Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1910-12-19
MEYERS MINSTREL MEN
THE Masqueraders" In A Mus
ical Melange OF Melody And
Medley
AN ORIGINAL FARCE COMEDY
The Musical Genius" By, Midshipman
Vincent Meyer- Good Acting
Funny End Men-Clever Clog
Dancers-The 1912 Quartetie
And A Mob OF Mirthful Mid
dies Al Naval Academy
Auditorium

Auditorium
Another of those exceptional sue
cesses given by the Midshipmen of
the Naval Academy, for which 1.-THE
Masqueraders, (their dramatic or
ganization) have long since became
famous, was held in the Auditorium
Saturday night.
So great has been the success of
The Masqueraders" hitherto that on
this occasion it became necessary to
take violent means to reduce the
crowds who attend, and to this end
few naval brains worked overtime.
Every seat was numbered and
everybody got reserved seat. The
numbers ranged anywhere from one
to two thousand, and The diagram
was so fearfully and wonderfully
made that it required the ushers to
walk around with blue prints of the
Auditorium in their hands, in order
to show the vast multitude of broad
cloth, spangled gold lace and satin its
seats. A Midshipman with a belt
and a sword and blueprint is too
funny to contemplate.
But this stupendious effort of gray
matter and blue prints had its effect.
Everybody got a seat, except the
stag line, and they stood manfully
for three full hours and never whim-
pered. We (the editorial WE, that
is little ME) congratulate the pro-
moter of the brainy idea of "re-
served seats" at show of The
Masqueraders, even if your ticket
of admission does register 700 and
you think yourself last row in bal
cony with your hair touching the fill
gree icing of the beautiful wall orna-
ments, but find yourself ten rows
from front in the Auditorium, to the
right, with tallIpalm and woman's
rat bobbing on the port side of your
vision.
But to the real show itself. We
believe we have said it before, but
we reiterate: Everything the Mid
shipmen do they do we'll. That is
the reason when one grabs his re-
served seat admission ticket in one
hand and his wife, sister, aunt,
cousin or sweetheart in the other,
to take peep" at The Masque-
raiders, he knows he is going to see
something worth while. The great
wonder of it all is that the Mid
shipmen have the time to prepare
for these shows with all their other
work. 1t is simply marvellous
Saturday night combined farce
and a minstrel show was given en-
tirely by the Midshipmen. The
farce, which was presented first
was written by Midshipman Vincent
Meyer, 1911. 1t was a one-act COM
edy entitled "'The Musical Genius"
and showed the MIdshipman play
wright's genius.
1t portrayed the trials of a young
New Yorker who is reduced to the
necessity of Giving" on five grand
pianos. The leading part was taken
by Midshipman Meyer, and the cast
included Midshipmen McCord, Batten,
Macomb, Martin and Dodd. Mid
shipman Baton had minor part, be-
ing the valet, but he made a good
one.
Midshipman Vincent Meyer is not
stranger to the audience accus-
toned to seeing shows of The Mas
queraders," the last year or two.
He is always good in whatever char
acter he is cast and Saturday night
as Kenneth Montgomery Beaufort,
IAN idle gentleman of fashion, he
was most acceptable. AS an actor
he is versatile, and in his transition
from the sane young gentleman whom
the danseuse sought to have marry
her, to the pretended insane profes-
sor of such mesalliance, Mr.. Meyer
had an opportunity to do some good
acting, of which be took every ad-
vantage.
Midshipmau Charles G. McCard,
IL, played the part of Norah,
maid, with dash and spirit that is
commendable. "She" made up well
and, except for her voice, would
have cleverly baffied the audience
tat "she' is Midshipman, and not
the resourceful maid comedienne.
Midshipman r. L. Martin, IL,
as Jack Winteon, friend indeed,
played his part we'll and Midship-
man H. Dodd, as Vivian Delatour,
the premiere danseuse, was accept
ably cast, showing genuine, wicked
feminine enjoyment in the mischief
"she" was making in her" en-
deavor to compel the music master
to marry her"
A very clever piece of acting was
that of Midshipman A. Mscomb, IL,
who, as Mrs. William Thompson, gave
a highly creditable impersonation of
a woman. Indeed, we say it with all
kindness to the rest of the cast, Mid
shipmau Macomb was the ''star" of
the farce comedy. He was mindful
at all times of the character, easy,
natural land that is hard to imagine
under those character conditions)
and his voice had an efieminate ring.
Her. pose, her mannerism, her
airs and graces, not to mention her"
walk and gestures, were all charac-