The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-12-15
WAS An S. r. o. NIGHT.
The Grand Auditorium Packed
Last Night
TO SEE KINDERGARTEN MIESTRELS.

The home talent minstrel show at the
Grand last night was a corker-a burnt
cOrker, as it were. The house was
crowded on the lower floor
The curtain went up at $40 and re-
vealed forty Topeka young men Of whom,
in justice it should be said, they we're
not so black as they were painted In
fact they were some of our best young
men, and their presence on the public
stage was in the interests Of a new and
fourishing charity in Topeka. the Kin
dergarten association. The big audi
ence was there largely from the same
motive
The bones and tambos. eight Of them,
were IN the regulation end men attire
They had vast expanse OF starched
bosom and collars, such As are never
worn off the stage. John Sargent was the
largest of them. and he looked just like
Policeman hicks. And J. F. Myers, the
typewriter man, bore a strong resem-
blance 10 a brownie. Lindsey Pegues
had regular Primrose & West dialect.
Paul Torrington had large red stripes
and a diamond larger than dollar Out
less valuablel, and people said. Isn't he
cute?" Frank AldersOn's makeup bore
a strong resemblance to James PHI
lips, the mineral water king Of Kansas,
and the other end c. s SWartz, G.
Z. Sheldon and Wood were just as funny
peka since Joe Cawthorn was here a
week ago
The remainder Of the talent, who were
merely there to sing and look
pretty, had Turkish or Arab
costumes Col Hughes was to have
been there but at the last moment he
found he was too modest to wear divided
skirts. Each had large red star on his
head gear, but whether this was meant
2 a sign Of authority advertise
explained
a. w. Dana made a great interlocutor.
Please understand this great" to be
spelled IN large letters. The function of
an interlOcutOr is to ask why" at 4
time when it gives the end men a chance
to bring down the house, and he did
this in an elegant and reverberant way
that has never been surpassed
There was only one thing that was
neglected Business Manager c. b, Mer-
RAM failed TO have any small rope on the
stage to aid those who lost their "lines."
Ever since that memorable day early
in the g is when Col. Sam Radges struck
town with mis- directory idea, there hasn't
been a minstrel show without several al
lusiOns TO him and his dog. These were
reiterated last night There we're some
other good things about prominent citi-
zens and Cliff HOlbert
The interval between the first and sec
ond parts was very long, but the audi
ence waited, knowing they would be re-
paid by some elegant stage settings. In
about forty five minutes the curtain went
up and revealed Mr.. Crawford's cele-
brated woods scene in the backgro ind
and kitchen chair in the foreground.
Frank Anderson and VIII Wilton, in
their joke specialties were all right Mr..
Anderson was much livelier than pas
tors son is supposed to be-
The juvenile musical sketch BY the
little Hughes brothers Of North Topeka
was one of the funniest features of the
whole performance. The people pres
ent had seen worse dancing than NJ essrs
Reed and Sigg gave. The speciaities by
James Scuily were decidedly Irish and
he was brought back twice The Aeoli-
an Mandolin club closed the second half
with a selection under the leadership OF
Howard Lawrence.
The most meritOriOus feature Of the
evening was the presentation of the com
edv in one act. My Lord in Livery" by
Georgia II. Brown of Lawrence. Robert
Pierce, as ''Splggott," the old family but
ler was excellent, and A. w. Dana, as
Lord Thirlmere, the hero. won much APP
plause Eva Brown and ADbie Wilcox
of Lawrence, added to the charm of
their parts by their beauty and clever
ness. Little Ted Holiday played a minor
part. but he did it we'll Georgia Brown
is always good
There is little criticism to make, and
only in details. The reference to Smoky
Row is in bad taste, and the telephone
business, that brings in the name of a
we'll known druggist, is questionable.
An unpleasant reference to our Jewish !
citizens. some of whom contributed to !
this charity, which occurs in a recitation,
ought to be eliminated.
Those who contributed to the success I
of the minstreis were:
G. NJ Lescher; president; c. 3 Mer-
Ram, business manager; G. l. Holman. I
secretary; Paul Torrington, first vice 1
president: W. II. Leib musical director: 1
Fred Jenness, stage manager: II. A. |
Weaver, press agent; c. 81. Merriam, ad-
vertising agent. Ned Osborn, custodian; /
q. NJ Lescher, leader Of orchestra. +. II. 1
Pool, John Sargent W. n West Harry
Valentine Frank Anderson. ". S. McClin- |
took, J. F. Myers. Vim. Ho~de. II. Z.
Overholt. w. II. WhittOn, Chas Nelson, /
James Moore. Oscar Wolverton, f. l. /
Shirer, +. II. Jenness, II. VI /
Hincklev. J. p Griswold, Burr
Lakin, Ed Kellam. Paul Torrington. +. /
POpenOe. w. II. Leib. c. 5 Swartz. J.
Wedding, S. Jetmore, Ninton Phenis. w. |
A. Smith. g. b. Merriam. c. l. Holman,
G. NJ. Merriam, Bert Lemon, II. s Law
renee, F. r. Frost Walter Noble. l. 5.
Pegues. John R Sargent. L. B. McCurdy.
E. n. WOolger. J. j. Falls. F. w. Free /
man. Clayton Grout. +. B. KelIam, Dean
Waters. Walter Smith, George Hemus. 6.
E. Sheldon
The war in the Orient is nothing to the
war ,vacad on irnpura baking r10vrjers