The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-25
PASSES WHITE
 FULL OF LAUGHS
Famous Minstrel Has Surrounded Himself
 With Talent

A review of the 'Lasses White All Star Minstrels, which opened four-day engament at the Jefferson theater We'd nesday night, is almost unnecessary. For White with his blackface come dians, dancers and singers is a yearly institution. They are always good and always different.
 From the opening overture, of the current offering, Hello. to the grand finale of the current offering, the show was a medley of singing, dancing and hilarious jokes. And 'Lasses' himself usually was deeply concerned with the laughs. not mere grins or chuckles but real honest-to- goodness laughs which start down near the Adams apple and simply can't be held back. Yet, Lasses has surrounded himself with minstrels of talent, for when the comedian made his first ap- pearence in the latter part of the show he found an audience, which had en- loved some exceptional singing, some unusual dancing and some brand new jokes.
 The audience settled itself down to real enjoyment about the time the fourth song. "On the Road to Mande' lay, Twas announced. After that number rendered by Marcel Jones, the specta' tors were prepared for anything. There is little doubt but that Kiplings song is one of the most difficult on a bari tones repertoire for it is replete with upper register minors. It's impossible to do Jone's rendition justice, for to do so would be at the expense of the balance of the chorus.
 Besides 'Lasses whose first song Two Timing Mind," stopped the show the other comedians, Dan Holt, High Brown" Buddy Burns, Charlie Morris and Billy Doss were each compelled to give encore after encore. While a yodeler is considered necessary in every minstrel show, Harry Mercer won ap' pIause simply because he is way above the average.
 The first part finale proved sur prise. Being billed ''Oh Minstrelsy, l Hear You Calling Me-" by Karl Den ton. one is greeted by statuesque light completed" brunette, with mezzo contralto voice of exceptional range. A note on the program referred to Denton as the "Eltinge of Minstrelsy."
 And during the remainder of the performance, MT. Denton wore dazzling gowns and sang several numbers with the grace and ease of prima donna and the sang froid of college sopho- more in his first chorus girl impersona- tion.
 The next scene was Plantation Days of 1924" Plenty of comedy was pro- vided by the chicken-stealing proclivl- ties of 'Lasses and Dan Holt. Then tn : pickinninnies danced. 1t proved so infectious that even the baby, Charlie Morris, jumped from his buggy at the close of the scene.
 A speciality by Billy Doss is one while the scenery was being shifted. In fact, it was almost a one-man minstrel show with songs, and jokes, enough to make it one of the brightest spots on the hill.
 After "The Jazz Hounds" demon strated several new notes in syncopa- tion, the spectators from pit to shelf started to laugh as White and Holt appeared as bellhop and elevator boy of the Hotel de Blackville in the twO-scene skit of the same name. Maybe the au- dience had been laughing too much and ueeueu Il reSplle, UuL .lHe AdCI TcInuIuS that the hilarity died away for a few moments, but their antics and trouble with bad men, wild women and hotel full of guests on it's opening night, brought the final curtain down upon a house, which was in an uproar.
 This is supposed to be a criticism, but about the only adverse comment that could be made is a repetition of the question heard from several as the theater emptied, Why didn't Frank Gilmore sing a bass solo in addition to his chorus work?"
 And then no review would be com plete without a word for the orchestra and leader James Filming, who brought every bit of beauty in the voices at the expense of. and by sub merging themselves,