Georgia Minstrels

“A Troup of Real Nigs, called the Georgia Minstrels, and said to have been real slaves previous to the late rebellion, have been performing for some time at a small hall located at 600 Broadway, and the hall in the rear of the building.  There are ten performers in the first part.  The instrumental music is very good, but the singing of the end men and the solos by the quartet are bad.  There is not one in the company that possesses a musical voice, and the attempts made by those who ‘do’ the ballads is something that cannot be described.  Len Johnson handles the bones and C. Arlington the tambo.  Johnson is an expert with the bones, and is one of the best players we ever heard.  He also tries to be funny.  The gags are all old, and told in such a careless, bungling style that we did not find any one in the audience guilty of even a smile, much less a laugh.  Smith and Benson did a pretty good song and dance, but the ballad by C. B. Hicks was a cross between a Caithumpian [?] band and a child just learning to sing.  Dick Little is an excellent banjo player, and the Essence by A. L. Smith was good.  With the exception of three acts the entertainment offered is far below mediocrity.  There is an old saying that ‘nigger will be nigger,’ but in this case they are anything else but the kind in walk, actions, etc., that we have seen on a plantation in Georgia.”