Billy Kersands was an African American comedian and dancer, well known for performing in minstrelsy. In March, 1906, he performed at the Opera House in Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.
The above ad for the performance appeared in the Lykens Standard of March 9, 1906:
Opera House – Monday March 12
Billy Kersands’ Famous Minstrels!
Headed by the King of Colored Minstrelsy
BILLY KERSANDS
Together with all the Colored Stars of the Country in the Cast
See the Gorgeous First part Entitled “THE WATER MELON.”
See the Funny Side-Splitting Laughable Afterpart, “NANCY’S ELOPEMENT”
Street Parade at 11:30 a. m. Concert at 7:30 p. m.
PRICES —– 75c, 50c and 35c
According to Wikipedia:
He was the most popular black comedian of his day, best known for his work in blackface minstrelsy. In addition to his skillful acrobatics, dancing, singing, and instrument playing, Kersands was renowned for his comic routines involving his large mouth, which he could contort comically or fill with objects such as billiard balls or saucers. His stage persona was that of the dim-witted black man of the type that had been popularized in white minstrel shows. Modern commentators such as Mel Watkins cite him as one of the earliest black entertainers to have faced the dilemma of striking a balance between social satire and the reinforcement of negative stereotypes.
However, according to the Lykens Standard of February 9, 1906, the show had to be explained as follows:
BILLY KERSANDS MINSTRELS
For a real negro to be as good a negro minstrel as a white man is according to the general belief, is impossible, and such a spectacle is uncommon. But the persons who constitute the Georgia Minstrel Company, headed by Billy Kersands, contain a number of men who are real comedians, and whom nature, as well as art, make colored entertainers of genuine merit. Billy Kersands at the Gilliss this week has chiefly his commodious mouth for all his equipment, but he possesses also a vein of humor which grows richer as the years pass. His company is a very large one this season, it being the largest colored minstrel that has ever shown in Kansas City, and half a dozen of his supporters are first class — Kansas City Exchange
This Company will appear at the Lykens Opera House soon.
In other words, it’s really hard to believe that a Black man could do a better job imitating a Black man than a white man can, but we’ll give this guy a pass because he really plays it up the way we think Black people should be.
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Poster/Portrait from Wikipedia. News articles from Newspapers.com.