"This talented quintet has a skit called "An Evening at Home," showing them as if at their own fireside, each one performing on his favorite instrument. The piano, cello, violin and banjo are heard, and the ladies in the act render popular selections vocally. The act is gorgeously costumed and presented in a most finished manner. Comedy is also represented by the youngest member of the company, who gives some amusing child impersonations in a most artistic manner."

"For those who love and appreciate music, vocal and instrumental, the entertainment offered by the Moneta Five at the Orpheum Theatre this week is worth much more than the price of the whole show. The five comprise three women, a soprano with a wonderfully clear, sweet flute-like voice; a mezzo-soprano of fine quality and a contralto of unusual volume, range and polish, and two men, a tenor and baritone, the five making up a quintette whose superiors as musical entertainers have never appeared on the Orpheum stage.

Their vocal repertoire comprises classical selections from the best operas, sentimental ballads of a past generation but still favorites and popular songs of the day.

The members of the troupe are also virtuosos on a variety of stringed and wind instruments, brass and wood. Their appearance and manner are as refined and engaging as their music is charming. The audiences yesterday afternoon and last night evidenced their appreciation by most enthusiastic applause."

"Together, this aggregation is designated as "The Moneta Five." The turn is made up of a number of musical selections, vocal solos, duets and quartets, as well as a violin solo, banjo duets and ensemble numbers. Miss Wava Cummings has a clear soprano voice of great range and sweetness, and she sings with much expression. Added to this is the fascination of the beautiful face and charming manner of the young singer. Miss Cummings is but 17 years old but she is already in the prima donna class. Her sister, Miss Irma Cummings, is a handsome brunette, and her specialties are popular numbers. Mrs. Cummings is a fine looking woman of gracious presence and may be taken as an older sister of her two fascinating daughters. Mr. Wilbur plays upon his little brown violin, making the mood of his hearers conform to that of the violin. Mr. Boswell has an excellent voice, which his numbers are well calculated to display."

The Pre-Moneta Five Years

1900 - 1908: The Genesee Trio

"They play on nine different instruments in solos and trios and their program is well selected of classical and popular numbers."

"A good many music lovers were out to greet the Genesee Trio at the Bijou yesterday afternoon and evening and no disappointment was their lot as these gentlemen are accomplished vocal and instrumental musicians. The programme rendered was an overture "Poet and Peasant," on two banjos and a guitar. The mocking bird with some very fine variations was rendered on the violin by Mr. Wilber and the saxophone and ocarina were skillfully played by Mr. Boswell who also sang a beautiful baritone solo, "Good Bye Sweetheart, Good Bye," which will be repeated again tonight. The programme for this evening consists of a medlay from Grand Opera which will be rendered on two banjos and a guitar, giving selections from Carmen, "The Bohemian Girl," and others with the whole finale of William Tell."

1905 - 1906: Wava Cummings, Illustrated Songs

1907 - 1908: The Cummings Trio

"This trio is described as vaudeville's latest lyric luxury and is composed of three female voices of exceptional quality and training. An interesting fact connected with the trio is that it is composed of Mrs. Lena Cummings, an operatic contralto of note and her two charming daughters, Wava and Irma, both of whom have inherited their mother's great musical talent as well as an abundance of good looks. Their vocal offerings are of the calibre demanded by vaudeville audiences and consist of trios, duets and solos, all done in highly pleasing and artistic fashion."

"When Manager Sargent of the Jeffers secured the Cummings trio, he was more than confident that the number would meet with more than the usual approval of Saginaw music lovers, and such has surely been the case, for the beautiful singing and fresh winning manners of the trio have not failed to make the desired hit. Wava and Irma have only been in vaudeville for a few years but during that time have always been in company with their mother whose zealous efforts have always been for the advancement of the young musicians. Wava, is starring with the number, and both her sister and mother are very desirous that she should win all the praise and fame which her fresh young soprano voice of such rare ability, and her winsome manners deserve. It is a rarity indeed to find such a remarkable family as this one doing such excellent work with the quiet appearance which one might expect to see displayed in their own home. The group is just like any little family gathering with all of that characteristic simplicity, yet withal, the excellence of the singing and the attraction of the mother and daughters bears all that is necessary to make the number one that will rank high with all similar ones in vaudeville. Speaking of her daughters, Mrs. Cummings said that although they were both excellently qualified for their work, yet it had been her desire to feature Wava, in single work, as she had always shown a rare ability for such, having rendered sacred songs in many of the most prominent churches of Chicago. She even sang before many of these large gatherings when only three years of age, and since that time has been meeting with a most flattering amount of recognition. Wava when interviewed back of the scenes gave one of the impressions found in the acquaintance obtained from just the ordinary school girl of less than sixteen summers, and she carried with her that same charming degree of sweet modesty off the stage as on. The whole list of songs which the trio render are most popular and catchy, never failing to win just praise and repeated encores."

