The Washington critic., 1888-03-10
DAYS OF MINSTRELSY.
Interesting Chat With a Burnt Cork
Artist
CID TIME "REMINISCENCES,
Some of the Men who Have Made
Fortunes in the Business.

their lives to the negro minstrel bust
ness than Frank Moran, whose COM
pany has been here this week. Though
now over go years old his acts are as
full Of spontaneous fun as they were
forty years ago, when he made his
debut in cork.
He was refreshing himself with II
fragrant cigar after his evenings
work hchind the footights when
Critic reporter asked him last night to
tell something about his experience in
the minstrel business
"The minstrel business he said,
was very different thing when |
began II from what it is at present
Then the jaw-boncs' were used.
These are the two iaw-boncs of u COW
or horse, and were knocked together in
time to the music. 1t is feature of
the business that has gone entirely out
Of use. But few Of the younger
generation of minstrel lovers even
know what they are.
"Nly first work was with a pair of
these jaw bones in the first part and
singing. An attempt was made some
it was dead failure. They would
now be Kissed of the stage, though
they were once one of the most popu-
lar features of the first part.
THE FIRST PART,
by the way, used to be very diff
fercnt affair before the war from what
it is now. Then every singer used to
play an instrument. Besides the end
mans bones and tambourines the
others played on banjos, guitars, tri-
angles, violins or something of that
kind or else held dummies.
CHANGES OF THE WAR.
"The war made great change in the
business. Variety people, especially
from what would now he called dives
began to travel with minstrel shows,
and the same is going on now. This is
not legitimate minstrelsy. | regard
our show as legitimate. No white
face business, red coats, court dress,
Dutch or Irish turns, or in fact any
thing done in white face can be re
garded aslegitimate minstrelsy. Dock
stader made this innovation. Dock
stader is an example of another kind
of minstrel business that has gone out
flavor. There he is, with a splendid
location, plenty of money to back his
enterprise, and yet has to 90 out on the
road early in the season simply because
people want to see more than one good
man in n show A minstrel show to
succeed has to be combination of
stars. Some people have an idea that
the first part of a minstrel show is not
popular. The truth is that if it was not
for the first part the minstrel busi-
ness would have died long ago."
"What section of the country pays
best for minstrel show ?'
FORTUNES OF MINsTRELs.
"The South, by long odds. In the
South they not only get better prices,
but draw larger houses. Some big
fortunes have been made out of the
minstrel business. Carncross, the
Philadelphian, is the best minstrel
manager in the United States, all be-
cause he knows the business thor
oughly. Nothing is said or done in
his show touching religion or politics,
and besides he has the best man in
the business to write his plays. That
| is Frank Howard. / regard him as
| by far the best producer of minstrel
plays in the country. At Carncross's
the bill is changed every week, local
events are burlesqued and Frank
Howard is without an equal in his
line. Carncross's is the Oldest min
strel band in the United States. 1t
was organized in 1862, and has, with
an interruption of two or three years
been playing continuously ever since
They always stay in Philadelphia
and are one Of the features of the city
"There are, / think, seventeen min
strel bands on the road, outside OF
Carncross's, which is permanently 10
Gated in Philadelphia"
'Is the minstrel business perma
nenCy among amusements!"
A PERMANENT Profession.
Eyes, it will continue to be a gooC
business. Minstrel men all max,
money, and many of them become
very rich if they manage well. Bu
they are jolly whole-souled set, anC
are apt to go carousing around anC
lose their voices, and then, of course
| llul SpOllS llGll'
TIE STANDARD RISING.
"There is constant tendency in the
minstrel business to the employment
of better artists, when they can be oh
tanned. Years ago, before the mod
ern light operas became so prevalent
the minstrel shows had the pick Of
the singers, but many of the best min
strel singers have left the business t.
sing in opera, not always because they
get better money, but because many
of them like il better"
INTRODUCING vARIETY.i
Speaking Of the gradual introduc
tion of variety business into minstre
shows, which the veteran minstre
characterizes as "illegitimate," h'
said: Lydia Thompson's Company
was the first to do negro minstre
business IN white faces These mod
ern variety shows that are now play
ing in first.class theatres, such o
Bunch of Keys 'Evangeline,
'Adonis,' are all taken from the min
strel stage. For instance, Mailit
Lone Fisherman in 'Evangeline' il
taken bodily, business and all, from
the same character which was frs
played by Frank Brewer with the oil
original Virginia Serenaders Compan
in the Chestnut-street Theatre in lSi5
In the old days there We're none o
these shows and the minstrel bushes
had the pick of the best talent, Bu
now there are so many of these CON
| binotiOns on the road that the mir
strel business is more restricted.
EARLY DAYS OF MuNsTRELsY,
"Thc first minstrel company was o
ganized and the first minstrel sho