American Theatre
Event Information
Venue(s):
Butler's American Theatre [444 Bdway--before 3/66]
Manager / Director:
Robert W. [manager] Butler
Conductor(s):
Fred Van Olker
Ballet Director / Choreographer:
Paul Brilliant
Event Type:
Variety / Vaudeville
Record Information
Status:
Published
Last Updated:
11 May 2013
Performance Date(s) and Time(s)
18 Jan 1864, Evening19 Jan 1864, Evening
20 Jan 1864, Evening
21 Jan 1864, Evening
22 Jan 1864, Evening
23 Jan 1864, Matinee
23 Jan 1864, Evening
Program Details
La Thorne, stage manager.
Performers and/or Works Performed
1)
Participants: Butler's Combination Troupe; American Theatre, corps de ballet; Florence Wells; Lottie La Pointe; Mary [dancer] Blake; Frank Nixon; Viro Farrand; Adelaide Nixon; Charley White; Addison Weaver; James S. Maffit; Bob [minstrel] Hart; Charles E. Collins; Lizzie [actor] Schultze; Julia Melville; Clara Bogart; Millie Flora; Jenny [American Theatre] Lorraine; James F. Wambold; Annetta La Pointe
2)
aka Harlequin and the Good Fairy;
Paul and Virginia
Composer(s): Tyte
3)
Composer(s): Brilliant
Citations
2)
“The beautiful Spectacular Divertissement composed by Mons. Paul Brilliant, entitled, the CRYSTAL CAVERNS.”
3)
“Only to think, four and a half hours’ worth of entertainment is given nightly at the American, 444 Broadway, to see which the manager places the prices at the lowest possible figures. There’s play acting, nigger minstrelsy, girls and dancing, singing, comic fun, jokes, feats of various kinds, pantomime, etc., etc. A whole troupe of talented artists are engaged at the three 4’s, and the way they strive to outdo each other, and amuse the patrons of the house, is a caution to all devotees at the shrine of Venus. Just look in for ten minutes, and see how hard it is to tear yourself away.”
5)
“In addition to the songs, sentimental and comic, dances, and glees, which may be termed the staple attraction of this establishment, the manager produced last week, the comic trick and fairy pantomime of ‘The House that Jack Built’ . . . and if we may argue from the applause with which it was nightly received, it gave unbounded satisfaction. In the early part of the evening, we witnessed the laughable negro eccentricities of Charley White, Add Weaver, Bob Hart, and James Wambold, each one of whom is very clever in his line of business. Mr. Charles E. Collins is here doing the ‘Cure,’ which is always received with much applause. He also does the ‘Active Boy,’ equally as laughable an act, and executes a clog dance very cleverly. In the terpsichorean line Lizzie Schultze takes the lead, followed up by Millie Flora, Frank Nixon, and a fine and efficient corps de ballet. Adelaide Nixon ‘sings a song,’ and Florence Wells does a jig.”