The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-12-10
TN ivory BLACK.
Iron Cross Minstrels Have
a Great Time at the
Athletic Club
Theatre.
EXCELLENT MUSICAL WORK.
But the InterlocutorY Part Was q
Trife Slow Very FASH
ionable audience.
EXCELLENT MUSICAL WORK.

it"h SAoSS, CouuecteQ Win SCs johns
Free Church, gave minstrel entertain
ment In the theatre of the Jersey City
Athletic Club last evening. Considering
that they were all amateurs, and most Of
them rather young amateurs at that.
their performance was a really good one
One serious drawback to the first part
was the evident stage fright under which
the performers labored. They spoke low
and hesltatlngly, and seemed as though
q Drake was upon them. The audience
had considerable TO do with that, as iE
was at inst cold and unsympathetic But
as the performance proceeded and the
excellent singing had Jhawed the listen
ers somewhat the performers shook of
the restraint under which they appeared
to labor and did some excellenJ work
Ihe curtain rose upon the entire COM
pany dressed in conventional minstrel
costume and singing "Don't you hear
them bells" Mr.. T. w. Reed was the
interlocutor and an excellent one he
made, too. He invited the gentlemen to
be seated and then introduced the four
end men. Messrs. Clair Birch and c. E.
Pollard, bones, and Messrs. Frank O'NeiiI
and Charles S. Morgan, tambos, Just as
professional minstrels do. These four
worthies, dressed in grotesque suits,
bounded on the stage in the most ap-
took their seats with all the flourish and
gusto of professional artists of the burnt
cork. As end men they did their work
we'll. MIR. Birch, who by the way ret
sembled the only Billy Birch OF SauN
francisco fame in Gore respects than
one. was undoubtedly the best negro im-
personator In the circle. His dialect and
general demeanor was more like that of
the conventional negro minstrel
than that of any of the Others
His companions nevertheless were good,
and with their jokes and songs showed
themselves to be young men of more
than ordinary dramatic ability. The
programme was an excellent one, but the
jokes and repartee of the end men
dragged little and appeared TO be
tribe heavy. THIS, in a great measure,
was due to an almost entire absence Of
any localism or topical songs dealing with
purely home subjects.
The chief attraction of a strictly anna
teur minstrel show is an abundance of
hits on local fads. good-natured jokes on
persons known TO the greater part of the
audience, and refined sarcasm upon local
follles both in social and municipal
circles. People GO to an amateur enter
tainment expecting to hear such things.
aud if they do not they are disappointed
and say the show is duh.
EXCELLENT MUSIC.
Whatever might be s i'd OF the dialogue
of last evenings performance, the most
eXacting Gould find little fault with the
mnsic. Ed. L. Cranmer was the director,
and under his Intelligent leadership .1
was excellent. He kept his orchestra we'll
in hand end toned down their playing
so that at no time during the evening
was a singers voice downed by the
orchestra has been so often the case in
thaG same theatre. The choruses and
solos were all of high order, and were
i
them to much more applause than they
received.
The Circle" as the rows of singers and
performers were called as they SAT about
the stage. was composed of Masters Beu-
janin Old, II. Garland, d. Alberts, John
Chavan, E. Birch, George Hess, A. Bar
bier. and Messrs. r. j. Wepb, w. j.
w. Zerwiek, Fl. n. Morgan, Jr.. 6. P.
Shopp. G. w. Smith, r. A. Alnerts. e. L.
Morgan. Y. Banks, E. S. Smith, w. Vree-
land. E. Noltemeyer, George Kern and
+. SouIe.
The performance began with chorus
entitled 1.-The Knights of the Mystic
STAR" by the company. Mr.. Robert j.
Webb. a tenor well known in Jersey
City, sang a sentimental ballad in 3 man
ner which won him an encore. MIR. Frank
O'Neill sang Shout, Brethren and
Sisters. Sing" and Master Benny Old.
leading boy soprano of Trinity, New
York, sang "Hush. Little Girl, Don't
Cry" Charlie Pollard told of The tribu-
laLlons of 1.-The Man Who Wrote Tara
bum-de-ay' SO well that the audience
ciamored for more. and he saug eomtcAl
parody on the popular song, my Love Is
the Man In the Moon" A tenor solo by
Mr.. William }. Machln, Love Is a
was followed by Charlie Morgan's
coTnical parody of Marguerite"
Mr.. e. S. Smith, the first bass of the
Victor Baier Quartette of New York,
sang The Mighty Deep" aud then Clair
Birch sang Susan Brown" Mr.. Birch's
singing aud grotesque contortions fairly
convulsed the audience and il was some
time before they would let him sit down.
The chorus, "Massa's Weduin' Night"
| brought the first part of the entertain
ment to close.
THE BLACK BRIGADE.
The second part opened with a parade
aud drill of the Black Brigade under
command of Captain G. s. Morgan and
| Lieutenants Q. e. Pollard and Clair
Birch. The brigade was composed Of
Henry Brown, Jr., John L. Grice.
| Gerard Crosby. William Higgins,
Irving Underhill, Frank Richardson,
Harry Gurney. Edward I. Morgan,
Archie Douglass, Robert Alberts. George
| Winters, Guy p. Sbopp. Cuarles Voorhis,
| GUWHTu fDUi6It w 1liltu 0ElSbOE alU
Matthew Murphy.
The make up of the dark soldiers, no
two being alike. aud their mauoeuyres
| aud marching were exceedingly funny.
J Mr.. Frank O'Neill appeared next in a
| song and dance and showed himself to
be clever with his feet as we'll as with his
voice. The Victor Baier Quartette, con-
sisting of Messrs Thomas J. Adams, ] :.
| Henry Cartons, Varian Banks and Edgar
| P. Smith gave sketch called pullman
| Porters, (which was highly enjoyed by all
| present. They were heartily encored and
responded with several glees.
! One of the best things of the evening
was the performance OF Henry M. Nor
gan. Jr., who, as an old negro man. sang
aud acted the pstne ic sketch, "The Old
Home Amt What 1t Used to Be-" with
consi lerable dran a ic Skill The Nc
Carthy Brothers, George M. and James
] W., played q mandolin and guitar duet
=, acceptably aud William Erwin did some
excellent whistling.
The entertainment closed with a COM
/ icRl song and dance entitled "The Colored
400 of Jersey City" which was capitally
noue by c. E. Pollard, c. S. Morgan
| Frank O'Neill aud Clair Birch as girls,
and +. w. Reed, G.. w. Smith. W. j.
Machin and II. N. Morgan, Jra as men.