The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-07

The interest in all matters pertain
ing to the eighteenth century brought
forward by the centennial anniver-
sary is very marked. Americans dur
ing the last hundred years have been
so busy with other matters and SO
careless about preserving old land
marks that it is difficult for them now
to o lost ground. 1t would be
most interesting to know more about
the playhouses and players OF that day
There was a large room or hall in use
as early as 1888 in New York, but this
was used for the exhibition of puppet
shows and similar entertainments. 1t
has been quite the fashion Of late
years to turn churches into theatres,
but the first playhouse on the east
side Of Nassau street, between John
street and Maiden lane, was finally
converted into the old Dutch Church.
The first theatrical performance in
New York was in this theatre on the
evening of March 5, 1850 The thea
tire was managed by Murray and Kean
two Englishmen, Kean playing Rich
ard III. on that occasion.
The management of this theatre
passed into the hands of Lewis Hal
lam in 1853. 1t is thought that he was
the nephew of Thomas Hallam, who
was accidentally killed by Macklin in
1875, and the son of Adam Hallam, q
we'll known performer in his day.
There seems to have been a diversity
of tastes in the children of this old
actor, as two of his children, William
and Lewis, were interested in theatre
cal management. A third was Adj
miral Hallam, r. N, and a fourth,
George, was an actor.
The next theatre appears to have
been not so very different from those
of the present day. 1t was built in
the summer of 1867, and was in use for
thirty years. 1t was run by a Mr..
Douglas, and vas on the northerly
side of John street, neal Broadway.
Mr.. Douglas continued in possession
until April 1918. Performances were
usually given on Mondays, Wednes-
days and Fridays, and the spectators
received their moneys worth. The
first play acted there was 1.-THE
Stratagem" followed by "Lethe,n a
dramatic satire. 1t was quite a family
affair, Mrs. Douglas giving Rotations
during the evening.
About this time public gardens were
much resorted to when the season per-
mitted. There were several of them,
Montague Garden being the ~favorite,
and in 1776 it was the headquarters of
the Liberty Boys. 1t was named after
it's owner and was on Broadway near
the northerly corner of Murray street,
opposite the park, or "the fields" as it
was called.
The John street theatre was called
in 1777 the Theatre Royal whether
or not it had that name previous to
that time.
Nothing is definitely known about
the exact situation of a theatre which
existed in 1890 in William street. The
Park Theatre was probably on Cham
bers street. 1t was an expensive affair,
considering that money would buy
twice as much then as now, for it cost
as much as $135, 900. William Dunlap
and John Hodgekinson were its man
ayers. 1t was opened on the evening
of January 30, 1898, three years after
it was first projected. 1T seems to be
the destiny OF most theatres to be
finally burned, but those called
PARK have not apparently the ghost
of a chance to end in any other way.
This Park Theatre astedtwenty-three
years before it was finally consumed.
The Pantheon was the tenth and
last to be built of New York's theatres
during the eighteenth century. 1t
was on Greenwich street and under
the management of Rienagle q Wig
nell. Venice Preserved" was the play
presented at its opening on Monday,
August 81, 1897. 1t was owned by a
Mr.. Fennell. 1t is rather singular that
no traces of any of these places of
amusement can now be found.
So far in the nineteenth century we
have had in New York about sixty
five theatres. Considering the differ
ence of population our grand parents
we're not much behind after all; ten in
fifty years were about as many for
them rs III sixty-ive in eighty-nine
years.
The Empress Eugenie.
Worth, in the Boston Traascript.l
Two things at the beginning of the