The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-05-10
ANOTHER
BIG SUCCESS
Band Minstrel Show Pleases
Two Large Audiences.
PLENTY OF GOOD SONGS
Premiers Estey and Shea Had an En-
trance Which Brought Down the
House Closing Part Travesty on
the Thompson Fund.


As many people as the auditorium
could possibly accommodate Tuesday
and Wednesday evenings are carrying
about with them, pleasant memories OF
the First Regiment bands fifth annual
minstrel show There are, of course,
varying opinions as TO whether the
show was as good as ''last year s o.;
such comparison is very much like the
tin can tied to a dogs tail. But there
seems to be a unanimity of sentiment
that the entertainment was an excellent
one-good enough, in fact, to entitle 1t
to a conspicuous place among amateur
theatrical successes of Bratteboro. As
in former years notable feature of the
performance was the amount of really
good singing that ii furnished, and
while the Jokes may not have been SO
hiIariously funny as has sometimes been
the ease there were plenty of opportun'
tiles for the audience to enjoy q good,
hearty laugh.
The stage setting for the first part
was a pretty japanese scene and the
overture began with the chorus, If You
Want to Know Who We Are, from that
old time operate favorite, The Mikado'
The soloists and members of the chorus
were made up to look as much like Japs
as was possible with the assistance of
bright colored kimonos, oriental wigs
and fans. In the overture were three
SOLOS, My Darling Japanee by Frederic
C. Adams My Jap from TOXIC by Al
fred S. Thompson, and Come Back to
Connemara by f. II. Crane, all of which
met with cordial reception. Then
came the intermcZzO, MoOnland, which
served. to introduce the ends, h. NJ.
Goodeuough, Alison Dugan, John Bohan
and John Quigley, all dressed in green
frock coats and trousers and fancy
waistcoats. Following this the inter
locutor, p. l.. Shea, in japanese costume
entered from the rear of the stage, an
nounced the ends by name and bade
the entire company be seated. Then
the fun began. After Mr., Goodenough
had put the audience in good humor by
brace of gags with local flavor Mr.
Bohan sang snappy coon song en-
titled He's \ Cousin of Mine. Mr.
Ouiglev followed with more jokes and
then Mr.. Adams gave delightful rem
dition of the ballad, Some Day When
Dreams Come True. At the close OF
this number, which was heartily ap-
.plauded. End Bohan started the laughter
in good earnest with a couple OF
prinds of well known Brattleboreans,
and then Mr.. Dugan sang that catchy
ragtime piece Epraham Johnson in his
. MI
dience that he was obliged to respond
to an encore.
The interlocutor next introduced 'our
premier end men, J, Harry Estey and
D. Frank Shea. " and in they came rid
ing in a natty little trap drawn by a
diminutve Iceland pony. Mr.. Estey IN
coat which served to accentuate his
attenuated limbs climbed from the
seat of the equipage and assisted his
partner in alghting. Mr.. Shea was
dressed in gown of delicate white ma
terial with lingerie to match and was
crowned with a wreath which held IN
place a bridal veil. When the uproar
which the premiers entrance mad
caused at last subsided the orchestra
struck up the tender strains of Waiting
at the Church and the hushing bride
sobbed her pitiful story of man s per.
fidv TO an audience that fairly groaned
with laughter and would be satlshed
only when the song had been thrice re-
heated. Mr.. Estey then conversed with
the interlocutor about local people and
things in a way that brought him many
laughs. After the perennial tavorlte
Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep had
been sung effectively by DR.. f. II.
| 0 'Connor assisted by double quartet
Mr.. Shea appeared on the stage again
in n regulation end man s costume and
took his turn at jokespringing with
highly favorable results. The next
number was the coon melody, If the
Man in the Moon Were a Coon, finely
sung by Mr.. Quigley and then Mr.. Els.
tev appeared in a feminine costume and
gave an excellent rendition of Vesta
Victoria S huge song success Poor John
This brought matters up to the finale
which began with Give Ny Love to
Dixie sung by Mr.. Dugan and chorus
and closed with the patriotic song, Inc
Good Old U. S. A. in which Mr. Adams
had the solos. At the close was a tab
leau with Frank Crosier representing
Columbia.
The Brattleboro glee club opened the
second part with two selections; Inc
Rosary by Ethelbert Nevin and a melo-
dious arrangement of Use Gwine Back
to Dixie, and was obliged to respond to
two encores. Next came "the Great
Gauss" whose speciality consisted in get
ting out of handouts, straight jackets
and packing boxes. This act was trlfe
too long but to many people it was ex-
tremely interesting Following this
came John Bohan in black-face mu-
steal skit in which he introduced some
clever banjo and harmonica playing.
The third part was entitled How Ihe
Thing Works, and was grind on the
Thompson fund. The scene was sup
posed to be laid in the office of A. Mar
row Gauge Duffer, trustee of the
"Thomphool fund for the relief OF
bankers. brokers, billionaires, bloated
bondholders, nabobs, plutocrats and
magnates who may be in temporary or
permanent need from Indigestion, in
temperance, illegal industry or an itch
ing for more money" Cases where act
uaI need was shown were not helped
by the fund; in fact every application
e on.