BLACK DIAMOND MINSTRELS.

Te Puke Times, Volume II, Issue II, 12 August 1913, Page 3

BLACK DIAMOND MINSTRELS.

ENTERTAINMENT AT TE . MATAI. There was a very fair attendance at the Upper Te Fatai Hall on Friday evening, to greet the initial performance of the local minstrel troupe, and the entertainers were eminently successful in keeping their audience thoroughly amused. The personnel of the troupe was as follows: Messrs P. G. Carson (Interlocutor), A. Jackson (Sambo), A. D. Sealy (Pete), W. Nelson, T. R. McGee, W. Marshall (Susan Jane) J. Cannell, A. t McCracken, and H. Jackson (Dinah). A lengthy programme was gone through, the usual quips and conundrums, including a number of local hits, causing great merriment, whilst the lovemaking between Pete and Susan Jane, and the jealousy of Sambo elicited peals of laughter. As cornermen Messrs Sealy and Jackson, were extremely good, the quiet drolleries of the latter .acting- as alfoil to the exuberance of the former. The following items were rendered"God Save the King" ; Opening medley, the Troupe; "song," Goodbye Susan," with encore, "John Brown," Mr Nelson ; trio, "Gone Where -de Good Niggers go," Messrs Jackson, Cannell, and Sealy; song, "Down wherede Swanie Ribberflows," with encore, " Massa's in de Cold ground," Mr McGee; " Steal away to Jesus," the Troupe; song, "Elließhee," with encore "Girl I left in Sunny Tennysee," Mr A. Jackson : " Marching thro' Georgia," the Troupe-In-terval-"Call John," The Troupe; song, " Good Old Jeff," with encore, "Little Peach," Mr Cannell ; duet, " Old Kentucky Home," with encore, " Swanie Ribber," Messrs 11. Jackson (Dinah) and W. Marshall (Susan Jane) ; " song, "Poor Old Joe," with encore, "Little Brown Jug/ Mr McCracken ; speech, " Lining, Mr Cannell: " song, " Goin' back to Dixie," with encore, " Camptown Races," Mr Sealy ; "Good-night," (round) the Troupe. Mr Jas Tait officiated as' Massaßanjo.' The general management, staging, etc., was in the hands of Mr Carson, whilst Mr Sealy was responsible for the musical portion of the programme. At the conclusion of the minstrel entertainment the room was cleared for dancing, which was kept up until the early hours of the morning, music being provided by Messrs Tait (piano), Gray (violin), andOden (piccolo), extras being kindly contributed by Mesdames Carson and McGee, and Messrs W. Nelson and A. McCracken. An original feature in connection with the dance was the presence of negro ushers and doorkeepers. Refreshments were provided on a most liberal scale by the ladies, to which, needless to say, full justice was done by those present. The whole affair reflected great credit on the promoters, and a wish was generally expressed that the entertainment would be but the precursor of many other similar reunions.