This essay was originally published in the 1946 OCHS Yearbook. Please note that this essay was published over 80 years ago. While still useful for general education, language may be outdated and at times offensive. The Oswego County Historical Society does not stand by the language used in this essay. To view the original document, please visit NYHeritage.org.
Second of a Series of Papers of Similar Theme Prepared for Presentation Before the Society by Dr. Charles F. Wells, Director of the English Department of Oswego State Teachers College. This Paper Was Delivered at Oswego January 8, 1946.
Modern drama came to Oswego with the opening of the Academy of Music in 1875. Public entertainments of various kinds had been an important part of the social and cultural life of the community for many years previously, and public interest in stage plays had grown rapidly after the Civil War, but the presentation of great plays by good acting companies had been impossible because of limited stage facilities. From 1845 to 1875 a few plays, and a great many concerts, lectures, minstrels and exhibitions had been presented in Franklin Hall, Market Hall, Fitzhugh Hall, and Doolittle Hall*. These early theatres, however, had been small, cramped, cold, bare halls with tiny platforms upon which the players performed as best they could. The actors who visited Oswego had struggled against great odds to present a variety of interesting entertainments, but had always been handicapped by a lack of space and stage equipment. Public interest in drama had developed rapidly during the 1860s and 1870s, and had laid the foundation for the great days to come. Plays, actors and audiences were ready, only a suitable theatre was needed to bring a great era of entertainment to Oswego. The Academy of Music provided the place**. Early in 1875 the old Doolittle Hall, located at the northeast corner of Water and Market Streets***, was purchased by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad from Sylvester Doolittle, original owner of the block. After some delay the new owners decided to renovate the old hall, which had served as a makeshift theatre since it was built in 1853, into a modern, well-equipped opera house. Accordingly the place was completely remodelled, and reopened as the Oswego Academy of Music. This new place of entertainment was a real theatre with a large stage equipped with footlights, scenery and a roll-up front curtain. It was perfectly suited for the presentation of
plays, and became the principal place of dramatic entertainment in Oswego County for the ensuing eighteen years. Upon its stage most of the famous actors and actresses of the period appeared in the popular plays of the time. The Academy of Music provided a much needed theatre and brought modern drama to Oswego.
* For an account of this period see “Public Entertainment In Oswego, 1845—1875” in the 1945 Yearbook of the Oswego County Historical Society.
** The author wishes to express his grateful appreciation to Dr. Lida Penfield and Mr. Frederick Barnee for advice and materials; to Mrs. John S. Parsons, Mr. Edwin M. Waterbury, and the Oswego Historical Society for use of books of theatre programs; and to the Oswego Public Library for use of newspaper files.
***The site is now a large vacant lot on the river front just north of Oswego’s first City Hall, erected in 1837 and yet standing.
Lackawanna Creates Theatre
President Sam Sloan and directors of the D. L. & W. railroad organized the project and furnished technical advisor and laborers for the reconstruction of Doolittle Hall. Plans for the remodelling were drawn by Lackawanna engineers; the work of building the stage and sloping the auditorium floor was done by railroad carpenters, and much of the painting and art work was done by railroad painters under the supervision of outside artists.
Commenting on improvements made in Doolittle Hall the “Oswego Daily Times” of September 22, 1875, said: “The people of this city can scarcely be too grateful to President Sloan and the directors of the D. L. & W. Co., for this evidence of the interest they take in our city. The property which that company has purchased in this city has evidently fallen into good hands, and while the benefit to Oswego from becoming the terminus of this great railroad line can not be ever estimated, the interest the managers have taken in improving and beautifying the property, which occupies a central position in our city, can not fail to be very gratifying to all of our citizens.”
The work done on the old building was thorough and complete inside and out. Beginning with the foundation the engineers installed sixteen solid stone piers, resting on a pile foundation, under the building to hold it firm and secure. The east and west walls were strengthened by ten anchor irons on each side fastened to pillars and beams. The outside of the building was greatly improved by a coat of paint.
Large Stage Provided
The stage itself was enlarged and completely rebuilt with all modern improvements and scenery. The new stage was 28 feet deep by 44 feet wide, with a curtain opening 25 feet wide and 16 feet high. The tormenter wings represented a Knight and a Page, and the roll-up front curtain was a handsome piece of art work copied from the famous painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware.”
The trend in s-tags settings during the nineteenth century was toward realism and efficient handling. Scene painters, with great skill, patience and ingenuity, created landscapes and buildings guaranteed to deceive the most cunning eye, and stage designers solved problems of rapid scene shifting so plays could move forward without long delays. The Academy of Music was well supplied with the most improved sliding scenery; a large assortment of modern flats painted on burlap.
Ample Scenic Equipment
Interior scenes included a palace arch, a plain chamber, a prison scene, a kitchen, a hovel, a center door fancy, and a center door Gothic; exterior scenes included landscape, garden, rocky pass, dark woods, horizon and street scene. Set pieces consisted of one cottage, six rocks, one tree, two statues, one fireplace, two vases, a mossy bank, a set bridge, set waters, and a balustrade. A grand drapery border, three sky borders, three arched wood borders, one straight border, and three straight flies completed the scenery, all of which was painted by Horace N. Smith of Erie, Pa., a scenic artist of established reputation in the theatrical world.
The frescoing and ornamentation of the auditorium were very beautiful, and produced a brilliant effect when the room was lighted. A portrait of Shakespeare adorned the center of the proscenium arch, with one of Mozart on the right and Longfellow on the left. On the extreme right of the arch was an excellent portrait of Mr. Sam Sloan, president of the D. F. & W. RR., and on the left, one of Moses Taylor, the great capitalist and active director of the company. On the proscenium walls were large figures representing Tragedy and Comedy, painted from original designs of the French artist Chapin. These portraits and figures were all the work of Albert L. Thomas, an artist from Syracuse.
The frescoing which attracted much attention by its exquisite beauty, was the work of David L. Brown, boss painter of the D. L. & W. car shops in Oswego. Center pieces on the ceiling represented Israel Putnam*, in the field of his Connecticut farm with his plow and team, receiving news of the Battle of Lexington; another painting showed Commodore Perry transferring his flag from the “Lawrence” to the “Niagara” during the battle of Lake Erie. On the ceiling were also coats of arms of the United States and of the D. L. & W. RR. Co.; and in Ihe four corners the coats of arms of England, Ireland, France and Germany.
*Israel Putnam before the American Revolution was a visitor in Oswego when he came as a participant in the French and Indian War, and particularly as an officer in General Jeffrey Amherst’s expedition to receive the surrender of Montreal.
Seating Capacity 1,000
Early theatres in Oswego had been poorly and dimly lighted for dramatic entertainment, but with the introduction of gas lights it became possible to light the stage brightly enough to make visible every detail of scene and action. It also became possible to control the lights in such a way as to brighten or darken the stage as required to fit the mood of the play. The Academy of Music was equipped with the latest developments, in theatre lighting by gas. The auditorium was lighted by two six foot cone reflectors, each containing 36 gas burners, and by 15 double brackets distributed in various parts of the hall. The stage was brilliantly illuminated by sunken foot-lights, also of gas, and by four lines of border lights, ten gas burners to each border. All of the lights on the stage and in the auditorium were governed by apparatus at the prompter’s stand just off the right side of the stage. In spite of all these modern improvements the chief objections of flickering lights and an unpleasant odor of escaping gas were never wholly corrected in Oswego theatrical centers until the introduction of electric lights at the Richardson Theatre of a later period. Gas fixtures used in the Academy were from Iden and Company of New York, and were installed by Richard Walpole.
The floor of the auditorium inclined upward from the stage to the rear of the hall, the rise being four feet and eight inches in seventy feet. Each row of seats was two and five-eighths inches above the row in front to give spectators better visibility of the stage. The parquette was provided with 360 Koeshling patent folding opera chairs upholstered in green plush, while the dress circle, family circle in the side gallery, and the back gallery were provided with iron frame settees upholstered with drab enamel cloth. Seat frames were manufactured at the Kingsford Iron Works, and upholstered by David Sinclair, and Moore and Fineron of Oswego.
