Charles Stewart

Charles Stewart (fl 1860s) was an American singer, musician and actor.

Also known as Mr Stewart.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

A member of the "original" Christy Minstrels that visited South Africa in 1862, he was apparently a banjo-player, singer and the company's conductor, a role he fulfilled, for example, in their many performances of the burlesque, La Somnambula.

The company's successful appearances had a huge impact on popular entertainment in Cape Town and the country during the 19th century.

Sources

Sydney Morning Herald, 5 May, 1863[1]

The Australian Circus History Society Website[2]

W.J. Mahar. 1999. Behind the Burnt Cork Mask: Early Blackface Minstrelsy and Antebellum American Popular Culture. Volume 442 of Music in American life. University of Illinois Press, 1999

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 139-140.

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