Talk:Bowery Theatre

Thalia Theater

There seems to be a redirect page from Thalia Theater to Bowery Theatre. This is a bit confusing, since the original Thalia Theater is located in Hamburg, Germany and the New York version is spelled "theatre" rather than the German "Theater". I'd correct this myself, but I don't really know how to do it. Germanguy 13:56, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

Nevermind, I did it myself. Germanguy 14:36, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

"Pro-Americanism"

Presumably the "pro-Americanism" of Hamblin means Know-Nothing Nativism, à la William Poole. Perhaps Brian, with better access to the sources used here, you could explain this better. Also, was it patrons of the Bowery Theatre that participated in the Astor Place riot?--Pharos 22:12, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

The Know-Nothing movement developed later (in the 1850s, according to that article). Nativism is somewhat correct, though the fact that the United States was still quite young during the 1820s and 30s makes any concept of "native" problematic unless referring to Native Americans. I'm not sure if there's a convenient term for the movement, but it was part and parcel of the Jacksonian Era. This is also the movement that created the minstrel show and the tall tale. The idea was that the United States had stayed in the shadows of Europe for too long, and that the time had come for Americans to develop their own cultural forms. Do you think a few more words of explanation are needed in the article?

As for the Astor Place riot, this website suggests that it was indeed Bowery theatregoers who attacked the opera house. —BrianSmithson 23:23, 28 November 2005 (UTC)

Virginia Minstrels

Just a minor correction: The Virginia Minstrels' fabled first performance was at the Bowery Amphitheatre, which was not the same as this building. — BrianSmithson 14:47, 5 February 2006 (UTC)

Perhaps BrianSmithson is in error to be imagining a Bowery Theatre and a "Bowery Amphitheatre" within a couple of blocks of each other on the Bowery near Chatham Square. --Wetman 05:27, 6 February 2006 (UTC)

I don't think so. From T. Allston's Brown's A History of the New York Stage:

The Bowery Amphitheatre occupied Nos. 37 and 39 Bowery, was built in in [sic] 1833, by the Zoological Institute (or Flatfoots), and was first used as a menagerie. In 1835, it was remodelled into an amphitheatre, with a stage and ring, and occupied by June, Titus, Angevine & Co., for equestrian exhibitions. . . . In November 1842, this house was known as The Amphitheatre of the Republic. . . . In 1843, the building was leased to John Tryon, by whom it was improved and continued as an amphitheatre until 1848. The first band of negro minstrels made their second appearance at this place, for the benefit of John Tryon, February, 1843.

Brown then goes on to discuss how the amphitheatre was changed back into a menagerie, then sold to a circus. It stayed open until 1865, changing hands among circuses, menageries, and stage producers, until finally being converted into an armoury. (Brown 236-240). All of this would have occurred while the Bowery Theatre was under the management of Hamblin and others.

Keeping track of all of the New York theatres at this time is quite troublesome, so you're right to question me on this. It gets even more confusing when trying to separate the Chatham Theatre and the Chatham Garden Theatre, an endeavor I'm working on offline at the moment . . . . — BrianSmithson 12:43, 6 February 2006 (UTC)

Well, you have the material right there for more than a stub. Was it being called Amphitheatre of the Republic long enough for that to be its article title? There should be a See also at Bowery Theatre, even if it's just a redlink for now. You're the one who knows best in this, clearly. --Wetman 02:31, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

I'll take that as a gentle prod to get to work on a Bowery Amphitheatre article. Or at least stub. And I'll add the see also; good idea. — BrianSmithson 03:53, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

Done! — BrianSmithson 18:46, 7 February 2006 (UTC)

...and excellently done too, by the way! Fixing each redlink does seem to open more... --Wetman 00:53, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

American Theatre

I've just created a redirect here from American Theatre. I'm pretty sure this is the theatre the "American Theatre" mentioned on Template:Broadway theatres is referring to.--Pharos (talk) 12:00, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

This is not a good idea. There was an important American Theatre on 42nd Street, and, before that, at 444 Broadway and 472 Broadway. In my opinion a disambiguation page is needed, with no primary topic. What do others think? Vzeebjtf (talk) 20:53, 17 August 2014 (UTC)

Location

Nice article. One small point:

The site Manhattan Unlocked shows the location as between Canal and Bayard, which is where number 46 is located, not Hester. (Scroll about 10% down for clearest illustration.)

A different theatre, called The New Bowery, was located between Canal and Hester -- i.e., one block north of The Bowery Theatre. See p. 699 of Records of the New York Stage, vol.2, by Joseph N. Ireland.

Vzeebjtf (talk) 20:37, 9 December 2012 (UTC)

John Trimble

Wrong one, I think; you don’t give a source. Probably John Montague Trimble (1815-1867). See Phelps, H. P. Players of a Century: A Record of the Albany Stage, 2nd edition. Edgar S. Werner, New York, 1890 [1st edition. Joseph McDonough, Albany, 1880], pp.249-50.

Vzeebjtf (talk) 20:47, 9 December 2012 (UTC)

Gilfoert's advertising model

Having been told only that Gilfert's advertising sense was "keen", the reader doesn't know how to read "advertising them extensively according to Gilfert's model." Does this mean newspaper ads? broadsides? leaflerts? posters?--Wetman (talk) 23:27, 9 June 2013 (UTC)