Theater History
February 11, 2018, by Ali
Right away, I wish we had gotten some more background about A Glance at New York (1848). It’s introduction tells us how it was “one of the greatest successes ever known in the history of the New York stage” and how it “brought pandemonium to the pit and the gallery for four months”. Yet we never find out why it was so successful for it’s time or what kind of pandemonium it caused. Now, knowing about the Astor Place Riot, I assume this play caused some kind of tension between the working class and the wealthy, but we’re just left to fill in the gaps.
The play itself (or really musical) isn’t much help either. The play is set in 1848 (approximately) in the Bowery. It’s a comedy filled with absurd little moments, which connect the play more than any overarching plot does (although the main plot would be the adventure between Harry and his Albany-based cousin George). It’s real main focus is on the working class life of the inhabitants of the Bowery and I assume this has something to do with why it was such a hit; it was probably the first play ever produced in New York that the working class really got to see themselves represented in.
But again, we’re left to fill in the blanks on our own as to why it was such a hit. There’s nothing in the play itself that seems really revolutionary to a 2018 audience and I wish the editors had gone into more detail about what the big deal was. I hope this is something we go over more during class on Tuesday.
In “The Lights” chapter of Low Life, A Glance at New York is only briefly mentioned, as the first Mose drama. Mose was a man turned legend of the Bowery who, I guess, had several plays made about him in the mid-1800’s. However, the chapter does help provide more context to the Bowery v. Broadway rivalry and how it related to the theater world. The Bowery theaters catered to the working class, while Broadway was typically for the wealthy. The rivalry came to a head when Edwin Forrest of the Bowery and English actor William Charles Macready (Broadway) starred in rival productions, causing the Astor Place Riot when Forrest’s fans went to the Astor Place Opera House to throw garbage and such during Macready’s performance.
The chapter also fills in the blanks as to what happened to the Bowery theater scene (obviously the Broadway theater scene is still very alive and well). Once theater became a main staple in New York in about the 1890’s, the competition was just too much for the Bowery. It managed to extend it’s lifeline for a bit with Yiddish Theater and vaudeville (you’re welcome) but by World War I it was done for and Broadway was left to reign supreme.
I hope we end up coming back to this, although I doubt we will. Yiddish theater and vaudeville might’ve started below 14th but they’re not especially connected to those areas today (with maybe the exception of the 50’s era clubs of the Village). However, the discussion about those forms of entertainment were the most interesting part of this weekend’s reading for me, and I plan on learning more about it on my own if we don’t come back to it.