Galleries, extending around the entire body of the hall in the shape of a horse shoe, rested upon self-supporting trusses and were further supported by six enlarged pillars which had been placed in Doolittle Hall a year previously. Two stairways led to the side galleries, and one to the back gallery. Each row of seats was raised sufficiently above those in front to give a full view of the stage from any seat. The theatre was capable of seating 1,000 people, by placing stools and extra chairs in the aisles.
Appointment Details
A hot air furnace, installed by Milo Plank with Kinyon and Company, heated the auditorium through three large registers in the center of the hall. These registers often served in playful pranks of local young bloods, who after spending an intermission in a nearby bar, would amuse themselves by jumping over the wide registers as they were moving to regain their seats. Six floor ventilators and two dome ventilators in the roof carried away fumes from the lighting fixtures, and furnished fresh air for the audience.
Floors of the aisles and vestibules were covered with matting which deadened the noise made by people moving around. Doors at the side of the stage leading to a back stairway were thrown open at the close of entertainments to afford additional means of exit when the hall was crowded.
A property room of ample dimensions, and seven dressing rooms, provided with all the modern improvements and conveniences, were located upon the stage and in the rear of it.
A flag staff, surrounded by a handsome railing, was erected on the roof of the building. A hall flag, bearing the inscription “Academy of Music” in red letters, was raised upon this staff on days when an entertainment appeared in the hall. At the summit of the flag staff was a weathervane, consisting of a lyre and dart, under which were the fourcardinal points of the compass.
All of these wonders moved the “Daily Times” editor to write: “If some person, familiar with Doolittle Hall, as it was four months ago, could have been kept in ignorance of the work that has been going on there, and could now be suddenly dropped into the Academy of Music, it would be difficult to convince him that he stood between the same four walls which formerly enclosed the dismal and uncomfortable hall, which was then the best place of amusement the city afforded. And after convincing him that such was the case, it would still be hard to persuade him that the marvelous transformation is the work of human skill and art, and has not been accomplished with the aid of a magician’s wand. The tales of ‘Arabian Nights’ are brought to mind as one gazes upon the beauties of the interior of this magnificent temple of art, and we wonder if Supt. William B Phelps, who supervised the work, is not the happy possessor of a wonderful lamp, a magic ring, or something of that sort, by means of which he summons one of the powerful genie of the oriental fables to his assistance. The Academy of Music is a model of beauty, elegance, comfort and convenience, and every citizen of Oswego is proud of it.”
“Corporal” Phelps First Manager
Mr. Phelps was at that time division superintendent for the D. L. & W. RR. in charge of all the railroad’s business and property from Oswego to Binghamton having been appointed to that position when the Lackawanna leased the former Oswego & Syracuse Railroad in 1869. Because of his small size and his stern and vigorous manner as well as the fact that he had been one of the first corporals to serve the “Oswego Guards” when they were organized in 1838, he was commonly referred to as “The Little Corporal.” He was not experienced in theatre management but was assigned the task of operating the Academy of Music along with his many other duties as freight and passenger agent for the busy railroad. One day, shortly after the Academy was opened, his assistant informed him that a certain theatrical company wished to play an engagement in the theatre. Phelps wanted to know what kind of a show it was to be. The assistant said, “It’s a kind of low comedy, with considerable horseplay in it.” To which Phelps replied, “Write and tell them that the theatre is one flight up and there is no way to get their horses up there.”
Mr. Phelps is also reported to have carried a railroad lantern with him at night to light his way about the gas-lighted streets, and when he came to the theatre he would carefully extinguish the lantern at the entrance and carry it with him down the aisle to his place in the auditorium. The spectators were always amused, but too discreet to make any comment directly to “the little Corporal.”
In spite of his lack of theatre experience, Mr. Phelps managed the Academy with great success until May 30, 1885, when John R. Pierce took over as business manager.
Formal Opening Sept. 30, 1875
The Academy was formally opened on Thursday, September 30th, 1875, with a “Grand Concert” presented by sixty distinguished artists, under the direction of Theodore Thomas, and featuring Madame Madeline Schiller, a celebrated pianist. The event drew together the finest audience ever assembled in an Oswego public hall, with President Sam Sloan and Moses Taylor of the D. L. & W. RR. Co., and Mayor William A. Poucher of Oswego among the prominent citizens present. A special train, which brought a large number of people from Fulton, was routed through the tunnel under West First street, across Bridge street and down Water street to the main entrance of the Academy. As soon as the theatre doors opened, people began to pour in, a great many arriving early in order to examine and admire the building before the concert. By 8 o’clock, the advertised hour for the concert to begin, the audience was nearly all seated.
After a short introductory overture by the orchestra, Mayor Poucher arose from his place in the audience to express to President Sloan the appreciation of the citizens of Oswego for the splendid theatre. President Sloan responded briefly, after which the concert was resumed. The stage in front of the conductor’s stand was decorated with flowers and evergreens, with the name “Sam Sloan” wrought in evergreens a prominent feature.
Offered 1,117 Attractions
This modern, well-equipped theatre was at once a great success, and during the next eighteen years housed a large assortment of public entertainments which contributed substantially to the cultural and social life of Oswego and the surrounding territory.
The Academy of Music brought to Oswego what might be called a “Golden Age of Drama” since the finest plays of the English and American theatre were presented there by some of the greatest actors and actresses of the American stage. During the eighteen years the theatre was in operation a total of 1,117 different attractions was presented; an average of about 60 a year, or more than one attraction every week the year around. Actually the theatre was usually closed during the summer months, and open for a ten month period from September through May, approximately forty weeks out of the year. The average was therefore one and a half attractions every week during the theatrical season, and since many companies played engagements of several days to a week in length, the theatre was rarely dark for a single evening. The season of 1885 was the busiest of the 18 years with a total of 108 attractions, an average of two and one-half a week during the 40-week season.
“Enoch Arden” Opener
Legitimate drama with 670 plays out of the total of 1,117 attractions was by far the most popular form of entertainment at the Academy of Music. Operas and musicals were second in popularity with a total of 135 musical events scheduled during the eighteen year period. Minstrel shows came third with 73 different engagements, and 59 amateur entertainments a close fourth. Variety shows appeared 47 times for fifth place, and 31 lectures barely won over 30 burlesque shows for sixth place. Humpty-
Dumpty companies appeared 23 times, and a miscellaneous assortment of magicians, mesmerists, and political orators completed the list of events scheduled at the theatre.
“Enoch Arden,” a five-act drama starring Edwin Adams and C. W. Couldock, was the first play to appear at the Academy of Music after the grand opening concert. From the date of this performance, October 7, 1875, until the theatre closed in 1893, a great variety of drama was presented for Oswego theatregoers. The plays included domestic and social comedy; historical drama which brought to life famous figures and events of the nation; plays of the frontier; romantic comedies and heroic tragedies of Shakespeare; classics from English and American literature; foreign importantions; melodrama, farces, spectacles, propaganda plays, and serious drama; and all of the latest New York successes direct from long Broadway engagements.
Shakespeare Revivals Brought Great Names
The plays of Shakespeare were shown regularly year after year, though not as frequently as the lighter and more entertaining pieces by contemporary authors.
Out of 670 plays presented during the eighteen year life of the playhouse, only 22 were by the Bard of Avon, a modest three percent of the total. Small though the figure may be, revivals of Shakespeare’s plays were especially significant to the theatrical life of Oswego since they brought most of the great actors and actresses to the city: Edwin Booth in “Othello,” Lawrence Barrett and Edward L. Davenport in “Julius Caesar,” John McCullough in “Richard III,” Maurice Barrymore and Modjeska in “As You Like It,” Mary Anderson in “Romeo and Juliet,” and many others to be discussed later in this report.