The Moneta Five Years

July 1908: The Moneta Five is formed

"The Cummings Trio and two of the Genesee Trio have consolidated and will be known as the Moneta Five. They have just finished a two weeks' engagement at Delmar Garden, Oklahoma City, Okla., which proved a great success and was endorsed by the management as one of the largest boxoffice attractions they had ever played."

August 1908 - November 1910

"The Moneta Five, entered as "vaudeville's latest luxury," certainly catches the public. Last season local critics gave the Cummings trio a most enthusiastic estimate. All conceded it to be the best women's three heard in vaudeville for months. The Moneta Five include the original Cummings trio and two other singers having equally lovely voices and possessing the same excellent training. As a quintette, the Monetas have gained high repute for the beauty and charm of their ensemble work. Their individual singing is what might be expected from finished musicians. A repertory of old and new songs of the popular and semi-classical school makes their programme an engaging one."

"The Moneta five, appearing at the Brinkman Family Theater this week are undoubtedly deserving of the highest possible praise for their clever act. Wava Moneta's rendition of "Carissimo" is simply immense, while Miss Irma's "Child Imitation" is alone well worth the price of admission. Nat Boswell has an excellent bass voice and his singing of "The Bell in the Lighthouse" called forth round after round of applause from a large and delighted audience last evening. Ed Wilber, also one of the famous quint, showed himself to be a fine violinist and is without question the king of them all on the banjo. This small company of expert actors will appear each evening this week at the Brinkman Family Theater and you will certainly miss the opportunity of a lifetime if you fail to see them. The admission charges this week will be 15 and 25 cents as "The Monetas" are well worth the extra 10 cents."

"There are five people in the aggregation and they style themselves the Moneta Five. They play enough instruments and sing in so wide a range of variety however that they might almost as truthfully be called the Moneta Fifty. For instance, a clever young woman with a marcel wave and a winning smile who, on the stage is Wava Moneta, so called, perhaps from the marcel wave, sings a solo that goes to high C. Then she joins the chorus and sings the air to some old familiar ballad. Added to this, she knows how to wear a stunning gown, and--well, she is so good to look upon that even if you do not care for high C you can still be entertained. Then there is another fresh looking maid who styles herself "Mona" Moneta, but who it will be wagered fits the name of Margaret or Mabel infinitely better. She plays the piano artistically, jumping from "Carmen" to "Silver Threads Among the Gold" with equal facility. Her fingering is excellent and her expression undoubtedly would be, except that it is next to impossible to fill any room larger than a concert hall with a sufficient volume of melody to reach every part of the house and still maintain the composer's intended feeling. Still another, Lena B. Moneta, who leans toward dowager proportions, sings in a rich contralto which adds much to the ensemble numbers. Nat R. Boswell and Edward Wilber, the two masculin members of the troupe, besides possessing exceptional bass and tenor voices respectively, play a variety of instruments, beginning with the violin, changing to cello and saxophone, and winding up with a banjo number that brings out the too little known sweetness of this southern instrument. Altogether it is a big act and should merit a full week of patronage."

"For the headline attraction this week the Majestic has a most beautiful musical act, vocal and instrumental, by the Moneta Five, three women and two men. The act begins with the contralto singing "Silver Threads Among the Gold," with refrain by the company, and it is beautifully rendered. The soprano has an excellent voice and that of the baritone is of fine musical quality. One of the instrumental gems was the "Mocking Bird," a flute, violin and piano trio, and the two men played a beautiful mandolin duet, an operatic portpourri from "Carmen," "Trovatore" and "William Tell." Yet, although the artistic worth of the hit was appreciated, the child "Boogie Boo" song by one of the women made the hit of the act."

December 1910 - September 1913

"...Music lovers in particular will be delighted with the excellence of the bill, the feature of which is the Moneta Five, a company of vocal and instrumental artists who given a delightful entertainment in their act entitled "An Evening at Home." The company is composed of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Metz, E.D. Wilber, Miss Mona Moneta and Miss Bernice Moneta. Mr. Metz has a wonderful voice, an almost perfect baritone, while his wife has a beautiful soprano voice. Their voices are of a quality rarely found on the vaudeville stage and both artists are enabled to give the best they are capable of through the excellent support they receive. Miss Mona Moneta is an accomplished accompanist, while Mr. Wilber is a musical virtuoso, who plays the violin, the banjo, and the cornet with equal skill. Bernice Moneta is an artist with the 'cello and either violin or cornet accompaniment form a combination that is appreciated by every lover of good music. Their program is varied and is composed of masterpieces that never grow old. The act is one seldom seen outside of the big vaudeville circuits and an attraction that should pack the Bijou at every performance."

