EARLY ENTERTAINERS

Recent mention of Adeler & Sutton's Pierrots on this blog brought some correspondence about early entertainers in Rhyl. Above is Charley or Charlie Harvey who was a prominent member of the Adeler troupe - no pun intended.

The photo was taken circa 1908 in Rhyl and shows Mr. Harvey wearing standard pierrot costume. Similar attire was still in use in 1940s as shown in this postcard of Billie Manders' Quaintesques:

Concert parties such as the two mentioned were principally theatrical. In that sense they differed from open air entertainers on our minstrel pitch even though the mix of comedy and music was somewhat similar.

The minstrel pitch on Rhyl sands is shown in the foreground here . . .

. . . and on your left in this shot dated 1905 taken from Queen's Palace:

The minstrel pitch was established in 1890s by the council to get minstrels (strolling players) off the streets and get some rental money out of them.

First to take up the pitch were the black-faced Tom Wood & his Merry Men, then came E.H. Williams' Merrie Men (from 1899) and finally Gilbert Rogers' Jovial Jesters (from 1907 until 1920s):

Tom Wood & his Merry Men

Before leaving the topic of early entertainers here are two rare images from the Gilbert Rogers era, both dating from around 1909 and showing the newer, smaller edition of the pitch:

The pic of Tom Wood & his Merrie Men is from Bill Ellis' Entertainment in Rhyl and North Wales. The remainder are from Yours Truly.

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Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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