Oswegonians admired the genius of Shakespeare; his fine ear for the melody of words, his depth of human understanding, his amazing vitality, and his brilliant creative imagination which could send onto the stage hundreds of characters as alive as any seen in everyday life. The great Shakespearean dramas presented everything on the stage that an audience could desire: hosts of characters, murders, royal processions, the gruesome, the ghostly and the ridiculous. Into his romantic tragedies Shakespeare put clowns, gravediggers, drunken servants, and garrulous soldiers, as well as noble and lofty characters to provide a great range of emotion and a variety of atmosphere. No emotion and no spectacle of Elizabethan drama, apparently, was too excessive for local audiences, it the advertisements, programs and reviews may be accepted as true.
“Othello,” with its struggle arising from the troubled course of profound and passionate love, and “Romeo and Juliet,” with the struggle between the lovers and a hostile world dominated by the hatred of families and the chances of Fortune, were evidently the most popular of the Shakespearean dramas since each appeared for six different engagements. “As You Like It” appeared three times; and “Hamlet”, “The Merchant of Venice,” and “Richard III” each two engagements to complete the list of Shakespeare’s plays presented for the more discriminating devotees of serious drama.
Renowned Plays Produced
Among the more substantial dramas by famous authors, to be presented along with the plays of Shakespeare at the Academy were Jules Verne’s “Michael Strogroff;” Alexander Dumas’ “Count of Monte Cristo” and “Camille;” a dramatization of Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre;” Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s “Richelieu;” Richard B. Sheridan’s “The School for Scandal;” Steele MacKaye’s “Hazel Kirke;” and Dion Boucicault’s “Rip Van Winkle,” “The Octoroon,” and “The Shaughraun.” This last named was one of the best Irish plays written by the author, and was important because of the truthful delineations of Irish temperament. The principal character of Conn, a lovable and irresponsible wanderer, “the soul of the Fair, the life of every funeral, and the first fiddle at all weddings,” was played by John Mackay when the drama was first presented in Oswego in 1877.
“Hazel Kirke” by Steele MacKaye was probably the most popular Broadway success to appear in Oswego, it having been played at the New York Madison Square Theatre for 486 consecutive performances. The plot resembled popular melodramas of the day. Hazel, a miller’s daughter, is promised by her stern father in marriage to an old family benefactor. She loves a young lord in disguise, with whom she elopes, but when she finds that the marriage ceremony is not legal she throws herself into a mill race. She is saved in the nick of time, and everyone is reconciled for a happy ending. When the piece was played in Oswego on November 22, 1882, Mrs. E. L. Davenport, wife of the famous Shakespearean actor, appeared in the role of Mercy Kirke; C. W. Couldock as Dunstan Kirke; and Effie Ellsler in the title role. The play competed with “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” for public favor, but was never played in Oswego as often as the anti-slavery melodrama.
“Uncle Tom” Hardy Perennial
“Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” dramatized from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel, was unquestionably the most popular and frequently played drama to be presented at the Academy of Music. The play had been given a few times in Oswego before and during the Civil War, but reached its greatest height of popularity during the Reconstruction period. Though lacking in literary merit the dramatization had a tremendous influence on public opinion, and did much to arouse sympathy for the newly freed slaves..
The story of Uncle Tom, the faithful slave, his great love for little Eva, his loyalty to his master, and his death at the hands of Simon Legree, became a classic that never failed to thrill Oswego audiences. Little Topsy’s statement that she was not born but “just growed” was its most humorous line, Eliza’s escape from the bloodhounds the most thrilling moment, and little Eva’s death the most touching scene of the play.
Long after the Civil War the piece continued to be extremely popular because it contained the elements of successful melodrama, and did not require the slavery issue to stir up interest. It became a part of the repertoire of every stock and touring company in the United States for more than fifty years after the war ended. Between 1875 and 1892 “Tom Shows,” as they were called, played at the Academy of Music every year except three, for a total of 27 different engagements, an all-time record for any one play. Since many touring companies presented the melodrama in tent theatres during the summer months it is possible that Oswegonians may have seen the play many more times than this record indicates. The season of 1881 brought three different troupes to the Academy in three weeks, and all of them played to full houses.
Mrs. Howard As Topsy
Mrs. G. C. Howard, who created the character of Topsy in the first stage production of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was the most famous player to act the part in Oswego. She had first played the role in September, 1852, at the Museum Theatre in Troy, New York, where the play ran for one hundred nights. Later she had acted the character two hundred times in New York City, and then toured England and the United States.
Mrs. Howard made her first appearance as Topsy at the Academy of Music on October 22-23, 1875, with George Kunkel as Uncle Tom, Mabel Leonard as Eva, and G. C. Howard as St. Clair. Commenting on the event the “Oswego Daily Times” said: “Mrs. Howard and her excellent company produced the play Uncle Tom’s Cabin before a large and delighted audience last night. The irresistible comicalities of Topsy, and the fine acting of Uncle Tom, Eva and St. Clair were the leading features of the play. The entire company is made up of first class talent.”
Most of the “Tom Shows” to visit Oswego advertised their company as “the greatest in the world,” and spared no adjectives in describing the gorgeous scenic effects, the large pack of ferocious bloodhounds, the superb acting, and the clever specialities presented between acts. Mammoth street parades with brass bands, bloodhounds and gaily costumed actors marching down Bridge street also did much to stir up interest whenever Uncle Tom came to town. Jarrett, Palmer and Slaven’s company outdid all competitors by including an imitation log cabin filled with darkies as a part of their street parade.
Double Tom Shows
As time went on Uncle Tom’s Cabin became more of a farce comedy than a serious social drama, and “double Tom shows” began to appear. To heighten the comedy these troupes presented two Topsys, two Mr. Marks as eccentric lawyers, and two comedians, Sambo and Gumbo, as plantation workers for the double pleasure of Oswegonians, possibly with the idea that two of everyone would be twice as humorous or twice as tragic. When William J. Abbey’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin Company appeared at the Academy on January 28, 1884 with the first “double Tom show” to be seen in Oswego the “Times and Express” reviewer was amazed at what he saw. In his review next day he wrote:
“The good old play of Uncle Tom’s Cabin was foully murdered at the Academy of Music last evening. If Harriet Beecher Stowe could have seen the version of her dramatic story as rendered by the Abbey Company she would have disowned it. There was a great audience, many of whom applauded in the pathetic parts and looked solemn at every attempt at a joke. It is one of the dark mysteries which will never be explained how such a libel on a popular play as that of last evening is so successful, but the fact remains that the company has been playing to crowded houses, while really meritorious combinations can scarcely pay expenses. It may be that the price of seats had something to do with it. We can only admire the patience of the large audience which not only sat out the play, but appeared to enjoy it.”
Many interesting and amusing anecdotes concerning touring “Tom shows” have come down out of the past. One, for instance, tells of a struggling stage manager who enticed three old, lazy, hungry bloodhounds across the stage in pursuit of Eliza by waving a juicy beef-steak from the opposite side of the stage, and then spent the rest of the evening fighting with the dogs so he could save the precious steak for his own dinner. And another story of a classic review of a particularly poor acting company. The reporter wrote: “Uncle Tom’s Cabin was performed here last evening. All we can say is that the bloodhounds were very poorly supported.”
Despite double companies, poor acting, inconsistencies and makeshift scenery, a generation of theatregoers followed with unfailing sympathy the fortunes of little Eva, Uncle Tom, Simon Legree, Topsy, St. Clair and all the others. The play was played as straight drama, farce comedy, burlesque, and operetta, but its popularity continued undiminished for many years. From the number of different companies appearing in Oswego, and the length of each engagement, it is easy to see that Uncle Tom was the favorite at the Academy of Music.
