Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-19
BONES ANDOLD TAMBO
Some Curious Points About the Way q
Minstrel Show Is Run.

PLENTY or EXPENSIVE INNOVATIONS IN THE Busr-
NEss-sOME or THE THINGS THAT cosT-How A
COMPANY Is COMMUNICATING UP THE JOKES
ORION OF TAMBoURIsE AND BONES.
Little Lord Fauntleroy was fastening on his
faxon curls in front Of long mirror in Brud-
der Bones dressing room. His prinking was
elaborate, perhaps because be realized that the
diminutive British nobleman was a new and
not unimportant addition to the features of
negro minstrelsy. Shortly he would go upon
the stage and recline at the feet of that typi-
cally verbose parsonage, the interlocutor, in
attitudes of studied charm and grace, posing as
contribution to the general gorgeousness OF
the mise-en-scene.
CONSCIOUSNESS WANTED NOW.
"Gorgeousness," said Brudder Bones him
self to STAR reporter, lis what the public de-
fnands in minstrelsy today, and the business is
moving altogether in that direction. The time
has gone by when a stand-up wig and big
square patch on the seat of the pantaloons were
al that was needed in the way of costume Tor
an artist in burnt cork. As substitute 1or
this primitive get-up we have this season. rep
resenting the most utterly swell thing thus lar
attained, the Monte Cristo dress of black satin
with knee breeches, diamond-buckled shoes,
lace trimming and white wig. There Is no
telling how far beyond this the minstrel attire
of the future will go. but something must be
found each year more magnificent than the
last. or patrons will not be satisfied. Nothing
less than eight end men-four with bones and
four with tambourines-is tolerated, and the
musicians, instead of playing In line with the
vocalists and jokers, as formerly, must be In
what we call Shakspearian garb, elevated upon
higher planes behind with the bass viOl player
in the middle distance. 1t is all very artistic,
You see. The vocallsts themselves are In sew
enteenth century court dress, while the dancers
IN the 'Terpsiehoresn Interlude can wear
nothing so correct as cream-coiored satin.
DOUBLING UP.
"But all this must be very costly"
"very much 80. 1t costs big money to run a
minstrel troupe nowadays. Salaries are much
larger than formerly and the number of peo-
pie necessary to make up company is consd-
erably greater. You saw our parade on the
streets this morning. They were quite little
army. The costumes an expense Of no
small importance, too, but we save good deal
by doubling up
''And what is that, pray?'
''Simply that every man we hire is expected
to do at least two things. 1t Is always so IN
every minstrel company. No instrumental per-
former is engaged unless he can play brass
horn in the street parade as well as something
or other else in the first part, serving also in
the orchestra during the rest Of the show. L
myself, and tambourine likewise, must do a
funny act or two, solo, in the course of the pro-
gram, with song or mOnologue, and the vocal
lists are obliged to serve as dancers also, or
otherwise, while the supplementary end
men do plantation sketches and so on. In the
farces that usually conclude the performance
oil hands are apt to be called upon"
ORGANIZING FOR THE SEASON.
show is a minstrel company organized?'
at Is started, say, in August The manager
has made contracts with certain men to form
the nucleus of his company at the close of the
previous season. He writes them to meet him
on such and such a date. let us suppose at
Trenton. \. ]. Meanwhile he has kept his eve
on this performer or that one, and has discov-
cred two or three new ones that he wants. may
be, so that the company he would like is pretty
much arranged in his mind beforehand. He
communicates with all the people, and at the
time appointed they assemble at the rendez-
yOus. theater has been hired for their
hearsals. the understanding being that the
company's hotel bills are to be paid by the
manager, but no salaries until the first public
performance is given, from which event wages
begin. Rehearsals are from 10 o'clock to ], be-
fore dinner; from to 6, after dinner, and from
2 to 9 in the evening. The evening spell Il
usually devoted to the first part-most i'm
portant of all-when the vocal and instru-
mental music is practiced. As for the jokes,
they are not got up in the way that il popu-
larry supposed. II Bones and Tambourine or
ganiZed them in concert they would be too cut
aud dried; and SO it has been found best for
Tambourine to discuss and arrange his own
tests with the midde-man, or interlocutor,
privately, and for Bones to do the same.
Thus, neither end man knows just what the
other is going to say, and scope Is given for
impromptu originality, while the interlocutor,
having the KEY to both ends of the DISCOURSE
is able to control it and bring out all the
points. The middle-man's function Is much
more important one than is commonly i'm
agined"
REHEARsISe THE OTHER PARTS.
"And the other parts of the performance"
Each must have its hour Of rehearsal. The
dancers must 90 to work to form their act.
They have been gathered from various quar-
tiers, and it may be that no two of them know
just the same steps. The dancing master, who
always leads the terpsichorean interlude,
teaches them what he requires and makes them
drill until they move like one man. Then, too,
the funny man who does the song and mono
logue must exercise with the orchestra, so that
his accompaniment shall be just right, with
the breaks in the proper spots. and the poetry
music and the smashes Of the drum, and the
toots of the cornet appropriate. The indis-
pensabie wmd-up Of the first part has 70 be re-
hearsed. as well as the concluding farce, the
plantation sketch, and so on Meantime ward
robes are prepared and new notions for fun
making are thought up. 1t Is wonderful
how little il takes to raise laugh
and You can never tell what Will do
ii. Why, the other day came out on the
stage to sing dude song and carried for the
first time a cane that had made with mir
ror about a foot square on the head. Between
the verses / would gaze into il and curl my
monstache, turning 1t now and then as sang
so a. to throw a CLEAN Of light into the faces of
the audience. / do assure you the people
went into positive Mysteries; they thought it
was so amusing. 1t was nearly as big success
as the paper pinwheel button-hole bouquet
that wore one night recently, which went
around as paraded the footlights. Unfortu-
nately. it got out of order right away and so 1
have not tried il since. But, as L was going to
say. after everything is properly rehearsed and
in readiness the company starts Oh for the city
where the first regular performance is given,
and the season begins. IL lasts thirty-seven to
forty weeks. whereas ordinary dramatic shows
only cover about thirty weeks"
THE PAY OF MISsrRELs.
do the men get well paid?"
avery well, indeed. You see, their hotel
bills as well as railroad fares paid for them,
outside of salaries, while dramatic companies
only get their travelling tickets. A first-class
end man is worth 600 week; vocalists,
dancers and instrume ntal performers fetch
from SIS TO go. In old times minstrels used
to be very dissipated as a class, but now they
are obliged to conform to strict regulations and
keep sober. II man gets drunk once, so that
II interferes with his work, he is fined weeks
a reDetition of he alfonso il followed