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About New York Theater





The Bowery Theatre was a [playhouse] in the [Bowery,_Manhattan] neighborhood of [New York City]. Although it was founded by rich families to compete with the upscale [Park Theatre (Manhattan)], the Bowery saw its most successful period under the [populist], pro-American management of [Thomas Hamblin] in the 1830s and 1840s. By the 1850s, the theatre came to cater to immigrant groups such as the [Irish American], [German American], and [Chinese American]. It burnt down 5 times in 17 years, a fire in 1929 destroying it for good. Although the theatre's name changed several times, it was generally referred to as the "Bowery Theatre".

Founding and early management By the mid-1820s, wealthy settler families in the new ward that was made fashionable by the opening of [Lafayette Street], parallel to the Bowery, wanted easy access to fashionable high-class European drama, then only available at the [Park Theatre (Manhattan)]. Under the leadership of [Henry Astor], they formed the New York Association and bought land where Astor's tavern stood, facing the neighborhood and occupying the area between Elizabeth, [Canal Street (Manhattan)], and Hester streets. They hired architects [Ithiel Town] and [John Trimble] to design the new venue.

The new playhouse, with its [Neoclassical architecture] design, was more opulent than the Park, and it seated 3,500 people, making it the biggest theatre in the United States at the time.Wilmeth and Tice 42. [Frances Trollope] described it as "superior in beauty the Park; it is indeed as pretty a theatre as I ever entered, perfect as to size and proportion, elegantly decorated, and the scenery and machinery equal to any in London…."[Frances Trollope] (1832). [Domestic Manners of the Americans].

The Bowery Theatre opened on 22 October 1826 with the play [The Road to Ruin (play)], under the management of [Charles A. Gilfert]. New York Mayor [Philip Hone] spoke at the opening ceremony, imploring the theatre's intended upper-class audience: "It is therefore incumbent upon those whose standing in society enables them to control the opinions and direct the judgment of others, to encourage, by their countenance and support, a well-regulated theatre".Quoted in Cockrell 29. Its first few seasons were devoted to [ballet], [opera], and high drama. The theatre was by this time quite fashionable, and the northward expansion of [Manhattan] gave the theatre access to a large patronage. The theatre burnt out in 1828, but was rebuilt behind the same facade. Gilfert's understanding of [advertising] was keen, but In 1829, the owners fired him.

Hamblin's tenure The owners hired [Thomas Hamblin] and [James H. Hackett] in August 1830 to manage the theatre. A month later, Hackett left Hamblin in complete control. After the Bowery burnt down later that year, Hamblin rebuilt. He then took the theatre in a decidedly different direction for what would be its most innovative and successful period.

American theatres stratified in the [Jacksonian Era], and the Bowery emerged as the home of [Nativism] and [populism] causes, placing it in direct contrast to the Park Theatre's cultivated image of traditional European high culture. This was partially the result of an anti-British theatre riot at the Park; Hamblin renamed the playhouse "the American Theatre, Bowery" in reaction. Hamblin hired unknown [United States] actors and playwrights and allowed them to play for long runs of up to a month. Before 1843, early [blackface] performers such as [George Washington Dixon] and [Thomas D. Rice] played there frequently, and acts such as [J. B. Booth], [Edwin Forrest], [Louisa Lane Drew], and [Frank Chanfrau] also gained renown on the Bowery's stage. [George L. Fox (clown)] and his [pantomime] became the most popular act at the Bowery until after the Civil War. Bowery productions also debuted or popularized a number of new character types, including the [B'hoy and g'hal], the [Yankee], the [Frontiersman], and the blackface [Negro].

The pro-Americanism of the Bowery's audience came to a head during the [Farren Riots] of 1834. Farren,Cockrell calls this individual [George P. Farren]. Wilmeth and Bigsby in The Cambridge History of American Theatre: Beginnings to 1870 call him [William Farren]. the Bowery's British-born [stage manager], had reportedly made anti-American comments and fired an American actor. Protesters reacted by attacking the homes, businesses, and churches of [Abolition] and blacks in New York City and then storming the theatre on 9 July. Farren apologized for his comments, and George Washington Dixon sang popular songs to quell the rioters.

Hamblin defied conventions of theatre as high culture by booking productions that appealed to [working class] patrons and by advertising them extensively according to Gilfert's model. [Animal acts], blackface [minstrel show]s, and [melodrama] enjoyed the most frequent billings, and hybrid forms, such as melodramas about dogs saving their human masters, became unprecedented successes. Spectacular productions with advanced [visual effects], including water and fire, featured prominently. Hamblin also innovated by using [gas lighting] in lieu of candles and kerosene lamps. The Bowery Theatre earned the nickname "The Slaughterhouse" for its low-class offerings, and terms like "Bowery melodrama" and "Bowery actors" were coined to characterize the new type of theatre.Nichols 900.

