Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-05-10
THE BAND MINISTRIES
}. Harry Estey and D. Frank Shea
in a Mirth- Provoking Act
Thompson Fund 8urlesque One Of the
Features-UsuaI tnstaIlment Of orlnds
and Some Excellent Singing.


You ought to have seen Frank Shea as
a blushing bride and heard him sing
Waiting at the church," And Harry
Estey with his Poor John" too, What
would the band minstrels be without
them? The best efforts of the star pro-
fessional entertainers imported for the
occasion fell fiat in comparison with
these local favorites who have won a
warm place in the hearts of the local
people by a succession Of appearances,
each more taking than the one before.
And the other local men, too. Who wants
to see professionals when we can boast
of such amateur entertainers? Local
talent for Brattleboro every time when
1t comes to minstrel shows
This was the almost universal verdict
Of the two big audiences which witnessed
the annual minstrel show given under
the auspices of the First Regiment band
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in the
Auditorium. The Great Gauss" per-
formed some mysterious stunts. Johnnie
Quigley, the "newsboy tenor" sang clev-
erly and John Bohan tickled the banjo
in way seldom heard in Brattleboro but
the people preferred the local entertain
ers and the local jokes.
Leaving out the professional parts the
minstrel show was of the good old type
so dear to the Brattleboro public The
chorus work was excellent, the dialogue
bright and the fresh crop of grnds on
the local people was as good as in the
old days before people were expecting to
be Knocked on their weak points by the
MINISTRIES. A goodly number of the we'll
known people about town received their
share In the first part and another lot
We're handed out in the burlesque sketch
of the methods of the trustees of the
Thompson fund arranged by Howard c.
Rice. Anyone who escaped both was
he a- TN,
fective, the chorus and glee club appear
ing in japanese costume and the end
men In green trousers, red striped dress
coats and the blacklist of black faces.
p. L. Shea of Derby, Conn, formerly
of Brattleboro and known on the road as
Knox Em-Al Shea served as inter-
locutor IN highly acceptable manner.
The first part opened with a lively
overture including a solo by Alfred
Thompson My Jap from Toxic" a solo
by r. Fl. Crane Come back to Come
mara and one by F. c, Adams my Jap
anee.' The ends, Alison Dugan, John
Quigley John Bohan and Ernest Good
enough, then made their appearance and
were greeted with a burst of applause
which betokened old friends in the au-
dlence. Things began to happen as soon
as they appeared and for 10 minutes the
audience were kept in a continual laugh
by their first installment of stories and
JNfNSS' IHeN were BOOu ones ana most of
them fresh ones, too. The first solo by
John Bohan of Boston, Hes a cousin
of mine" was well received but the au-
dience did not really wake up to applaud
for all that was in them until Fred Adj
ans sang Some day when dreams come
true Alison Dugan also won merited
signs of appreciation by his clever rem
dering of "Ephraham Johnson"
The entrance of the premiers, j. Harry
Estey and d. Frank Shea was a SUNRISE
They were announced and before the
words We're fairly out of the interlocut-
ors's mouth, Harry Esteys pony trotted
on the stage, driven by his master as a
TAN and lanky coon, with his blushing
bride behind. The pony should be given
word of praise along with the rest for
coming before the footlights and the big
crowd without manifesting the least stage
fright As soon as the audience realized
lhat the buXOm darkey who alighted
from the cart was their old friend, Frank
shea, their enthusiasm knew no bounds