I generally
come back, and say, Can you stand an
other? All right, that's what I'm here for
Now, Mr.. Cornetst man, come in loud when
I get to When she was sweet sixteen And
when we get to the finish OF the chorus you
can all choke us out as loud as you can Or
they'll get our number"
The female impersonator is solemn and |
AN ANARCHT