In the spring of 1834, Hamblin began buying shares in the theatre from the New York Association; he had enough to control the enterprise completely within 18 months. By the time the Bowery burnt again in September 1836, it was the most popular playhouse in New York City,Bank 116. despite steep increases in competition (the [Bowery Amphitheatre] was right across the street). Visual spectacle had become such an integral part of its appeal that Hamblin claimed $5000 in wardrobe losses from the fire.Bank 94. Hamblin bought out the remaining shares in the theatre and rented the site to [W. E. Dinneford] and [Thomas Flynn], who rebuilt. When this interim Bowery burnt down in February 1838, Hamblin replaced it with a bigger and more opulent structure, which opened in May 1839.

Through Hamblin's actions, working-class theatre emerged as a form in its own right, and melodrama became the most popular form of American theatre. Low-class patrons such as [B'hoy and g'hal] predominated in the audience. [The Spirit of the Times] described the Bowery's patrons:

By reasonable computation there were about 300 persons on the stage and wings alone—soldiers in fatigue dresses—officers with side arms—a few jolly tars, and a number of "apple-munching urchins." The scene was indescribably ludicrous. Booth played III in his best style, and was really anxious to make a hit, but the confusion incidental to such a crowd on the stage, occasioned constant and most humorous interruptions. It was every thing or any thing, but a tragedy. In the scene with Lady Anne, a scene so much admired for its address, the gallery spectators amused themselves by throwing pennies and silver pieces on the stage, which occasioned an immense scramble among the boys, and they frequently ran between King Richard and Lady Anne, to snatch a stray copper. In the tent scene, so solemn and so impressive, several curious amateurs went up to the table, took up the crown, poised the heavy sword, and examined all the regalia with great care, while Richard was in agony from the terrible dream; and when the scene changed, discovering the ghosts of King Henry, Lady Anne and children, it was difficult to select them from the crowd who thrust their faces and persons among the Royal shadows.

The Battle of Bosworth Field capped the climax—the audience mingled with the soldiers and raced across the stage, to the shouts of the people, the roll of the drums and the bellowing of the trumpets; and when the fight between Richard and Richmond came on, they made a ring round the combattants to see fair play, and kept them at if for nearly a quarter of an hour by "Shrewsberry clock."Porter, William T. (1 December 1832). [The Spirit of the Times]. Quoted in Cockrell 31-2.



Some sources even suggest that patrons engaged in sexual behavior in the lobbies and boxes.Mahar 278. Understandably, Hamblin was careful to remain in this crowd's good graces. For example, he regularly offered use of the Bowery Theatre for the annual firemen's ball. Only the [Chatham Garden Theatre] boasted a rowdier audience.Trollope, Fanny (1832). Domestic Manners of the Americans.

Profits were harder to come by in the 1840s, as more playhouses sprung up in New York. Hamblin staged more effects-driven melodrama and later increased bookings of circus acts, minstrel shows, and other variety entertainments. The Bowery burnt down once more in April 1845. This time, Hamblin had [fire insurance], and he rebuilt with an eye toward appealing to a more upscale patronage and to staging more spectacular melodrama. The theatre now seated 4,000 and with a stage 126 feet square, secured its place as one of the largest playhouses in the world.Wilmeth and Tice 42. Hamblin left the management to [A. W. Jackson], though Jackson and later managers largely upheld Hamblin's emphasis on melodrama and visual splendor. Hamblin died in January 1853, and the theatre remained in his family until 1867.

Later management

By the middle of the 19th century, immigrant groups, notably the [Irish people], began populating the Bowery neighborhood. They came to form a significant portion of the Bowery's audience, mostly in the low-price gallery section. In order to cater to them, the theatre offered plays by [James Pilgrim] and other Irish playwrights. Meanwhile, the Bowery emerged as the theatrical center for New York's [Lower East Side].

[Germans] [Gustav Amberg], [Heinrich Conreid], and [Mathilde Cottrelly] converted the Bowery into the Thalia Theatre in 1879, offering primarily [German theatre] during their ownership. In 1891, [Yiddish theatre] became the predominate attraction. [Italian theatre] [vaudeville] succeeded this, followed by [Chinese theatre]. "Fay's Bowery Theatre" burnt down on 5 June 1929 under Chinese management and was never rebuilt.

Notes

References
  • Bank, Rosemary K. (1997). Theatre Culture in America, 1825-1860. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Cockrell, Dale (1997). Demons of Disorder: Early Blackface Minstrels and Their World. Cambridge University Press.
  • Mahar, William J. (1999). Behind the Burnt Cork Mask: Early Blackface Minstrelsy and Antebellum American Popular Culture. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
  • Nichols, Glen (1999). "Hamblin, Thomas Sowerby". American National Biography, Vol. 9. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Praefcke, Andreas. " New York, NY: Bowery Theatre", Carthalia. Accessed 28 November 2005.
  • [Frances Trollope] (1832). [Domestic Manners of the Americans].
  • Wilmeth, Don B., and Miller, Tice L., eds. (1996). Cambridge Guide to American Theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Wilmeth, Don B., and Bigsby, C. W. E. (1998) The Cambridge History of American Theatre: Beginnings to 1870. New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • Wilmeth, Don B., and Bigsby, C. W. E. (1999) The Cambridge History of American Theatre: Volume II, 1870-1945. New York: Cambridge University Press.


