The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-17
GAVE SPLENDID SHOW.
SELMA AMATEURS IN MINSTREL PERFoRMANcE.
One of the Largest Audiences Ever Seen in the Central City Gather ed to Enjoy the Fun.
 Other News.
Advertiser Bureau.

Advertiser Bureau.
 Selma, April Is.
 The Selma Local Minstrel Company gave it's annual performance last night to one of the finest audiences that ever assembled in Selma. The opera house was packed and jammed from pit to dome and standing room was at pre- mium The peanut gallery. when the prices are lowest, was also filled. and among those who had to go there to get seats were four or five of the ofnciaiS of Dallas County .who gallantly surren- dered their seats on the lower floors to ladies who were standing. Your repre- sentative has never seen the Academy of Music more crowded than it was on this occasion, except, perhaps, when Bob Taylor lectured for the benefit of the Dragons and when two candidates tor gubernatorial honors held joint debate therein few years ago. Manager Hugh Hudson has no reason to be ashamed of the way his aggregation of home talent was received last night Selma paid the home boys the very higest compliment in its@power. and turned out en masse to see the performance. which goes to show in what high esteem the local burnt cork artists are held. 1t was benefit for the boys and they had between $7o0 and $500 to divide. z4
 It wastia clean performance, full of music and side-spliting comedy, and the audience was Kept In roar of laughter from the rise of the curtain in the first act until 1t fell on the closing scene after II o'clock, Through the three hours and a fhalf of the performance the audience remained in their seats. Those who had reserved seats did not care to go out. while those who did not have coupons fos their seats were afraid to leave them, knowing that they would be occupied by some weary fellow who had paid for standing room only.
 Manager Hugh Hudson acted as inter- locutor and a splendid one he made. MT. Hudson was elegantly attired in an even- ing suit. his hair was powdered, and he presented strikingly handsome figure as he sat in the center of his well-train- ed company and propounded the ques- tions that brought forth the humorous replies from the black-faced artists. Shearen Brislin, Philip Brown and Frank Love beat the tambourines. while Charlie Brislin. Frank Jones. and Sim Watts handled the bones.
 The orchestra occupied high seat in a semi-circle behind she burnt cork boys and the vocalists. The orchestra con- sisted of J. H. Dunklin, Joe Groves. Otto k. Erhdrt, John seymour, VIII SIiitI, Gery Vaughan. c. H. Gibson, Tom Kelly, T. H. Ingles and w. H. Tipton. These are among SeIma's most accomplished musicians and the splendid music furnish ed on this occasion showed the careful study they had bestowed upon the selec- tions.
 The performance opened with d tableau, which was one of the most beautiful secenes ever witnessed on the local stage. At the back of the stage and elevated little above the musicians was canopy. brilliantly lighted with in- candescent lamps. In this canopy, in full view of the vast audience, stood Miss Rhea Wise, Selma sweet vocalist All the lights in the opera house except those in the canopy were turned low as she began to sing and as her rich, soft, round notes filled the vast auditorium one could hear a pin drop. At the end of the first stanza of her song the chorus of male voices joined in, at the conclusion of which the vast audience could with hold its enthusiasm no longer and it was several minutes before she could com plete the rest of her song and at the end she received q hearty encore.
 Several new men made their appearance before the Selma public, among whom