“Yankee” Plays Popular
American dramatists wrote many plays during the nineteenth century but most of them were not great in a literary sense. They were frequently naive and homely, written by pioneers for pioneers. Yankee plays such as “The Mighty Dollar,” “Solon Shingle,” “The Yankee Peddler,” “Josh Whitcomb,” and “Dan’l Druce, Village Blacksmith” brought to the stage the shrewd Yankee as an interesting character.
Following the March 21, 1881, appearance of Barney Macauley in E. A. Locke’s original American comedy, “A Messenger from Jarvis Section,” the reporter for the “Palladium” devoted most of his comments to the play itself. The review is interesting since it describes a type of native drama which was popular with Oswego audiences:
“The principal character Uncle Dan’l is a quaint conception and happy interpretation of that higher type of manhood that may be often met with in the rural walks of life, rudely picturesque, droll, and in a somewhat uncouth form, irresistibly funny. It is the diamond in the rough, the unpolished marble.
“Uncle Dan’l is the embodiment of frank, simple, genial, honest, true-hearted manhood, whose life down in Maine as deputy-sheriff of Jarvis section, has made him familiar enough with the ways of the wicked world to enable him to successfully outwit the scallawags and scoundrels of the scum of Boston.
“The plot is simple yet smooth flowing and sufficiently intricate to enlist in it, as well as the character of Uncle Dan’l, the attention of the audience at the very outset. Like the play of ‘Josh Whitcomb,’ it is one of the most touching home narratives which our dramatic literature possesses. Skinny Smith, the professional landlord, is indeed a repulsive personage, and the Boston roughs are sufficiently realistic in some of their barroom scenes to awaken one’s disgust and displeasure.
“Standing out in bold relief as, next to Uncle Dan’l, the most important personage in the cast is Clip, a bright, impulsive child whose youthful loveliness strangely contrasts with every feature of her evil surroundings, and whose struggles to free herself from the continued use of slang with the aid of Uncle Dan’l’s watchfulness forms a very attractive portion of the play.”
Denman Thompson As Uncle Josh
Other types of Americans were portrayed by Denman Thompson, as Uncle Josh, an old Jackson Democrat, in “Joshua Whitcomb;” Sol Smith Russell in J. E. Brown’s comedy “Edgewood Folks;” Frank Mayo in the title role of the play “Davy Crockett;” John T. Raymond as Colonel Mulberry Sellers in a dramatization of Mark Twain’s “The Gilded Age;” and by William F. Cody, better known as “Buffalo Bill.” in such plays as “Life on the Border,’ ‘and Buffalo Bill at Bay.”
The German as a comic type was portrayed frequently by various actors, the two most notable being Joseph K. Emmet, founder of German dialect comedy, who appeared in Oswego several times in his own drama, “Fritz in Ireland, or the Bell Ringer of the Rhine;” and Gus Williams acting the part of J. Adolph Dinkel, a retired brewer, in “Our German Senator.”
Irish manners and customs also provided a wealth of material for dramatizations, and offered the stage Irishman as an amusing character in a variety of plays. The celebrated Irish comedian Joseph Murray charmed Oswego audiences in “Kerry Gow” written by Fred Marsden, and later in “Shaun Rhue” by the same author. Barry and Fay convulsed Oswegonians with laughter in the play, “Irish Aristocracy at Muldoon’s Picnic.” George Hill appeared in “Rose of Killarney,” and Hubert O’Grady’s great original Irish Company presented “Eviction” to show the serious aspects of Irish life. Edward Harrigan, who wrote many plays in the “Mulligan Guard” series for use with his partner, Tony Hart, played several times at the Academy of Music in old favorites which included a variety of national characters, the Irish, the English, the German, the Italian, and the Chinese.
The “type” characters of these various plays, the Yankee, the German, the Irishman, the Indian, and the pioneer, were not realistic but had a stamp of familiarity which made them enjoyed by Oswego audiences, and assured the plays of great success whenever they appeared at the Academy.
Melodramas Worn Favor
Melodrama, with its simple inconsistent characterizations, its untrue portrayal of life, and its excitement of the moment, was a favorite form of drama with with average theatre-goers. The characters and the events of these sentimental plays had no significant meaning, and only a superficial resemblance to real life. The author did not try to make his audiences think; in fact, the less the spectators thought the more likely they were to enjoy the play. With few exceptions melodramas were for entertainment only. In these thrilling episodes desperate crooks, blackmailers, gamblers, bandits, greedy landlords, and other villains of the deepest dye were constantly pitted against handsome, stalwart heroes and modest, courageous heroines in exciting adventures in which honesty, justice and virtue eventually triumphed. In one the heroine was seen dangling from the clapper of a church bell so “the curfew shall not ring tonight.” In another the hero was tied to a log and about to be sawed apart in a burning sawmill, only to be saved at last by the timely arrival of the fearless heroine. Another play had the heroine thrown from a pier into a river, and the hero bound to a railroad track in front of an onrushing train, only to be saved by the heroine at the last possible moment to save both actor and audience from an untimely death. The spectators were so relieved at this last moment rescue that they never stopped to ask how the heroine saved herself from the river. Audiences always knew that in spite of false accusations, lost wills, mortgage foreclosures, and long separations everything would be righted in the nick of time, and a happy ending would occur at the final curtain.
Under the Gaslight
“Under the Gaslight,” by Augustin Daly, was the first of the American melodramas to have the villain tied to a railroad track and rescued by the heroine just before the train arrived. The dramatis personae included such type characters as: Peanuts, a newsboy and bootblack; Sam, a high-toned colored citizen; Rafferdi, an Italian organist; Laura, a belle of society; Byke, one of the men whom the law is always reaching for and never touches; Peachblossom, a girl who was never brought up; Officer 999; and an assortment of toughs, tramps and policemen. Titles of the four acts gave a clue to the sensational events of the play: Act I—The Wolves of Society; Act II—A Morning With Justice; Act III—The 10:30 Express; and Act IV—Chloroform and Burglary.
East Lynne Came Many Times
Supreme example of tearful melodrama was Mrs. Henry Wood’s “East Lynne,” which was presented at the Academy of Music on thirteen separate engagements to make it the second most popular piece played for Oswegonians. The story concerned Isabel who was turned out by her husband and instructed to “never darken my door again.” It was the first heart throb melodrama to be written around “the woman pays” theme, and became one of the most popular ever written. The death of little Willie was similar to the death of little Eva in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” and appealed to the most sentimental tastes. Many tears were shed over “East Lynne” by the same kind of audiences that today weep over melodramatic moving pictures.
Other melodramas that frequently moved Oswego audiences to tears were: “Too Late, or Fallen Among Thieves,” a stirring drama of life in the underworld; “Orange Girl, or Saved from the Flames,” an exciting drama with startling fire scene; “After Dark;” “A Heroine in Rags;” “Out of Bondage;” ‘Lights of London;” and “Streets of New York.”
Oswego newspapers regarded sensational melodramas as great moral lessons, and often urged readers to attend certain plays. Sometimes this urging was regretted afterwards. The day that Lottie and Company arrived in Oswego to present “The Streets of New York,” the “Times” editor boldly stated, “Our advice is for everybody to take their sisters and their cousins and their aunts to see Lottie. The prices are within reach of all.” Next day, however, the writer remarked, “The Lottie combination had a fair audience last night to look at ‘The Streets of New York.’ There was unusual unanimity in the audience, strange as it may seem, in pronouncing the show very bad.”
On another occasion a reporter for the “Oswego Herald” wrote: “We wish to remind our readers that the great moral drama entitled ‘Ten Nights In the Bar Room’ will be performed tonight at the Academy of Music. The company is good, the play is interesting and instructive, and we assure those who wish to witness a fine performance for a low price of admission to see this play. Admission is twenty-five cents.”
