The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1886-04-28
rHr ENrEnrA1NMESr OF MoNDAr EvEs

The ENrERTAINMENT OF MONDAY Even
ING. - 4
A packed house, early sealed. proved
the impatience of our people os&itnesl
the long promised performance of the
Amateur Comedy Company. If the
young men composing the eompeny had
felt any trepidation in facing an audi'
ence so large and 30 cultivated, their ner
yousness was speedily composed by the
evident hearty sympathy and good ma.
tured aspect of the spectators; and u
these latter had experiences any doubt
of getting the. worth of their money, o.
falling short in their standard of fenjoy-
ment their doubts were very speedily
set at rest by the aplonsb offhe perf6rme1I
who fitted their places with the self-pos'
session of old stagers, andwith the perfec'
ton of trained actors. From the first to
the last it was one sweeping torrent OF
success, in every role undertaken.
The performers billed in tha publish.
ed programme. from excessive mOdesty
wee presa 4.e, did not Jake their paEsz
which were kindly 6llssi by other and
more practical gentlemen.
The appearance presented by the
troupe ranged across the stage recalled
very fnrcibIy the palmy days of negro
minstrelsy, when it burst upon the world
as startling novelty, with its somewhat
uncouLh instruments, its plantation garb,
it's African dialect, its grotesque humor
its broad farce; above all with its simple
quaint, yet exquisitely sweet music.
Driven into .obscurity by too much
repetition. too much imitation, and by
inferior rendition. it is yet capable oil
revival, with the return of the same SEN
sations of novel vet delighted enjoy
ment as when Dan Rice made Jim Crow
the ra.e of the fun loving world, and
when Christie obtained the delighted
ear of majesty, sated with the splendDrs
of European ;r-
And SO we felt, and So We enjoyed
when our minstrel troupe struck, in tones
and style once familiar, the chords % a
long forgotten past; and while the songs
We're new, and some of the jokes also;
the chaSm between the past and the
present was at once bridged over. Mr.
Johnsing and Bon..s and Sambo fell at
once into their accustomed places, and
old scenes went Oh as if they had never
met with lterruption. In truth, the
minstrel play was excellent, full ofspirit,
full of hum"r, full of sparkling wit and
repartee, firing sharp and singing squibs.
making hard and happy hits, sometimes
to be regretted. leaving behind a sting
that will rankle when the laugh is for
gotten.
The music was excellent That is a
weak word to express its excellence. It
Is rare to find in amateur vocaliSm 80
much real excellence of voice, compass.
clearness, truth and expression; rarer
still to find among SO many brought to-
gether rarely SO much of harmony and
mutuality of purpose. And to this was
added very superior execution of instru-
mental pieces,s single or combined, so rich
full, sweet and expressive as did not bur
lesque the claim made in the overture,
that it was by ''Gilmore's Band"
Of course we cannot occupy space to
specify the particulars of programme
the details of which occupied three
hours ia the perfora1assee. Our readers
will agree with us in the impossibi.ity of
doing this, and we leave each one to en-.
Joy by himSelfthe same pleasant recollec-
tions left on our memory. We might
except the admirable stump speech not
by Mr.. D. C.. Waddell. The whole con-
ception of the piece was admirable, the
Characterization perfect, the modes and
manner of the stump speaker inimitable,
the wit fresh and sparkling, and the To-
cal hits hard and telling. Nothing equal
to it has ever been presented on our To-
cal stage.
We cannot leave the subject of the
entertainment without a remark upon
one or two features which are broadly
open to criticism In an occasion of the
kind, among friends with whom kindly
relations are of all things most desirable,
where it is the purpose to amuse. where
it is not the aim to lash folly, or to cas-i-
gate vice, nothing should be said or done
which would leave sting behind. The
shafts of wit launched from behind the
shield of disguise, and aimed at personal
peculiarities that all NAV recognize or
condemn, strike with cruel force the vic
tim who can interpose no defense. The
eyes of all turl uponjhim, the general
laugh is against HIM, and he is the un-
protected target for ridicule, the most ex-
quisitely painful and powerful of all
weapons to most natures,
Again we painfully regretted that the
gentleman who some time since, on oc:
casion in which volunteer talent came
to the use Of charity, rendered "Magda.
lena" with great acceptability, was made
the subject of burlesque. It was thought.
less, but it was unkind. He was a stran-
ger here when he gave his services for
the entertainment of the public. He is
yet stranger to many, though usefully:
engaged in other ways, in the service OF
this section. He was mercilessly expos
ed to ridicule, without the power to pro-
tect himself, and may bear a wound
which after kindness may never be able
to heal.
These amateur entertainments should
be mirth provoking, or they NAV minis.
ter to higher faculties; but they cannot
with hope of existence, deal with Heap.
ons that leave suffering in single heart
1t is not theirs to mingle mirth and mis-
cry in one cup. s'eSs,,
Mr.. Geo. w. Fentress, son of Mr.. T. R,
Fentress, of Raleigh, passed here yester-
law uoorD;Dp IN hic roturn IN hio old