Campbell's Minstrels

Event Information

Venue(s):
New Bowery Theatre

Manager / Director:
M. C. Campbell [minstrel]

Price: $.25 parquet and boxes; .10 amphitheatre; .50 orchestra; $5 private boxes; $1 seats in private boxes

Event Type:
Minstrel

Record Information

Status:
Published

Last Updated:
11 June 2013

Performance Date(s) and Time(s)

13 Jul 1863, 8:00 PM
14 Jul 1863, 8:00 PM
15 Jul 1863, 8:00 PM
16 Jul 1863, 8:00 PM
17 Jul 1863, 8:00 PM
18 Jul 1863, 8:00 PM

Program Details

Hilton, Gray, Waddee, and Gould are a quartet. Leslie, Morrison, and Sivori are from Bryants’ Minstrels.

PART I – “Overture, new”
“Opening chorus, operatic”
“Rock me to sleep Mother” (Gray)
“Juice of the apple” (Davis)
“Mother, I’ve come home to die” (Leslie)
“Refrain – Sweep, oh! (Tyrolean embellishments)” (Wadder)
“Little Maggie Dale” (new) (Gould)
“Kingdom coming” (Booker)
“Lay me to rest, Mother” (Hilton)
“Finale – Darkies apparition, from Sonnambula”
PART II – “Elegant pas” (Eddy)
[unidentified] “Popular ballad” (Gray)
Volunteer’s return from Gettysburg, Penn (Booker as Jimmy Schermerhorn, from Gettysburg; Davis as Tony Dandybo)
Includes: “Song and dance” (Clifford)
“Guitar solo [unidentified] – operatic and medley” (Gould)
Louisiana belle (Davis as Slim Jim, in love with Belle; Booker as Bill Jimerson; Slocum as Julius Pink, a darkey exquisite; Eddy as Louisiana Belle’s sable Venus)
Includes: “Champion jig” (Clifford)
“Hot corn, who’ll buy” (character song) (Wadder)
“Dissertation on the times” (Booker)
Tragedy versus music (Davis, Clifford, Slocum, Gray)
Campbell: Hand down your silver trumpet (plantation walk around) (entire troupe)



Performers and/or Works Performed

3)
aka Grand operatic scene
6)
aka Dear mother I've come home to die
Composer(s): Tucker [comp.-cond.-voc.]
Text Author: Bowers
8)
Composer(s): Buckley
Text Author: Smith
9)
aka Kingdom's coming; or, The song of the contraband!; Song of the contraband!
Composer(s): Work
Text Author: Work
14)
Composer(s): Unknown composer
15)
Participants:  Ned [minstrel] Davis (role: Tony Dandybo);  Johnny Booker (role: Jimmy Schermerhorn)
17)
Participants:  Napoleon W. Gould
18)
Participants:  Ned [minstrel] Davis (role: Slim Jim);  Johnny Booker (role: Bill Jimerson);  Master [dancer] Eddy (role: Venus, Louisiana Belle's sable);  E. N. [Minstrel] Slocum (role: Julius Pink)
19)
Participants:  J. Harry Clifford
23)
aka Little Katy; Hot corn, who’ll buy; Hot corn brothers; Hot corn boys

Citations

1)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 12 July 1863, 7.
Full program.
2)
Announcement: New York Herald, 13 July 1863, 2.
AN: NYH 07/13/63, p.2
3)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 13 July 1863, 7.
Full program.
4)
Advertisement: New York Sun, 14 July 1863.
 “Campbell’s Minstrels.  18 in number . . . Second week.  Great bill this evening.  The most brilliant and undiminished success ever achieved by any minstrel troupe in the world…Six new songs in the first part.  The entire programme replete with sweet melody, finished burlesque acting, fairy-like dances, and enchanting music, by the most accomplished and artistic company extant.” 
5)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 17 July 1863, 7.
“Everything Changed This Evening. . . . Campbell’s Minstrels, Eighteen in Number, The Model Band of the Country.”
6)
Advertisement: New York Clipper, 18 July 1863, 110.

7)
Advertisement: New York Herald, 18 July 1863, 7.

8)
Review: New York Clipper, 25 July 1863, 115.
“The only places that stemmed the fearful torrent [the draft riots] were Barnum’s Museum, and Campbell’s Minstrels, at the New Bowery.”