Information Reference: Wikipedia.org


New York Theater

Questions and Answers

where to buy concert ticket not online in new york?

Q) such as"the national" in summer stage and "maroon5" in Jones Beach Theater.

A) ticket booths outside the concert?

New York Theater District?

Q) Hello everyone, I'll be in New York City this weekend to see a show at the Broadway Theater. Would you please suggest some good steakhouses/seafood restaurants withing walking distance of the theater. I hear that parking is extremely expensive in New York, so we only want to pay for parking once. We want to park, go to a restaurant, then walk to the theater. Any suggestions on STEAK/SEAFOOD restaurants within walking distance of the theater, and also any suggestions for reasonable parking? Also, for a an "upscale" restaurant, how much $ are we going to spend for 2 people? Is it in the $100-$150 range, or in the $150-$250 range? Thanks in advance

A) To me the best steakhouse is Smith and Wollensky (besides Waldorf Astoria) or Ruth's Chris (51st) Not very cheap but nice. Theatre district is FULL of restaurants so it's a matter or chosing. A word of advice: shows finish at 11pm more or less and at that time most places are closed. Try and eat before the show, even if it means at 6pm!!!!

New York theater district on strike?

Q) I have tickets for the christmas show at radio city NY tomorrow night. I heard some of the theaters are on strike- does anyone know if its true? and if radio city is one of them? thank you

A) No radio city music hall is not one of them.

Good restaurant in New York Theater District?

Q) I am going though chemotherapy right now and my parents have been absolutely wonderful and supportive and incredibly helpful in caring for me. So, now that I'm almost done with treatment, I would like to give them a present and I thought dinner in a really nice resteraunt and then tickets to a Broadway show would be good. Any ideas for a restaurant, not horribly expensive but upscale enough to be memorable.

A) BECCO 355 W. 46th Street (between 8th Ave & 9th Ave) New York, NY 10036 (212) 397-7597 The food is amazing and affordable for the area, especially if you know what to order. I had the special appetizer last time I went and holy lord was it delicious; fresh buffala mozzarella with orange and yellow tomatoes in a balsamic vinegar and olive oil mixture was to die for... it defied the shackles of it's caprese salad title. The staff. From the waiters to the bussers to the bartender and the owner, this place has a staff that knows how to take care of one another. Full hands in, full hands out is definitely a motto that they live by at Becco and it shows, translating into outstanding customer service and a great, relaxing atmosphere for patrons. Helpful hint for all of you not from NY: don't head out to Becco right before the theatre - it's going to be swamped. Head over during the shows or well after to ensure you have plenty of time for dinner and conversation.

if there is any indian movie theater in new york?

Q) i live in new york but there is not any theater,atleast i think there isn't .. plz help me!!

A) I think the theater on 42nd street plays indian movies. I think they have only one show on weekends. At least that was the case 4-5 yrs back.

Where can i find a regal theater near New york playing Hannah Montana in 3D?

Q) Where can i find a regal theater near New york playing Hannah Montana in 3D?

A) Moviefone- type in the title and zip code. or Fandango.

Does anyone know where I can find the original RENT play poster from the New York Theater Workshop in 1994-5?

Q) I've beens searchinig google for about 2 hours. Its the original from the NYTW with words "describing", i guess you could say, what RENT is about. Sone words included are " rocknroll, law, love, AIDS, salasa, and down town. Thanks to any help!

A) Ebay... I have that poster you're describing. You are going to have a really difficult time finding it, and prepare to pay several hundred for it. Good luck! Love, Snag

Reselling theater tickets in New York?

Q) If I were to resell my theater tickets in New York City because I didn't need them, how would I go about doing that? I think there is a law that you have to be outside the vicinity of the theater, X amount of feet, before you can sell. I'd rather not get arrested. Sources? Sorry guys, I forgot to mention, if I need to sell them, it will be the same day.

A) You can try http://www.stubhub.com or ebay or, depending on what the show is and the date, a licensed broker may be interested in them.

where was the new york black theater located?

A) I am not sure what kind of theater you mean, but there were several black theaters in Harlem: National Black Theater (2031 Fifth Avenue), American Negro Theater, and of course the famous Apollo Theater on 125th Street.

Looking for a recommendation as to which theater membership to consider in New York City.We used to be part?

Q) Looking for a recommendation as to which theater membership to consider in New York City. We used to be members of the Round About Theater and were not too happy. Exchange of tickets was difficult and some plays were not too exciting. Looking for "off broadway" type plays with good actors and good content. any suggestions? thanks, riki

A) None. Theater memberships are WAY over-rated. Waste your money on something much more constructive and enriching, like a gamefly and/or netflix membership, better yet get 2 or 3 of each, then instead of wasting your life watching some pathetic losers prance around on a stage, you can inundate your cerebrum with non-stop action, sound, special effects and much much more all in the comfort of your own domicile

New York...?

Q) My theater class is taking a trip to new york in june and i want to go INCREDIBLY bad, the thing is i need ways to raise money. a few of my friends would be willing to help me so group things will work too, but i need ideas of ways to raise funds

A) Sell your sister

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