Venue(s):
Winter Garden
Event Type:
Variety / Vaudeville
Status:
Published
Last Updated:
21 October 2013
“The house was overcrowded. It is many a long day since we have seen such a large and enthusiastic audience. The performances began with ‘The Little Treasure’ . . . [which] went off admirably. . . .
‘Handy Andy’ was then played, and here came the event of the evening. Dan Bryant, with a white face and an Irish dress, stepped out upon the scene and was received with a perfect furore of applause. It was easy to see that most of the audience had assembled to see and hear this favorite comedian in a new line of business. Although Dan Bryant is ‘only a negro minstrel,’ he is fairly entitled to be called a comedian, and has worked his way by natural talent, hard study and industry to the front rank of his profession. . . . When he came upon the stage last night to play an Irish character for the first time, his success was already secured, as far as the audience was concerned, and he soon won over the large number of critics and actors present. . . .
. . . Bryant’s rendering of the part [of Handy Andy] was very like [John] Drew’s, and only lacked that mellowness and a finish which time and practice alone can give. Remembering that this was Mr. Bryant’s debut, and that he had never even seen the piece played before, we must pronounce his performance a marked success. . . . In one of the last scenes he introduced the song of ‘Lanagan’s Ball,’ and danced an Irish jig with such skill, spirit and elan, that the delighted audience thrice recalled him.”