But in spite of this advertisement for inexpensive entertainment the house was small, and on the 3rd of January, 1879, another item stated “The Ten Nights In the Bar Room company played to a very small house New Year’s night. They went north yesterday morning, just in time to be snowed in.” This same play was received by a better audience when it played here again in September of 1887. The reviewer commented:
“The presentation of the great moral drama, ‘Ten Nights In the Bar Room,’ at the Academy of Music last evening drew forth a fine audience proving conclusively that the drama, like ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’, never fails to please. The company was a fine one, all the members being well up in their parts, Ogden Stevens as ‘Sample Swichel’ rendered the character in an admirable manner. The many new features introduced relieved the piece of the monotony usually experienced in witnessing a familiar play. The audience did not tire throughout the entire six acts. The tableaux were excellent and the orchestra unusually fine.”
The Color Guard
“The Color Guard” by Colonel Alfred Calhoun was an extremely popular play, especially with Union soldiers and their families after the Civil War. The play had little dramatic structure, but had a strong appeal because of the courage of the hero who saved the colors for his company. This military drama, starring “the mirth-provoking and inimitable Charles Collins, in his specialty character of Peter Hygley,” was brought to Oswego under the auspices of Companies E and K of the 48th Regiment, to play a six day engagement, October 16 to 21, 1876. The play, which was announced as showing all phases of army life, was a great success and pleased all who saw it.
Other famous plays shown at the Academy of Music included: “Ah-Sin,” a four act play by Mark Twain and Brete Harte; “Hearts Of Oak,” by James A. Heme; “Elizabeth, Queen Of England;” “The Sea Of Ice,” a four-act drama in which Kate Claxton starred; and “The Two Orphans,” which had played 180 times at the Union Square Theatre in New York before coming to Oswego.
Many Trashy Plays
Interspersed with the more substantial plays of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were the ephemeral trifles of the day which were designed to entertain and sometimes to shock, but never to educate or uplift the audiences. Most of these trifles were played extensively by minor stock companies and traveling troupes, and then discarded for all time in favor of some more recent sensation. As a result, few of these plays ever appeared in printed form and little remains of them today except their titles. The titles, however, along with occasional program notes cast some light on the type of drama that attracted audiences. A few of these titles selected at random from the hundreds of plays presented at the Academy of Music suggest the trashy plots served to the public under a guise of good drama. It is not difficult to guess the plots of such plays as “Only A Farmer’s Daughter,” “Cad, the Tomboy,” “Sam’l Posen, the Commercial Drummer,” “Stolen Kisses,” “My Sweetheart,” “Led Astray,” “Fortune’s Fool,” and “A Midnight Marriage.” A list of the titles themselves practically outline a plot for an old-time melodrama.
The program for “Led Astray” presented by the Union Square Comedy Company of New York in Oswego, March 19, 1877, listed sub-titles for the six acts that furnish clues to the plot of the play: Act 1—The Meeting; Act 2—Temptation; Act 3—The Quarrel; Act 4—Repentance; Act 5—The Duel; and Act 6—The Reconciliation.
When “the brilliant and cultured society star,” Mrs. Henrietta Chanfrau appeared in a new American drama, “Parted,” the program gave a synopsis of incidents which included: Act 1— The Croquet Party; a crash in Wall Street, and failure of the
Trust Company; Act 2—Falsely accused and the leap into the stream; Act 3—An offer of marriage, human wolves, foreclosure, and the widow’s malediction; and Act 4—At her mercy, the missing books, vindicated and avenged.
Lurid Plays At Low Prices
Other plays appeared under the lurid titles of “Pajamas,” “The Woman In Red,” and “A Grass Widow.” This last named play was advertised for January 28, 1888, but because bad weather delayed arrival of costumes and scenery the piece was given next evening. Commenting on the postponement the “Daily Times” said:
“There was a good audience assembled at the Academy of Music last evening to see ‘The Grass Widow.’ The lady was there, and the rest of the company also, but the play was not presented. The company waited until half past eight and then it became necessary to make the announcement to the audience that no performance would be given owing to the non-arrival of the company’s baggage.
“The company arrived here yesterday afternoon and their baggage was expected to follow in season for the entertainment. The train bringing it, however, became stalled just outside of the city limits, and it was impossible, therefore, to present the play.
The audience was informed that their money would be returned, or those who desired it would receive tickets for this evening, when ‘The Grass Widow’ will certainly appear.”
Drama at the Academy of Music was available to everyone at reasonable prices which usually ranged from twenty-five cents for the gallery to seventy-five cents or a dollar for the main floor. A few attractions charged as high as a dollar and a half for the best parquette seats, but low-priced admission was the usual thing. Reserved seats for attractions at the Academy were sold in advance at Peck and Shilling’s Music Store, and at Allen’s Bookstore. Many touring companies presented old-time melodramas for the small sum of ten, twenty and thirty cents, and as time went on these prices became standard for troupes playing in the smaller theatres of the country; hence the term “ten-twent’-thirt” became almost universally synonymous with melodrama.
Well Remembered Players
The Academy of Music flourished during what has come to be known as America’s age of actors. No great dramatists appeared during the period, but acting flowered and local audiences attended the theatre to judge the relative merits of the players. It was an era of great rivalries in the theatre, and some actors attracted an individual following which is somewhat comparable to moving picture “fans” today. Perhaps there will never again be such an age of actors as during the last of the nineteenth and the opening of the twentieth centuries. It was the era which saw such famous actors as Edwin Booth, Joseph Jefferson III, E. H. Sothern, Lawrence Barrett, John McCullough, E. L. Davenport, Modjeska, Thomas W. Keene, and Robert Mantell in the limelight of the Academy of Music. Those were the days when Oswegonians were entertained by many fine actors: the comedienne, Maggie Mitchell; the tragic Janauschek; the beautiful Mary Anderson; the comedians, Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Florence; the darling of the mining camps, Lotta (Charlotte Crabtree); John T. Raymond, famous as Colonel Sellers in “The Gilded Age;” the sparkling Minnie Maddern; James O’Neill, best known as the Count of Monte Cristo; and many others whose names are almost forgotten to the present generation of theatregoers.
Sothern In Lord Dundreary
The visit of the inimitable comedian, E. H. Sothern, in his world-renowned role of Lord Dundreary, the original character played by him in America, England and France, nearly five thousand times, was an important event in Oswego. First, because the play, “Our American Cousin,” had brought the actor international fame as a skillful player of eccentric characters, and second, because it was the part Sothern was playing at Ford’s Theatre in Washington the night President Lincoln was assassinated. The “Oswego Palladium” review on March 22, 1876, was full of praise for the actor’s superb characterization. The reviewer wrote: “The audience was, as usual, kept in an almost constant fit of laughter from the beginning of the play to the end. His trenchant humor penetrated the utmost recesses of the hall, and found susceptible victims in every member of the large assemblage. Mr. Sothern’s characterization of the foppish nobleman is a satire, and Mr Sothern’s embodiment of that idea is perhaps perfect. The unvarying suavity of my lord, together with his uncertain wit, unreliable memory, and a peculiar faculty of getting the cart before the horse, are the superficial points of the performance, but the work of the artist, which is the power behind the throne, so to speak, was not so apparent, but was there nevertheless. Mr. Sothern’s acting in this part has much to commend it beside the laughter which it provokes.”
A story is told about a member of the audience who unintentionally paid a great tribute to Sothern’s acting. There was one scene in which Lord Dundreary asked another character, “Does your brother like cheese?” The other replied, “I have no brother.”
To which the comedian asked, “If you had a brother, would he like cheese?” This exchange of dialogue was considered high comedy by everyone in the audience except one very serious-minded Oswegonian who remarked loudly to his neighbors, “That’s not funny, the man is a fool.” Which was precisely what Sothern was trying to portray, and had succeeded so well that he had convinced the most unsympathetic member of the audience.
Sothern was received with acclaim when he returned a second time in the same play on May 18. 1880, less than a year before his death. His character of Lord Dundreary is still remembered as one of the most witty and jovial impersonations ever presented at the Academy of Music.
