The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-27
AT THE THEATERS.

|
IL Is quite proper that the reminiscential
ones should have something to talk about. Il
is Inelr province. But the fact is that peo-
PIE VINO go to the theaters in these days
want things up to date, and AL G. Field is
ADVISED OF the fact He brought to the Met
Iopolltan opera house yesterday rather the
pest up-to-date minstrel show that has been
seen In st. Paul. The show is clean, the
people are clever and the stage management
ana direction are quite unexceptionable.
MT. Field calls his show Ministries and
Utopia. 1t is by no means utopian in the
iuaICer OF minstrelsy, for it realizes all
that is good in the minstrel line. at two per-
formances yesterday crowded houses laughed
themselves into a state Of hilarity and the
snow was distinct hit. The first part is
conventional, in that il is the lines
oI real m1nstreisy. A number of good sing
ers sang and a number of jokes were told
ana neither the songs nor the jokes were
musty Dan Quinlan, one of the best inter
locutors in the country, was in the middle
The setting of the first part is clever, and
hhakes picture that is agreeable Will
WaIhngs song, Sweetheart, Why Did You
Leave Me, was beautifully sung and elected
an encore; w. j. Norton has a magnificent
bass voice, which he displayed effectively
IN The Bandits Love Song" Harry Shell
oon mas sweet tenor voice, which he used
10 advantage in the singing of The Old
church Bell, in which the remarkably clever
chorus capacity of the company was developed
Lew Suiy Is always entertaining, and he
picked out a good thing in "Sinee the Coons
have Learned the Ootchie Kootchie Dance, -
ana was repeatedly encored. AL Field was
very funny In his end work
In the olio Young opened with what was
certainly the best cub-swinging turn that has
been seen in the city. Eddie Fox played on
beautifully toned fiddle number of selec-
tons that proved him master Of his instru-
ment and he was accorded three distinct
encore5 His number was one Of the most
enjoyable OF the show. Bogart and O'Brien
did strictly original musical turn. 1t is
not easy to pick out a new thing in musical
moke work, but Mr.. OBrien is beyond ques-
ton clever and funny. His comedy work Is
suggestive OF Luke Schoolcraft, and kept the
audience in roars. VIII Barber did things
Win bicycle that the machine never was
| made for doing. His riding and tricks were
marvellous and elected repeated rounds OF
applause. The performance was closed with
musical oddly entitled ga Night in Utopia, -
| Whlch served to keep the spectators in roars
| Tor a half-hour. The show is by all odds the
! Dest tnat has been seen here, of its class
| 1t should draw for the balance of the engage
ment, which will close Saturday night. The
usual Saturday matinee will be given.
Onder another name the Fisk Jubilee Sing
| ers would not attract a large audience The
| TACT mat the company is not jubilee con-
cert troupe and that it is no longer connected
| with the Nashville college that gave the orig
mai concert company it's name perhaps had
something to do with the small attendance
| last night at the Peoples church. The sing
ers are tuneful, but they are more ambitious.
| 1ney nave been around the world and do not
| sing as much of the negro music as their
| predecessors in the concert line The assist
ance OF an organ is needed to keep the sing
ers in tune. whereas in days gone by the
| jubilee singers jumped at a pitch-generaIly
a correct one-and the chorus was unanimous
in response in the proper key.
funny thing about these jubilee singers,
so long as they are being managed thew are
successful and modest. When they cut loose
from managerial strings they wear diamonds
! and inject lectures on their wonderful abil-
lties into the programme. They get am
bilious and sing songs that are as remote
lSom the idea suggested by the name of
the organization as the North is from the
South. 1t is possible for the music lovers
OF ST. Paul CT any other city to hear some
OF the selections presented by the Jubilee
singers last night at any amateur gathering.
SOM
OF the other numbers are part and parcel
OF the genuine jubilee programmes. There
was too much Of the ambitious music loo
little Of the negro melody. The, audience
told the singers as much in it's discriminate
ing applause.
Just before the worlds fair certain
| famous gentleman. whose title of doctor is
well earned, came to this country. He was
known to be the composer of music that be-
lore and since his advent here has been held
up as model of the classical. This GENTLE
man-Dvorak by name-announced that there
was something more than melody In the music
of the negroes. In Europe the man with a
black skin is reckoned as good as his white
brother. DR.. Dvorak's opinion was derided
by the musicians of this enlightened country.
But the doctor took up his residence in New
york and spent great deal of his time
Tor two years in showing that there was a
strong resemblance between the negro melo
dies OF the South and the music of the Greek
church and the Slavs. Two of the selections
on the programme last night bore out the
theory Of the Hungarian. No other race.
either in composition or in presentation.
could take a simple melody and prolong it's
beauties, except the negro and the Slav. as
the compositions of Dyorak of Rubinstein of
Llszt, have exemplifed. Where modern COM
posers nave overwhelmed q theme with varia-
ton and incubation, the folk-song continues
along in the same strain-and the oftener
the melody is heard the more it is appre-
ciated. 1t was the insistence of few of these
strains in purely negro melodies last night
that raised the concert above the line Of an
ordinary concert. The diamonds of the lead
ers the Alterations of the soloists were
forgotten in the beauties of the music that
is not to be described as other than Jubilee. :"
! The campmeeting flavor: the unctuous humor
that is apparent in the method of the singers
rather than in the text, the minstrel effect
that accompanies the music Of the South
were not present to great degree last night
OF the singers much can be said of their
artistic ability. There is a bass singer with
voice that reaches all the depths that has
music; soprano that is sweet and copes
with the difficulties of that dangerous ballad
| for amateurs, "Suwanee River tenor that
is like the voice Of a woman and as soft as
a fute-aI these and more that go to make
| up a perfect company. The same company
will be heard again in this city Dec. TO-
| brand new version of ''The DazzIer'' is
promised at the Grand the coming week.
| 1t has been entirely rewritten this season
and is said to be right up-to-date. Cosgrove
| and Grant claim this season the Hveliest
wittiest and prettiest collection of singers
dancers, clever comedians and graceful girls
| that have ever travelled under their Names
! Will West is this season playing the leading
| part in the comedy and with pronounced sue
cess.
TWO HOUSES AND A BARN