Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-09
Al FIELDS SHOW
MAKES A BIG HIT
Minstrcls of the Modern Make
Pack The Playhouse and Win
Audience.
AL G. Fields Greater Minstrels: nt Tho
Playhouse this afternoon and tonight.

There is an old theatrical tradition that
minstrel show has 20 be IN possession
Of the real goods to win Wilmington
audience Years ago, when there were
very many moro minstrel shows on the
road than there are now, managers wero
wont TO try the companies out here. II
the performance went the show was
destined for successful season. In other
words, Wilmington was n discrmlnative,
but great minstrel town, but the per-
formance had to be good
Judging by these standards \. q.
Fields aggregation rs one of the best
that ever came down the proverblai
pike, because last night 10 drew m audi
ence that crowded The Playhouse from
tho first row of orchestra seats To the very
last one in the gallery Nor was that
all People sat in chairs against the
rear wall on the first floor and took stand
ing room all over the house, wherever
they could get IT,
And they got their moneys worth,
In the first place the show was put on IN
most novel form. Tho time-honored
opening. with the black face folk sitting
around in n charmed semi-circie, had
been dispensed with and instead there
was something really now Tho war
/
| one man Ken Metcalf singing "AIneric.
First" was the thing introduced 70 the
audience when the curtain went mp
This was followed by another war idea
scene and then third before the min
strcls themselves came trooplng in under
command Of Colonel John Carimell
colonel taking the place Of what used
to be interlocutor
Still more. the forces OF mlnstrelsy
were CARRIED in yellow satin uniforms
| with army caps of the same, n rather
| expensive khaki and \ very brilliant one
/ They were not in black face, thfs general
| force being provided by another band
entirely CARRIED in rcd and forming 4
sori of singing and dancing chorus. Tho
whole idea was quite novel and original
When the minstrel band appeared
after the prologue IL was headed hy John
Tiealey, singing and acting the time
honored "Old Black Joe And then
came a host of good songs Billy Reard
| sang Somebody Done Nc Wrong, a
song of sorts, too; John Worland gave
"My Sunshine Jane X W Church
rendered "A Babv's Prayer nj Twilight
| Harry Frillman did When Night Falls
| Ger the Sea, and there were others just
/ ~ good and almost too numerous IN
mention. But Lasses White made a big
| hit in IF You Don't lake Nv Pcache-
| Don Shake Nv Tree, when he informed
the audience that blues was Whining
| ton $ heart disease
The first part wound up with the Camp
Fire Quartet Charles Reinhart. VIII
| liam Church, Jack Richards and Harr}
| Frillrnan and little skit called 'Aftei
| the Rattle that was very funny
The second part Of the entertainment
was equally good. Santa Clans a
| Home and The Toy Makers wcrt
quite clever and amusing Billy Bear,
| was there in a solitaire turn and th
barber shop saxophonists made a biI
hit with the audience The final tabIeau
Hosting the Colors, carried out tn
military idea that prevailed throIghou
the whole show and sent the audlcnc
away IN a good humor
All told. the performance is one Of tn
most novel and divertlng minstrel show
! Wllmlngtons host of minstrel lover
ever has seen. Crowded houses this after
noon and tonight are easy Of prediction