“Darkydom”

Singing and comic dialogue.

"Daddy Lips, "Ghost Ship," "Live and Die in Dixieland," "Life," "Scay-a-da-Mootch," "Rat-a-Tat,"

All-colored shows have an attraction to those who like to see something different in the musical comedy line once in a while, when the show is good - and "Darkydom" is good, made so mostly by the stars with their comedy. Miller and Lyles have played in vaudeville. They are not the ordinary colored two-act, straight and comic. Both of these men are comedians, which makes their combination an unusual or extraordinary one, especially since both are good comedians. In fact, Miller and Lyles, as per their work in this production, take first rank among all actual colored teams on the stage, in current or past time, for it would not belittle Bert Williams as the great single comedian he is, to say that Miller and Lyles are a funnier team than Williams and Walker were. There is another distinctive comedian in this troupe, Allie Gillam, taking the role of a colored hobo. Were his stage partner, Will A. Cook, up to Gillam's mark, there would be another fine team, but anyway, a show with three corking comedians should be enough. The show is much the stronger on the comedy end. Nothing startling about the music. A fairly good hook has been written by Henry Troy, who is also very prominent and agreeable in the performance as the singing "straight man." It tells of two trumps (Miller and Lyles) who were caught while stealing a ride on the special train of the road's president. The special had the right of road but switched onto a siding in order the tramps could be thrown off. While on the siding a freight running without orders passed the special, and the president noting the narrow escape, sent his valet (Mr. Troy) to find the tramps whose stolen ride averted a calamity, and give them $500. The valet goes into Mound Bayou, Miss., where the entire locale of the piece has been placed, and runs across another set of local bums (Gillam and Cook). Steve Jenkins (Mr. Miller) and Sam Peck (Mr. Lyles) had wandered into the village. Hearing the valet speak to the locals about stealing a ride., Jenkins and Peck suspect he is a railroad detective, searching for them. The story then continues with the two local tramps trying to secure the money while the two hoboes entitled to it are running away from the reward. Incidental to the action are four scenes, three of them in the final act of the two. Nineteen musical numbers especially written are by Will Marion Cook in music and Henry B. Creamer, lyrics. Jesse A. Shipp and Will A. Cook staged the show. A new movement in chorus girl work is a quick moving action, so neat in its simplicity it's odd no white producer thought of it. Then there is a new bit of comedy business on a cellar door, the scene taken by Miller and Lyles. It is funny enough to be minutely described in a review of the piece by a daily. "New comedy business" is so rare this cellar-door bit stands out like the Statue does down the hay. The singing department is led by Mr. Troy, Abbie Mitchell, Fanny Wise and Opal Cooper. Mr. Cooper has a lyric tenor that were he not colored would land him in very fast singing company. Miss Mitchell is the same Abbie, a finished artiste of her race who never seems to grow older. She did the ballads wonderfully well and its worth listening to her for comparative purposes with the flood of lately recruited white singers of her line onto the stage. Frank Walker plays a Chinaman unassumingly and makes the character good for laughs in a quiet manner. The chorus is large, with several boys in it, four of them composing a quartet. A little girl who rivals the ace of spades for color and a racing engine for ginger outdistances all the others for getting-over personality and work. She is Ida Forsyne. There might be a soubret role written in the piece for her. The girl doesn't deserve to remain in the ranks, for two reasons, she is beyond that and "shows up" the other chorus girls to the disadvantage of the performance. Miss Forsyne led "Scay-a-da-Mootch," one of the best rage of the evening, but it remains a question whether say but a colored person could get the number over as it should be done. Helen Baxter, another chorister, did very well with "Rat-a-Tat" that called for a conventional drum chorus behind her. It was this number that kept the Lafayette's female orchestra may be a part of the show. The rag numbers, however, need all the volume that may be given them and it's up to the show's management to decide whether the women players can do this. The musical end is strongest in ballads, of the straight and rag kind. In the early part of the show they followed each other too rapidly, and this part of the performance was somewhat ragged. It will likely be remedied to provide better entrances, although a shift in the numbers and perhaps an elimination or so would be of help. "Live and Die in Dixieland" is the finale of the first part. In the second act, Mr. Troy has "Life" nicely done by him, and Creighton Thomas sings "Ghost Ship" which is very well led up to, through the continual insistence of a "nut" (De Koven Thompson), who wants to tell a ghost story. (This idea of listening to a ghost story appeared to particularly amuse the colored attendance at the Lafayette.) Mr. Thompson makes his "nut" a sort of "Dr. Dippy" role, but it fits in. Miss Mitchell's best number was "Daddy Lips," but she did a "Smoke" song well. Lester A. Walton, a prominent negro, also concerned in the management of the theatre, and connected with the recognized colored organ, "The Age," has "Darkydom" under his direction. It looks like a show that can be rounded into a standard colored attraction, good for touring purposes for a long time to come, while those two crackerjack funny men, Miller and Lyles (who are both young), remain the standard bearers. Of course, as might be concluded, "Darkydom" was not extravagantly embellished sartorially of scenically at the Lafayette. That was not necessary, and will probably be attended to when Mr. Walton assures himself he has a "show" in "Darkydom." He may be assured of it. He has, and the only thing needed besides building it up, is judgment in bookings. It would be unwise to attempt too much too soon with two comedians who are there, but still have to be "made." When Miller and Lyles are "made" Mr. Walton can take a long chance. Until then he should be satisfied to trot along.

Variety, 40:10 (11/05/1915)