Connecticut western news., 1901-05-02
THE MINSTRELS.

The minstrel show given last Friday
night by our local artists made tre-
mendcus hit with the big audience
which had packed the Town Hall. The
only regret is that fifty or more people
had to be turned away as there was no
room for them inside. 1.-The songs and
witty sayings filed the audience with
glee" and the local hits went with o
howl. the boys squaring mp accounts
with the principals of the Old Maids
Convention of last spring, The enter
tsinment benefited the VIA. over $50.
The performance opened with the
old fashioned minstrel circle. The
white face singers were Me ssrs. Lawtop,
Beattie, DeHart, PIERCE and Lansing;
Primrose and Dockstader were repre-
sented by p. Kane and Ed. Adams;
Willie Joyce and Ed. Goodwin were
two "honey- boys" J. G. Root and w.
W. Norton were two colored gentlemen,
and the four end men were John Beck
ley. l. I'll. Ball, Chas. Rodemeyer and
Ed. Slye; and say, you ought to see
Lynn. play the tamborine. The choruses
were Miss Virginia and That Sweet
Refrain and were excellently render
ed. Mr. DeHart sang the popular
ballad When the Harvest Days are
Over" and r. d PIERCE the beautiful
barry tone colo, ''The King of the
Winds" Beckley and Rodemeyer had
em all grinning with their respective
end songa-"Sighing for the Moon"
and "Ohl Wouldn't That Jar You?"
''Rody" is whole circus in himself
and he won many laugh.
Following the circle John Beckley
killed time in front of the curtain
with a startling burlesque of the
Egyptian basket trick and true story
of Clayton people. The plantation
scene followed and the older people
we're pleased to hear again "My Old
Kentu cky Home" nicely sung by the
company. The "nigger" orchestra
were then brought fo.th and the two
Eds Goodwin and Slye-with banjo
and fiddle struck up jig and the coons'
feet began to fly, Willie Joyce and
Jerome Root carrying off the honors,
though Lynn. Ball, Kane and Chick
hoed it down in true Southern style.
The musical comedy was opened by
a piano solo most excellently played by
Edward Slye. John Beckley was Q
very amusing and very musical moke in
this sketch and played half dozen in.
struments to our recollection. bis
"piece de resistance" being his from.
bone solo. Mr. DeHsrt played cornet
solo, and the horn quartette Of
Adams, Lansing, DeHart aud Beckley
played two selections in pleasing
manner.
The hit Of the show was w. f,
Beattie's Tyrolean song, "Over the
Mountains" and he responded to Q
deafening encore with Rocking the
Baby to Sleep" MIR Beattie shows 9
wonderful range of voice in doing the
yodles.
l.. Fl. Ball next delighted the audi
ence with an exposition of the Ameri
can clog dance, and Lynn. can dance
with the best OF them.
The boys made no mistake in secur
ing the assistance of Walter Norton oil
Lime Rock who tickled the disabilities
of the audience with very funny
Grafton "a Cele bratsd Woman
Mabel Quinn is as pretty little
dancer as you will find outside of the
professional ranks and with Prof. Beck
ley performed very pretty and w
should judge, rather complicated
fancy mszourka styled "The Lesson.
Herr Carl Rodemeyer closed tn,
show with Dutch song and dance sn6
he had 'em screaming when the curtain
fell.
The show moved along remarkabl,
smooth for first performance; ever.
minstrel was perfectly at ease ant
there were no long curtain waits. Th,
boys were particularly fortunate in hav
ing so excellent an accompanist as Mrs
A F. Rood who handled the plan
with her usual skill.