Maggie Mitchell Local Favorite
Maggie Mitchell, a popular American comedienne and soubrette for over three decades, was the player to appear most regularly and frequently at the Academy of Music. She played in Oswego every season for twelve years in many of the old favorite plays of the period, “Mignon,” “Pearl of Savoy,” “Lorle,” “Little Barefoot,” “Little Savage,” and “Maggie the Midget.” Her most brilliant success was in “Fanchon, the Cricket,” which had been translated for her in 1860 from the French play “La Petite Fadette,” written by George Sand. As an artist Maggie Mitchell never reached the heights of national prominence, but as a popular actress she remained unsurpassed from the time of her first Oswego appearance in 1876 until her farewell engagement in 1889.
The next great actor to appear was John T. Raymond, who had toured Europe with Sothern In “Our American Cousin,” and later achieved the greatest success of his career as the colorful gambler, Colonel Mulberry Sellers, in a dramatization of Mark Twain’s “The Gilded Age.” It was this role Raymond played in Oswego on May 26, 1876, and again on April 19, 1879. His second appearance did not meet with huge success, however, according to a report printed in the “Oswego Morning Herald”:
“There was a beggarly array of empty seats at the Academy of Music Saturday night, the occasion of John T. Raymond’s presentation of ‘Colonel Sellers’. Notwithstanding the arctic absence, the play was excellently given. The only reason we can assign to the slim attendance is the price In these times of reduced wages and expenses, one dollar is too much for a reserved seat. One half the sum is a plenty and the sooner showmen come down to popular prices the better it will be for them. We are not as we were in the flush times of the war, a fact that showmen, like many politicians, seem to either not know or forget.”
Lotta Had Oswego Admirers
Mr. Raymond returned to Oswego in 1881 in the play, “Fresh the American,” and for two later engagements in the play “In Paradise.” These appearances were well patronized by the public, but the actor never gained the recognition he had received in “The Gilded Age.”
Lotta (Charlotte Crabtree), an amiable, lovely and ambitious actress who had been the pet and pride of her native California, was another popular actress to appear in Oswego. She met with great success throughout the county in such plays as “Zip,” “Musette,” and “The Little Detective,” and amassed a fortune which she eventually increased by wise investment to over four million dollars. Most of her plays were written especially for her, and were usually sentimental dramas centering around a waif among miners in California.
Lotta, as she was always called, came to Oswego in five of her best known plays: “Musette” in 1877; “Zip” in 1878; “Bob” in 1882; “The Little Detective, or A Woman’s Curiosity” in 1883; and in “Pawn Ticket No. 210,” a four-act play by Clay Green and David Belasco, in 1887.
A Second Lotta
Because the famous Lotta had been confused with a lesser actress who advertised herself as “Lottie,” the “Oswego Times” went to considerable pains to assure the public that the real Lotta was to appear at the time of her first engagement in Oswego.
Several of the news items are interesting because they show the warm enthusiasm with which the actress was received. The “Daily Times” said on November 13, 1877:
“The announcement that the only real genuine Lotta is coming will please lovers of comedy in this city.
“Lotta is a great comedienne and a bright star, and will be supported by Henry E. Abbey’s fine dramatic company from the Park Theatre, New York.
“She will produce on this her first appearance in Oswego her favorite comedy ‘Musette’ when the seating capacity of the Academy of Music will be fully tested.”
Next day another item appeared in the “Times” concerning the actress: “For the benefit of those who are in doubt we wish to assure our readers that the Lotta who appears at the Academy of Music next week is the real genuine famous Lotta, (Charlotte Crabtree). We make this statement in her interest from the fact that actresses of similar name have appeared in this and adjacent places, and amusement goers have been misled by the advertisements.”
The day after tickets were placed on sale at Allen’s Bookstore the “Times” commented:
“It looked like old times to see the rush at Allen’s this morning to procure tickets for the Lotta entertainment next Thursday evening. Before ten o’clock nearly all of the orchestra chairs were taken, assuring her a very cordial and hearty reception. Those who are so unfortunate as not to be able to attend will miss one of the rarest treats of the season.”
On the day of the performance the “Times” continued: “Charming, lively, jolly, hilarious, magnetic little Lotta will be at the Academy of Music tonight. Lotta pleases everybody. She proves an irresistible attraction, no less to the high bred, fastidious and critical than to those of less refined tastes.’
And the day after her performance the newspaper reported: “The best paying house of the season was drawn out by the appearance of Lotta last evening. As a delineator of a certain class of character, of which Musette is a type, Lotta has no rival. She is bright, dashing and winsome as ever and her performance last night gave unbounded satisfaction. Encouraged by that warm reception, given them last evening, we understand Lotta and her company will visit Oswego again during the winter.”
Barrett and Davenport in “Julius Caesar”
Lawrence Barrett and Edward L. Davenport, two great Shakespearean actors of the American theatre, appeared together in Oswego on November 1, 1876 in Shakespeare’s historical tragedy “Julius Caesar.” In the play, which had just finished an unparalleled run of over one hundred consecutive nights at Booth’s Theatre, Mr. Barrett appeared as Cassius, the role in which he became most famous during his later tour with Edwin Booth. Mr. Davenport played Brutus, one of his outstanding parts. As a special dramatic feature of the evening the play concluded with a tableau of the burning of Brutus’ body on the plains of Phillippi.
Mr. Davenport, who was considered second only to Booth as a Shakespearean actor and who became famous as leading man to Mrs. Anna Cora Mowatt in “Romeo and Juliet,” favored Oswego with another visit on January 30, 1877, in a famous contemporary drama “Dan’l Bruce, Blacksmith.”
Played with Booth
Mr. Barrett, who had played with Edwin Booth and Charlotte Cushman before the Civil War, and later became a famous star with his own company, returned to Oswego in February, 1877, to present his impersonation of the Cardinal in the play “Richelieu,” by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton. This performance received favorable comment from the “Palladium” reviewer who noted:
“Lawrence Barrett appeared as Richelieu, last evening, at the Academy of Music, and was greeted with the enthusiasm and received the applause due so fine an actor from a critical audience. His appreciation of the fine points of the play, his magnificent rendition of them, his figure and costumes were perfect. Probably no actor who has visited us has so ingratiated himself into the good will of Oswego audiences as Lawrence Barrett, and Richelieu is one of his best characters. His support was first class in every respect.”
Barrett made his final Oswego appearance on January 9, 1879, as Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice,” and as David Garrick in a play by the same name. The actor was long remembered by Oswego theatregoers for his beautiful voice, his remarkable elocution, his tragic face, and the fine intelligence he brought to his acting.
Maurice Barrymore And Georgia Drew
December 5, 1877, brought Augustin Daly’s Comedy Company in a brilliant comedy of society entitled, “Life, A Comedy Of City Types.” The role of Schuyler Samples, a type of the unwise who roam but do not soar, was played by the New York favorite, Maurice Barrymore. His wife, Georgia Drew, also appeared in the play as Mrs. Masham Mallory, a rich widow with a widow’s mite of a million dollars and one little dog.
Maurice, a handsome man with a gift for winning the hearts of all, was the matinee idol of his time and achieved considerable success as leading man at Wailack’s Theatre, and later as costar with Modjieska and Fanny Davenport in Shakespearean roles. Georgia Drew, who had played with Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, John McCullough and Helena Modjeska, had met Barrymore in a Daly company and married him in 1876. Their first child Lionel, of later stage, screen and radio fame, was born a year after their appearance in Oswego. Georgia then retired from the stage for a few years to care for Lionel and the other two children Ethel and John, and did not play again in Oswego until some years later.
Maurice Barrymore continued to be an important figure on the American stage, and returned to Oswego several times as leading man with Modjeska.
