San Francisco Minstrels

Event Information

Venue(s):
San Francisco Minstrels Hall

Event Type:
Variety / Vaudeville

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
13 January 2016

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

22 Apr 1867, 8:00 PM
23 Apr 1867, 8:00 PM
24 Apr 1867, 8:00 PM
25 Apr 1867, 8:00 PM
26 Apr 1867, 8:00 PM
27 Apr 1867, 8:00 PM

Performers and/or Works Performed

3)
aka Gambrino's opera of lager beer; Gambrinus's opera of lager beer
4)
Composer(s): Whymark
6)
aka Greasy black cook; Screaming black cook, The; Screaming black crook; Little crooks
Participants:  African ballet troupe

Citations

1)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 22 April 1867, 2.
2)
Review: New York Herald, 26 April 1867, 7.

“The admirable menu of burlesque, wit, wisdom and broad farce still continues to draw full houses at the San Francisco Minstrel Hall. The programme is mostly made of burlesques of popular institutions and ideas in costume, some of which are grotesquely inimitable and illustrating how little exaggeration and disguise is necessary to reduce the grandly spectacular to the ridiculous.”

3)
Advertisement: New York Clipper, 27 April 1867, 22.
4)
Review: New York Clipper, 27 April 1867, 21, 3d col., top.

“One of the head centres of minstrelsy is 585 Broadway, where do nightly hold forth in revel those four comical geniuses, Birch, Wambold, Bernard and Backus, who are assisted in their troubles by a corps of well disciplined performers in the vocal, instrumental and comic department.”

5)
Review: New York Clipper, 04 May 1867, 30.

“Shouts of laughter greet the San Francisco Minstrels every night at their hall of wit and humor, 585 Broadway, where they have established themselves as great favorites with the public, and among the best representatives of Ethiopian minstrelsy ever seen in this city.  Notwithstanding they are playing the same old acts they have had on their bills at times for over a year, they attract most excellent audiences, and the four managers have a good ‘divi’ every week.”