"Emily Ellis Metz displays an exceptional control and technique of her beautiful soprano voice. Miss Moneta does a baby imitation and introduces some good comedy. Messrs. Coppens and Wilber offer several good instrumental numbers. Otto Metz displays a powerful baritone voice."

"In speaking of the La-Wa-Na Five, the act which has created such a stir in vaudeville circles and which will appear at the Orpheum during the last half of this week beginning tomorrow, the Show World of Feb. 18, says: 'All the delightful parts and tints of an evening at home have been figured out by the producer of this offering and while the players appear to be entertaining themselves they provide as enjoyable an entertainment for the audience as could be desired. It is a household scene, the "home" room of a mansion somewhere in the mountains with an immense French window in the rear which displays a beautiful view of the hills in the distance. The family consists of a talented lot of musicians who sing and play various instruments, coming and going at will and so naturally that the absence of one or two is not noticed. Every detail has been worked out admirably. Brass, string and reed instruments are employed with piano accompaniment the major part of the time with vocal numbers that relieve instrumental numbers so frequently that the audience is always hungry for more. They were frequently encored. Wava E. Cummings is prominent in the singing and has a solo which stands out prominently as a feature. She relieves any possible tedium with a little story of a baby girl which gets a laugh. Lena B. Moneta leads the number which is used for the rose of the curtain singing "Silver Threads Among the Gold" with accompaniment on piano, flute, French horn and baritone. A quartette number in which the two ladies play cornets and Nat Boswell and Arthur Burbank saxaphones, with the fifth number of the quintette at the piano, is enjoyable. A violin solo by Maude Danforth would make a splendid "single." ... and the five are accomplished instrumentalists, well trained singers and are especially strong on harmony.' "

[Freeport, Illinois, Daily Bulletin, February 25, 1911]
"In view of the fact that an article appeared in some of the Freeport papers last night in regard to the La-Wa-Na Five and endeavoring to show that this act had appeared before in Freeport, the management of the Orpheum theater wishes to announce to the public that the Moneta Five is now playing at Joliet while the La-Wa-Na Five is at the Orpheum. The manager of both acts is at the Orpheum at present and states that the La-Wa-Na Five is as different as day is from night and is a much better attraction than the Moneta Five ever can hope to be. The issue of the Show World of February 18 will support that statement for both acts are criticized in that paper, the former favorably, the latter unfavorably. Further, the class of acts appearing at the Orpheum is evidence enough that this house is a first-class vaudeville theater. ((Signed)) BENDER & FOSTER."

[Freeport, Illinois, Daily Bulletin, February 27, 1911]
"In an article in last Saturday's papers the managers of the Orpheum made a statement that the La-Wa-Na Five is an altogether different act than the Moneta Five that played at the Bijou and is a much better attraction. We will post $100 or any amount more real money that three members of the La-Wa-Na Five that played the Orpheum last week also played at the Bijou with the Moneta Five. If any one can prove to the contrary here is a chance to make some easy money. ((Signed)) MOLCHIOR & CASSUTT."

"The La-Wa-Na Trio have a classical musical offering that is set amid sumptuous surroundings. They play and sing both popular and classical airs, and their act is one that will appeal to those who love good music. The parlor setting with the mountains appearing in the distance through the windows lends a luxurious touch to a presentation that deserves the best that can be said for it."

"Two sweet-voiced ladies and a gentleman compose the La-Wa-Na Trio. The three present a delightful combination of singing and instrumental music. While the ladies are resting during the act, the gentleman proves that even the discounted flute is capable of merriest music."

"When the really classy musical act called "The Moneta Five" was at the Orpheum early this season one of the real Monetas was missing. She was Miss Mona, and she appears here with Edwin Wilbur in a musical oddity. Miss Moneta is billed as "The Highest Note in Vaudeville," having a voice of wonderful range, reaching one octave above high "C" with little or no efforts. Wilbur is possessed of a voice of wonderful range and clearness also and the two will make good easily."

"Moneta and Wilbur are great. Miss Moneta has a good soprano voice and plays well upon the piano. They open their number with a song by Miss Moneta; then Wilbur plays a violin obligato and Miss Moneta upon the piano. Wilbur's imitation on the violin of a banjo and guitar duet, and in imitation of violin and piccolo are good. Miss Moneta, attired in juvenile costume, tells stories, imitating a child, and gets away good in this work also. This is a high class act throughout."

September 1913 - March 1915

If anyone has additional information regarding the Moneta Five, please email me at markwilber@thewilbers.us

Thank You,

Mark Wilber
(Edwin & Irma Wilber's grandson)