ANNALS OF THE BROOKLYN STAGE (1898-1908): JANUARY 1899

This blog is dedicated to preserving a curated record of theatre-related clippings drawn from the digitized pages of the four chief Brooklyn newspapers and one weekly magazine of 1898-1908. Those sources, as they were called during these years, are: Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn Citizen, Brooklyn Standard Union, and Brooklyn Daily Times. At first, only Brooklyn Life printed photos; as time passed, the newspapers, beginning with the Citizen, abandoned photo-based etchings and line drawings for photos.

Each entry is devoted to one or two months during the decade. A list of the month’s offerings precedes the illustrations, most of which are identified within the original image. The performers include not only leading players but lesser ones, most of whose names are entirely forgotten today. Many depict burlesque and vaudeville acts that are often listed on the heading each weekly group of images.

The production lists designate titles of shows at the legitimate theatres only; burlesque and vaudeville theatres are listed only by name to show that they were active. If a theatre is missing it was either permanently or temporarily closed.

It is hoped that this blog will be a useful adjunct to a two-volume book I’m preparing for publication, ACROSS THE RIVER FROM BROADWAY: ANNALS OF THE BROOKLYN STAGE (1898-1908); Vol. I (1898-1903), Vol. II (1903-1908).

Samuel L. Leiter

Author: BROOKLYN TAKES THE STAGE: NINETEENTH-CENTURY THEATER IN THE CITY OF CHURCHES.

JANUARY 1899

January 2-7: Amphion: The Royal Box, with Charles Coghlan; Bijou: A Female Drummer, with Johnstone Bennett; Columbia: Hotel Topsy Turvy, with Marie Dressler; Criterion: The Mikado, with Standard Opera Company; Gayety: Hyde’s Comedians; Grand Opera House: What Happened to Jones; Montauk: The Liars, with John Drew; Park: Miss Moulton, with Clara Morris; Vaudeville/burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star; January 9-14: Amphion: The Jolly Musketeer, with Jefferson De Angelis; Shenandoah, with Maurice Barrymore; Gayety: Superba; Grand Opera House: The Evil Eye; Montauk: The Head of the Family, with William H. Crane; Park: Cyrano de Bergerac, with Kate Claxton Company; Vaudeville/burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star; January 16-21: Amphion: The Village Postmaster; Bijou: Hogan’s Alley, with Gilmore and Leonard; Columbia: The Charlatan, with De Wolf Hopper; Gayety: A Lucky Coon, with Bert Williams, George Walker; Park: The Battles of Our Nation; Vaudeville/burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star; January 23-28: Amphion: The Master, Heartsease, with Henry Miller; Bijou: The Red, White and Blue; Columbia: The White Heather, with Rose Coghlan; Gayety: Devil’s Island; Grand Opera House: Primrose and Dockstader’s American Minstrels; Montauk: Mary Stuart, Antony and Cleopatra, Camille, Macbeth, with Helena Modjeska; Park: The Battles of Our Nation; Vaudeville/burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star; January 30-February 4: Amphion: The White Heather, with Rose Coghlan; Bijou: Have You Seen Smith?; Columbia: On and Off; Gayety: Primrose and Dockstader’s American Minstrels; Grand Opera House: At the French Ball, with Fannie Rice; Montauk: Cyrano de Bergerac, with Richard Mansfield; Vaudeville/burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star