Griffin and Christy’s Minstrels

Comment: Grand opening of their new “opera house,” formerly a meeting room for the loyal league and more recently for the Bunyan Tableaux.

“GRIFFIN AND CHRISTY opened their new minstrel hall, on Broadway and Twenty-third street, on July 29^th. We assisted at the performance on the 1^st inst. The night was stormy, and the hall was about one-half full.  We fear that the managers have not carried out their promise to the public in fitting up the hall as well as it should be, to please the style of patrons that they look to for support.  It has evidently been opened in a hurry, and having to compete with the Fifth Avenue Opera House—which is beautifully fitted up—they should not have opened until the hall had been made a little more attractive in appearance and more comfortable seats put in the orchestra, instead of common wooden chairs. The chairs are not only hard to sit upon, but are crowded too close together. The walls and ceiling of the auditorium are only white washed, and the gas fixtures are common black iron pipes, with no globes over the burners. The stage is a commodious one, and the scenery good. The company, in several respects, is a good one, and appears to give satisfaction.  George Christy, who occupies the bones end, is too well known to speak of him as a comedian.  Mr. Griffin, in addition to being interlocutor, plays the violoncello in the first part.  To Mr. Otto Burbank, who is on the tambo end, we cannot accord praise in that position.  He is very good in the olio, his song and dance business taking very well, but he does not shine on the end.  Mr. E. Percival possesses a sweet tenor voice, and sings a ballad feelingly.  He sang ‘Nora O’Neal,’ in the first part, and ‘Thou art so Near,’ in the olio, very well indeed.  Mr. Shattuck is also deserving of praise for the manner in which he sang ‘The Willow Spring.’  Strange to say, every gag told in the first part had never been heard by us before.  The instrumental music is good, and so is the quartet.”