The sun., 1901-08-11

the season Amberg once more gained pos
session of the Thalia to remain in control
SO long as II was conducted as German
theatre with the exception Of one year
For five years he was manager with varied
success and with more or less distin glishcd
actors. Marie Geitsinger returned to his
forces, and Antonio Janisch made her fist
appearance there Adolf Sonnenthai came
first TO this country under Amberg's man
agement Of the theatre at this time. He
was imported by Conried. who finding no
theatre in which TO introduce him was
compelled to put him into the Thalia. This
enterprise was source Of profit TO both
managers. who were almost able to break
all previous records by earning more money
out of the undertaking than their star.
The last year Of the Amberg management
was fortunate and took on musical char
acter through the importatin Of Heinrich
Boetel. the German tenor with The phe-
nomenal high notes. The artists who re-
turned were Mathilde Contrelly, Adolph
Sonnenthal and Ludwig Barnay and Ernst
Possart played successful engagement.
II was at the close Of the season Of lss7-SS
that the Amberg. now called the Irving
Place Theatre was opened, and the German
muse was out OF the Thalia Theatre for
four years. Then in ls00-9l the Rosenfed
brothers began a term OF management
that was destined to last only one year.
In that time they produced the first Of Ger
hart Hauptmann's plays in this country,
imported the remains OF Meinlnger com
pany of actors and introduced Josef kainz
To audiences so far downtown. Later they
imported Adele Sandrock, who acted how
ever at the Academy Of Music where Helm
rich Conricd had also introduced some OF
his foreign importations.
This ended the old Bowery's history as a
German theatre. When it was again used
it was by the Yiddish actors, who appear
there occasionally to this day and probably
will continue to do so until the site ls divided
into building lots.
There was some moralizing as TO the pity
of allowing an American theatre with a
history to pass over 10 the Use OF foreign
drama when the old house became the
Thalia but its walls never housed such
fine stage art in all probability as it
did during those nine years from 1879
until tho spring of 1888. The history of
the German theatre in this country, shows
that it's beginning was the result of an
actual demand of the people and its early
prosperity is at strange variance with
tho Indifference that exists at present
When the Thalia was brought into exis-
tence. il was the third Of what might be
called the regular German theatres oi TINS
city. Almost from the time that New
York possessed German population, IL
has had German theatre. In the early
SOS the Germans lived chiefly on the
lower East Side in the region now occupied
bv the public that furnishes audiences 10
the Yiddish theatres. There were schools,
churches and newspapers devoted 10 tho
ms, of the Germans and naturally it was
not long before the drama, then amateur
in form or made partly professional by
the retired actors who had immgrated
from, the Fatherland 10 become something
eIse in the new world, asserted itself in
tho halls and in whatever quarters 1t could
afford to hire.
After moving about Chatham Square and
tho Fast Side for two years the German
drama found q home in the Stadt Theatre.
Tho site Of this theatre had been occupied
by the Bowery Amphitheatre. 1t was
under the management Of Elise and otto
Won Uoym. The first German star TO visit
This country was Ottilie Genee, the popular
Berlin soubrette. now teacher OF acting
In her home. She went West 20 FOUND
German theatre that existed for twenty
wears i'm San Francisco. The other noted
German actors who came here at that time
we're Bogumil Davis On, who acted wlth
Rootb. PLAYING OthelIo in German 10 the
Anerican actors Idgo, the L'ArrongeS,
Friedrich Haase and Marie Seebach. ,,
Here opera was also given. and at the OLD
Stadt Theatre took place the first American
performance Of -Lohengrin' under the
direction Of Adolph Neuendorf, while Pau
line Iucca also sang there.
The misfortunes which began Tor the
Stadt Theatre when its first managers with
drew from It's control in the early seventies
reached their climax in 1874, for Adolph
Neuendorf opened in that year the Germanla
Theatre in Fourteenth street, which Is now
known as Tony Pastors. This was the city
second German theatre, and it had prac,,
tically no rival until the Thalia was opened
save for occasional performances by noted
German actors at the English-speaking
houses. Neuendorf was not successful
owing chiefly to his extravagant outside
ventures. and when he moved with his
company to the Star Theatre his misfor-
tunes after one season made II necessary
for him To give up the house.
The German drama had it, golden DAYS
In the home on the Bowery that is soon TO
he DESTROYED, and II Is not likely TO see such
prosperity repeated. There is, for one
thing, no more operetta of the klhh that
came in those days from Vienna, and there
are no more singers 20 perform them as
they were performed in tho days OF the
Thalas company; but, above all, there is
no longer the same demand among Germans
70 see the actors and plays Of their country.