The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-16
NEW YORK'S THEATRES.
a Est OF PLACES OF AFUsEMENT
FROM 1888 TO 1899.


70 Begins with the "Plsyhouse" and Euds
with the New York-Some Famous Thea
tres and Others That Exist Merely by
Name. and Not by Much of That-How
Theatres Havo Chnngod Their Names.
How many New Workers OF this day who
know the phrase. Wake me up when Kirby
dies" know where It ofiginated2 Most Of them
will say that II came from the Bowery Theatre.
for to tho average New Yorker there was but
one theatre in fhe old city. the Bowery But
the average Now Yorker viii be wrong. for the
Bowery wasn't the only theatre In the old city.
and II wasn't at the Bowery that Hudson Kirby
caused tho famous saying.to originate.
Anthony Aston. prior to 1882. had acted
in New York: but what he acted and
where are unknown. just about as much Is
known OF the first theatre in the city.
As far back as 1882 there was playhouse
somewhere In the city. though no one knows
whore II was. II was In building owned by
the estate OF the Hon. Rip Van Dam. and no
ono knows what performances were given
there Therefore. except for the name OF the
thing. as the man said who worked his way on
the canalboat and found himself walking by
the tow mules there might as we'll have been
no PLAYHOUSE. 40 we will drop that and 60 to
the Kip street theatre This was In Kip now
Nassau street. between John street and Maiden
lane. 1t was opened on March 8. 1850. with
Orchard ILL.," Three years later. on Sept. IL.
1853 another theatre on the east side OF Mas
sau street. at what is now "a SO Nassau street.
was opened by Lewis Hallam and his company.
"fron Virginia" The next year Mr.. Hallam
produced. for tho first time In America"
Romeo and Juliet" Other shakespearean
plays were produced there. King Lear"
h>1io mi. ID Arat In ha thnatral
and tho comedies OF Congreve. Cibber and
others.
In 1853 another theatre was opened.
this time in Front street. between Old and
Coenties slips: and In 1761 came the theatre
in Chapel street. where Temple Court now Is.
Chapel. or Chapel. street being the old name
for Beekman street It was in this theatre. on
Nov II, 1901 that Hamlet" was played FIRST
In this country.
The first famous theatre In the city was the
John Street. opened on Dec. z. 1857 II stood
Just east OF Broadway. and during the occupa-
tion OF the city by the British was tho scene OF
many amateur performances by the officers OF
the garrison and their friends. Major Andre
played there. and others less famous than he.
In October. 1855. after the British had depart
ed the theatre reopened with play called the
Countess OF Salisbury" the first play pro-
duced under the flag OF the United States.
The John Street Theatre was closed with the
performance on Jan. 10. 1908. Hall Column
ba" was played for the first time at this
theatre. in honor OF Washington.
After the John Street Theatre opened, no
other theatre was built until 1875. when Rick
cts circus. In Greenwich street. was turned
into a theatre, to be called. In 1897. this Green
wich Street. This place was burned on Dec.
II. 1899. Then. in 17aS. tho original Park
IN ,,l,A hn 70
Park Row building stands now. at p % Park
row. This famous theatre ran back to Theatre
alley. which still exists as the only memorial
OF the once famous playhouse. SO In London
Playhouse Yard still stands to show where one
OF the Shakespearean theatres stood. The
Park burned down and rebuilt in 1S20-21
was burned q second time on Dec 10. 184S.
and was never rebuilt. At the PARK all the
famous actors Of the time appeared. when
they could get there. and Its history is that OF
the New York stage for many years.
In 1899 theatre was opene d at 242 Water
street. but regular plays seem not to have
been given. merely "medeys." On July g.,
1901. the Mount Vernon Gardens. at Leonard
street end Broadway. were opened as a sum-
mer theatre. being comfortably out OF town.
and on March o. 1904. the Grove Street The
atre was opened in Grove. now Madison street.
east OF Cath6rine street. 1t was closed on June
10. 1908. Near where Cooper Union stands
we're the Vauxhall Gardens. which had a sum :
mer theatre. Opened In 1903. the meat saloon
for dramatic purposes" was still In use in 1S46.
On May 20. 1912. the first Olympic was
opened. to change its name In 1918 to the
Commonwealth. and to close in January. 1914
1t had been circus before 1t became theatre.
To take its place. however. another theatre
opened Its doors. the Anthony Street Theatre.
1t Was In Anthony street. now Worth. Just
of Broadway. and had it's first perform
ance on July q. 1914. There. the Park
being burned. Edmund Kean made his first
appearance In America in 1920. The Anthony
Street was burned and never rebuilt. on July
9. 1924. The City Theatre was the first Berke.
Icy Lyceum. az 1t was opened for an amateur
theatre on July 2. 1922. and closed on June H.
1923. It stood at ID Warren street. and was In
the second story.
The Broadway Circus. between Howard and
Grand streets. was used as atheatre during
the yellow fever scare In 1922: so was the
Mount Pitt Circus at Grand street and East
Broadway.
Tho Chatham Garden. later the Pavilion
Theatre. stood from 1929 to 1882 In Chatham
street. now Park row. between Duane ant
Pearl streets. 1t soon lost its vogue. and aftel
many names became a church. Then Castle
tufu0n was Opeuou lot performances, lne'
atrical and musical. and in 1925. on July 4
Gen. Sanford opened the Lafayette Amphi
theatre. afterward the Lafayette Theatre. k
Laurens street. The General was q great
circus man and built his theatre 40 that he
could have horses or Hamlets on his stage
His theatre was the finest In the city and stood
until It was burned down on April II. 1920
where st. Alphonsus's church stands now. in
West Broadway.
On Oct 23. 1925. the third famous theatre Of
the city. and the most famous OF them all. wa
opened-the New York. soon to be called tn,
American. and not long thereafter to become
the Bowery! For fifty years every famous &C
tor on tho American stage. almost without eX
eeption trod the Bowery's stage. 1t is tn
Oldest theatre In the city. and now. in stranG
hands. its auditorium ringing with strang
tongue. It Is the Thalia, and holds Jiddsh ac
tors and Jiddish audiences.
To dwell on the theatres of New York even a
their Importance entities them to be treatet
would take too long but here is a list Of them
with occasional notes on their history;
In 1926 the Sans SoucI Gardens were opened