Helena Modjeska, a Polish actress of distinction who had made an enormously successful American debut in 1877, appeared at the Academy of Music, March 23, 1883, in one of her best known roles, Rosalind in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” Maurice Barrymore, making his second Oswego appearance, played Orlando. The local newspapers were full of praise for the actress, but did not have much to say concerning Barrymore, though he was at the time a leading figure on the American and English stage. The “Palladium” review said:
“A large and appreciative audience awaited until almost half past eight, last evening, the rising of the curtain and the representation of that unique comedy “As You Like It:’ awaited also a glimpse of one of the great stars in the theatrical heavens. Modjeska. who at last by some happy eccentricity, her orbit favored Oswego by her appearance.
“Throughout the evening Madame Modieska was charming, bewitching, quite the light and airy Rosalind that our fancy has so long entertained. In her masculine role, she was most coquettish and feminine and the rendering of the epilogue seemed to set the seal upon the evening’s entertainment, as a most rare and delightful affair. Barrymore as Orlando was graceful and manly; the wrestling good; the support fair.”
Modjeska Comes
The “Times” review was equally flattering: “The interpretation given of the character of Gannymede in the forest of Arden by Modjeska was something wonderful. The slight accent which she has not been able to overcome perhaps added a charm to her impersonation. The audience forgot her personality and saw only Rosalind in her boyish garb, playing her pretty part to perfection, but yet too womanly to quite disguise her love for the hero of the play. “She was called before the curtain several times. Maurice Barrymore made an effective Orlando, W. F. Owen a capital Touchstone, and Frank Clement gave a good representation of the melancholy Jacques.
“Modjeska has never before appeared in Oswego and her appearance here on any future occasion will test the capacity of the Academy to the utmost. It would have done so last night had it not been Good Friday.”
Modjeska’s Camille
The Barrymores third and final appearance in Oswego came on October 12, 1883, as support to Modjeska in “Camille,” Maurice in the role of Armand Duval, and Georgia Drew in the minor role of Olympe. The “Palladium” reviewer devoted a full column of praise to the beauty of the costumes and the excellence of the acting. A few excerpts will give the flavor of the review:
“We shall probably never witness a more perfect piece of acting than Modjeska’s last evening, yet we cannot refrain from expressing regret that one must listen to Camille in order to see and hear Modjeska.
“The support was excellent. Mr. Barrymore is always a favorite and attention was at all times divided between him and the star when both were on the stage. Madame Modjeska understands supplementing her beauty and her art with dresses whose elegance defies description. Camille first appeared in a costume of white satin, over a skirt of white, brocaded in delicate browns and purples, both under and over dress trimmed with crystal fringe. In the next scene her dress was of the most delicate peach color, embossed with leaves of the highest brown. In the country house where for a few short months Camille is so happy with Armand, she wore a white muslin simply made, and for ornaments a spray of similax and roses.
“Modjeska’s acting in the scene with Duval’s father and in the struggle with herself when he left her reached the heights and was simply magnificent.”
Modjeska returned in January of 1888 at the head of her own company in “Romeo and Juliet.” with a comparatively unknown actor, William Morris, in the role of Romeo. The play was not well received by the local press, principally because of the inferior supporting company. But the fact remains that she appeared before Oswego audiences as Rosalind, Camille and Juliet, the three roles which brought her fame as one of the greatest actresses on the English-speaking stage. She possessed an amazing ability for emotional acting in scenes of rage, fear, love, hate, tenderness and misery, and was equally versatile in comedy, melodrama or poetic drama For many years after her three Oswego appearances Helena Modjeska continued to be the brightest feminine star in the American theatre.
John McCullough
An eminent Irish-American actor, John McCullough, who had played at various times with Edwin Booth and with Edwin Forrest, made his first appearance at the Academy of Music, January 2, 1878, in the drama “Virginius,” which was considered to be his greatest role. As a player of such heroic roles as Virginius ami Othello, he was well equipped with a powerful voice, classic facial features, a fine physique and a noble manner. His acting was full of passion, variety and sincerity. The “Palladium” review of “Virginius” praised McCullough, but severely condemned the poor supporting cast:
“People who were in the Academy of Music last evening witnessed one of the most perfect and heroic representations of tragedy ever enjoyed in this town, in Mr. McCullough’s Virginius. While columns of praise might be written on McCullough’s acting, this single and comprehensive statement seems to us to cover the ground. His mastery and delineations of the passions are grand and overwhelming, and the audience so testified in calling him before the curtain after the second act and at the conclusion of the performance.
“Miss DeForest was a fair Virginia, and Levick an average sort of an Icilius. but aside from these there was nothing in the support to warrant attention. The supernumeraries were wretched, and their ludicrous ignorance of the state and of their respective positions, situations and Darts would have turned the whole play into a burlesque except for the immense power of McCullough who rescued the performance from such ignominy.
“With proper support the play Virginius would have been a wonderful and delicious memory to the audience; but in spite of these discrepancies we now know what McCullough is and will know how to receive him should he come again.”
The criticism was evidently heeded for the review was much more favorable when the actor returned later in the same play. The following May, McCullough appeared in the title role of “Othello,” with the celebrated tragedian, Charles Barron, as Iago. Next evening the two actors presented Shakespeare’s thrilling tragedy, “Richard III,” with McCullough as the Duke of Gloster, and Barron as Richmond. After the performance of this play the “Oswego Palladium” reported:
“The lovers of Shrkespeare’s tragedy were treated last evening to such a feast as is rarely enjoyed outside of the larger cities. Never have we seen an audience as thoroughly carried away, so enthusiastic, so frequently moved to applause. The play Richard III, is regarded by many as Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy The character of Richard is one of the most difficult for tragedians to portray, McCullough gave us a masterly impersonation of it. Old play-goers, who have seen other great actors in the same character and thus had the opportunity for comparison are among the most enthusiastic admirers of McCullough. They say that his Richard is unequalled. Oswego has been greatly favored in having an opportunity to witness such a finished dramatic performance as that of last night. Not only was the leading character sustained with such matchless ability, but the support was so excellent that no fault could be found with any member of the cast, and a great deal might be said in praise to all.”
An incident happened during this engagement that points up the effectiveness of McCullough’s acting. During an especially tense and emotional scene when the actor was about to kill a man, a young woman in the audience was so carried away by the acting that she cried out, “Look out, he’s going to kill you.” Ordinarily an actor would have been annoyed at such an interruption, but in this case McCullough was pleased and accepted it as a tribute to his ability to convince spectators of the reality of the situation.
Fechter In “Hamlet”
Charles Albert Fechter, a French actor, famous as the original Armand in “Camille” and as the foremost romantic actor of his time, came to Oswego, February 20, 1878, in “Hamlet”. He was supported by the accomplished Lizzie Price and J. W. Albaugh. After a successful tour of America Fechter became manager of the Lyceum Theatre in New York City. There he made many innovations in directing and staging plays. His interpretation of Hamlet was also something of an innovation according to the review in the “Palladium”:
“Those who have accepted the conceptions of Booth and Barrett, as given by their enactment of the melancholy Dane, were doubtless disappointed, and not agreeably.
Indeed, we are of the opinion that a majority of those present at the play last night would vote for Booth’s or Barrett’s Hamlet in preference to Fechter’s. But, whatever difference of sentiment may exist on this point, there can it seems to us, be but one opinion as to the high order of genius and art possessed by Fechter. He plays Hamlet, his Hamlet, with consummate art, and with the force and effectiveness inseparable from true art. He discards the dreamy melancholia; the refined and effeminate intellectuality combined with the weak and nerveless physique of the old school, and gives us instead a Hamlet of rare and admirable qualities, of exquisite sensitiveness, yet at the same time having a resolute will, a determined and well marked purpose to bring punishment to the slayer of his father. Fechter’s Hamlet is masculine, intense and strongly lined. We like it. If Mr. Fechter comes here again he will have a large audience.”
