Tough one, Butch. As a revival, say a broadway musical that re-created a minstrel show, I think it could be successful under certain conditions. You could have white actors or black actors, but I think that "blacking-up" would be perceived as racist step-n'-fetchit activity. From what I can see of the humor used in the original minstrel shows, I think that is pretty naive for a contemporary audience, unless viewed in a historical context by students of the genre. I also think that the melodramatic plays that were presented as part of the show are generally too broad and have too many allusions to contemporary events, sayings, etc.

So I see two methods : Honest re-creations in small formats presented for those with a serious interest in the form OR up-dated versions that could serve the purpose of interesting larger numbers of people in the form.