Bryants’ Minstrels

Description of the new opera house to be completed in mid-October.

Description of the new building under construction.

Lists members of company.

“Dan Bryant’s New Minstrel Hall will be opened this evening. The event must be regarded as of signal importance to the history of Negro minstrelsy.”

“All the connoisseurs in cork from Dan to Beersheba were congregated last night in Dan Bryant’s elegant little hall, Twenty-third street, to welcome one of the brightest lights in the coal firmament of minstrelsy, and to give him and his company a good house-warming. The bill was in his best style, full of button-bursting mirth and bringing out the troupe in their most enjoyable selections. The company is unusually large and well calculated to keep up the reputation of the Bryants. The house is one of the handsomest of its kind in the United States, the decorations and painting being in exquisite taste.”

“Negro minstrelsy has found very commodious and elegant quarters at last. Bryant’s new hall, on the north side of Twenty-third st., a little west of Sixth-ave., was opened last night. It is a handsome theater, with a white-stone front, good decorations in red and gold, two galleries, comfortable seats, a cosy stage, a pretty vestibule, and all needful means of illumination. It will seat about 700 persons, and last night it gave admission to more than that number. The house was crowded, and it presented a very lively and cheerful appearance. Loud calls for Dan Bryant resounded, at the beginning; but the modest manager vailed himself in cork and did not appear. The performance was long, varied, and full of fun. There were sixteen features in the programme. We have neither time nor space for detailed account of the performance here, but we record the opening of Bryant’s New Hall, as a thorough and signal success. It will, of course, become a very popular place of resort, for those who relish Negro Minstrelsy. Mr. Bryant’s company includes the following performers: Mesrs. Dempster, Brindisi, Norman, Foster, Grier, Dave Reed, Dan Bryant, Little Mac, Geo. Warren, Nelse Seymour, Master Warren, Corrie, Dunigan, J. Garatagui, and others.”

Members of the company.

Description of the building; partially obstructed programme in the Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections database. “The company, although not as strong as Mr. Bryant intended, is an excellent one. Several artists engaged for the season at this house, at the last moment declined to fulfill their contracts, we are informed. On the opening night the entire company was most enthusiastically received, and upon Dan Bryant’s first appearance the applause was long continued and almost deafening. All the jokes and witticisms of the first part were entirely new and good. Dave Reed occupies the bone end and Dan Bryant the tambo. The quartet is excellent, and the instrumentation highly creditable. Little Mac, as the baby Elephant and the Monkey, created the most uproarious laughter. Nelse Seymour was as comical and grotesque as usual in his various performances. The song and dance ‘Come and Kiss Me’ was artistically rendered by Dan Bryant and Dave Reed. Monroe Dempster, who sang a ballad in the first part, has one of the sweetest, purest tenor voices we have ever heard in the minstrel profession. Messrs. Norman and Brandisi deserve great credit for the execution of their songs. Since the opening ‘standing room only’ has been the rule nightly, even at a quarter to eight.”