The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1901-04-26
CHOIR BOYS
MINSTRELS
Horne and Babbitt the Stars
Of the Show.
The First Annual Amateur MinstreIs
Given by the Boys of st. Peters
Choir Greeted by Large and
Enthusiastic Audience,


If the large audience that surged into
Lyceum Hall last Wednesday night and
filled every seat did not break the record
as far as performances given by home
talent are concerned, it came so near
| that the corrected official returns must
be anxiously awaited by him who is in
terested in the statistics 1t was bona
fide 'throng,' and when the boys in the
first part stood revealed by the rise of
the curtain, which, by the way, should
be replaced with new one, it is safe to
say that they were no less pleased with
what they saw than were the people who
gazed upon the brilliantly lighted stage.
| The event, which was the first annual
amateur minstrel entertainment of the
choir boys connected with st. Peters
Episcopal Church, was success both
socially and financially. Throughout the
hall were seated persons prominent in
| the social realm, and three box parties
| joined in the laughter caused by the an
tics of the actors, and paid tribute to
their wonderful display of versatility.
The patronesses of the affair were
Miss Hopkins, Mrs. Robert D. Foote,
Mrs. Elliott Smith, Mrs. Henry Taylor,
Miss Marie G.. Bryce, Mrs. A. @. Gar
retson, Mrs. George B. Raymond and
Mrs. Charles H. Hibbard, Mrs. L. A.
Thebaud.
The performance, as whole, was a
| decidedly creditable one. OF course it
was amateurish. Some of the songs rem
dered were decrepit, number of jokes
had probably been stolen by the end were
from Ally Sloper's Comic Almanac, and
many avoidable, tedious delays between
the different numbers of the olio might
have been averted. Without wishing to
inordinately boom George Horne and
George Babbitt, it must be admitted that
they were the principal features of the
production. Their drolleries captvated
the audience and caused uproarious
laughter. The coon of Horne is the
most natural thing of the sort ever de-
veloped, and if the mediocre half-baked
walters of the vaudeville stage will care
fully look into his work and try and get
something of the same quality into their
ineffective attempts at hamor tney viii
find that salaries do not go by favor.
In the first part the customary jokes,
songs and rag time ditties were pleasing.
Two of the local jokes will easily bear
repeating. Babbitt said he was strolling
in the country and saw a man spreading
something over the ground. While
watching it Miss Hopkins rode up and
stopped. She asked what it was, and
the farmer replied Fertilizer" "For
the lands sake" she CALCULATED. "Ex-
actly," said the farmer. i" For the
Lands Sake"
The other why didn't the Chemi-
Gals receive the trumpet given by Dia-
mond Jack ?" Because they are too
Independent.
On the ends were George Horne,
Charles Barnes, Arthur Hopler, George
Babbitt, Jerome Gravatte and Flagg
vogt while George Douglass acted as
conversationalist. The singing by the
chorus was especially good. as were the
songs introduced by Harry Ovens, Will
lie Atchinson, Charles Corwin, Chas.
Swick and George Douglas. The latter
possesses an excellent voice, and his rem
dition of Sweet Sixteen" was we'll worth
the liberal applause he received. The
end songs by Horne and Babbitt were
encored again and again, and the for
mer's reference to the macadam roads
in Morristown brought down the house.
Wit, laughter and songs and some
thing not in either category, made up
the olio George Babbitt appeared first
and won merited applause by his songs
and dancing SHis acting is always popu-
lar and there are many comedians on
the professional stage to day who are
not one-half 50 clever as this diminutive
exponent Of black face comedy. A bur-
lesque drill by the Spring Street
Guards" followed, and the marches and
countermarches of the boys, under the
direction of Horne, the High Gazabo,
were infinitely entertaining. William
Reardon sang rag time" songs, after
which Day and Horne appeared in a
novelty club-swinging act. The work
of both was surprisingly good, and the
act is far superior to many of like
character that have appeared at the Ly.
ceum. A vehicle for fun and merry
making called "Eph Jackson's Return, -
concluded the entertainment The en-
tire company appeared in this skit. The
talk was smart and up-to-date the songs
crispy and humorous, and the genera
plan for fun-making well thought ou
and abundantly supplied with cause fol
hearty laughter, James Lyons anC
George Babbitt had the principal parts
and their dancing and singing was ap
preciated, if one can judge from the ap
plause they received. Lyons has i'm
proved greatly in his work. and will nj
doubt be seen in many future perform
ances.
The station at the Central Railroa'