Fanny Davenport’s First Visit
The beautiful and talented Fanny Davenport, daughter of the famous Shakespearean actor Edward L. Davenport, played many engagements in Oswego during her long and successful career. She had begun acting at the age of four, and for seventeen years was a leading lady for Augustin Daly. Some of her critics were unkind enough to say she succeeded because of her beauty instead of any great talent in acting. This criticism, however, appears to be unfounded since she met with great success in plays by Sardou, and in the Shakespearean roles of Ophelia and Rosalind. This last named character she played in Oswego, January 24, 1878, to receive a very favorable press notice in the “Palladium”:
“Miss Fanny Davenport As Rosalind
“None of the persons prominent in the theatric world have ever been so greatly complimented by the citizens of Oswego as was Miss Fanny Davenport at the Academy of Music last evening. It was a splendid audience; literally splendid by vastness of number, elegance of dress, intensity of attention and all the auditorial elements that make the theatre a brilliant and fascinating place. We believe the Academy has not held so large an audience since opening night. While this was mainly complimentary to Miss Davenport’s reputation as Rosalind in ‘As You Like It,’ it was also in some sense so to the strength of the Fifth Avenue Company which supported her. The fire example of Shakespearean comedy which was the play of the evening, has always been a delight to the cultivated mind and became doubly so in the fine action of Miss Davenport, whose dressing of the cast, action, reading and singing of the cuckoo song are all consistent and delightful parts of Shakespeare’s conceit.
“It was a real Rosalind without too much or too little other personality showing through it. The audience expressed their admiration by repeated calls to the curtain.
“Mr. Charles Fisher’s Jacques was also a great piece of reality, as well as Mr. Herbert Barrymore’s Orlando. Mr. Fawcett’s representation of the Duke, and Mr. John Drew’s Oliver were highly consistent parts of the play, while Mr. Davidge’s Touchstone was ideally clever.
“The play As You Like It,’ as cast on this occasion, must long stand conspicuous among our amusements. We now think it plain that there is no risk to a manager who brings us such a performance, but at the same time it must be recollected that such a cast is seldom to be secured outside the great theatrical centers.”
Miss Davenport returned to Oswego in May of the same year to play the role of Mabel Renfew in Augustin Daly’s original play “Pique,” a part which had first established the actress as a universally recognized star. The main plot of the play revolved around a young woman who out of pique married a man she did not love, was forced to live with his family, and suffered great unhappiness. A minor plot, which was concerned with the abduction and thrilling rescue of Mabel’s child, gave the actress an opportunity to demonstrate her ability as a great emotional actress. Her appearance at the Academy of Music came at the end of 238 performances in the play in New York City, and as a part of a long tour of the United States.
Her most famous roles after leaving the Daly company were in the Sardou plays, “Fedora”, and “La Tosca,” in which she toured the country at the head of her own company. “Fedora” was presented in Oswego, April 5, 1886, with the great emotional actor, Robert B. Mantell, in the chief supporting part. Miss Davenport played “La Tosca” here on March 27, 1890, with Melbourne MacDowell as the male lead. Also in the cast was Theodore Roberts who later became famous as a moving picture character actor.
Robert B. Mantell
A Scotch actor by the name of Robert B. Mantell, one of the last great Shakespearean actors in the old tradition, who had made his American debut in 1878 in Modjeska’s production of “Romeo and Juliet,” played in Oswego many times during his long and successful career. He first appeared as leading man to Fanny Davenport in “Fedora,” and twice later as star in the sensational melodrama “Tangled Lives,” and again in a five-act romantic drama, “Monbars.”
The review of “Tangled Lives” in the “Daily Times-Express” of November 17, 1886, is interesting since it gives an account of the play which brought the young actor national fame.
“When Robert B. Mantell appeared at the Academy of Music as the support of Fanny Davenport in ‘Fedora’ he made a decided hit, and his appearance in ‘Tangled Lives’ was looked for with a great deal of interest. The audience last evening, which was mainly in the orchestra and dress circle, was a critical one.
” ‘Tangled Lives’ is an odd play and the strong dash of Bohemian life which runs through adds to its effectiveness. Raymond Garth (Mantell) is desperately in love with Edith Ainsley (Effie Shannon), but is debarred from marriage by the simple fact that he has married, without the usual ceremony, Helen Garth. Around the love of Raymond and Edith a pretty romance is woven, enlivened by scenes of Bohemian life.
“Of course the interest centered around Mantell, but the part of Raymond Garth does not give the actor the opportunity which he had in “Fedora,” but the play, on the whole, is excellent and each and every member of the company was so strong in the part assigned that it gave general satisfaction.”
Mantell’s public could not forget his first appearance as support to Fanny Davenport, and after his second engagement in “Tangled Lives” the review opened with another reminder:
“Mantell made himself popular in Oswego as the support of Fanny Davenport in “Fedora” where he fairly outshone the star On his return with his own company, having left the Davenport company, he was well received and every one was pleased to see him return. Mantell was magnificent as Raymond Garth, but Nelson Wheatcroft as Josephus Howson fairly divided the applause with him. ‘Always Welcome’ will be the motto in Oswego when Mantell is coming.”
This actor was given an enthusiastic welcome when he returned in September, 1888, to score a great success in the French play “Monbars,” and again in the same play in November, 1889.
Mary Anderson
The distinguished young American tragedienne, Mary Anderson, made her first of five appearances in Oswego, in “Ingomar, The Barbarian,” supported by John W Norton. She was one of America’s most popular tragic actresses from 1875, when she made her debut in Louisville, Kentucky, until she married in 1890 and retired from the stage. She was reported to be very photogenic, and her pictures appeared in newspapers and magazines, and in advertisements for soap and hourglass corsets. The “Palladium” review of “Ingomar,” April 30, 1878, devoted considerable space to the youth and beauty of the famous actress.
“Mary Anderson’s Genius
“Last night Mary Anderson played Ingomar at the Academy of Music to a large and highly appreciative house. Her acting is conceded to be high art, and the audience gave decided expression to their admiration of it.
“The Parthenia of Miss Anderson shows something above and beyond talent; it evidences genius of the purest ray. This combined with youth, beauty, ardent love of art and towering ambition, has placed Mary Anderson among the first of American tragediennes. Her performance last night was one of the finest our people have witnessed.
“A tall, straight ,and shapely girl, with head firmly poised on a faultless neck, regular, clean cut features, the nose prominent, eyes set well apart and looking straight out from beneath a broad forehead partly concealed by the light hair, a short chin, firm mouth and white, even teeth. Such, at first glance are the most prominent features of Mary Anderson’s face. It is not a classical face, but purely American, or a type that no one could hesitate to match against any competition from the old world. It is a singularly expressive face, and even in the most ordinary conversation the play of features and the motion of the hands aid in conveying the meaning of the words.
“Quiet and self possessed, without a particle of self consciousness, she looks the woman of twenty-one. Her nineteenth birthday has not yet come, and when it does she will look five years older than she really is, while at thirty she will look five years younger.”
Miss Anderson returned to Oswego in November, 1878, to star in “Romeo and Juliet,” with Joseph Wheelock as Romeo; in May, 1879, in a repeat performance of “Ingomar, The Barbarian;” in December, 1879, to play in “The Hunchback” with Milnes Levick as leading man; and finally in September, 1880, in “The Countess In Love.”
Janauchek
Madame Fanny Janauchek, a Czech actress, considered to be one of the greatest tragediennes of the last century, was best known for her portrayal of Lady Macbeth, and for Mary Stuart, a role she played on her first Oswego engagement, April 28, 1879. She had toured the country during 1867 in classic dramas which she acted in German, later she studied English, and after 1873 played parts in that language.
Janauchek as “Mary Stuart,’ Queen of Scots, was received in Oswego without great enthusiasm. The “Palladium” reported:
“Only a fair sized audience assembled at the Academy of Music last evening to see Madame Janauchek. The audience was very attentive but rather cool and undemonstrative. They enjoyed the thoroughly artistic acting in a quiet way, but evidently the play is not one to arouse any degree of enthusiasm, and Madame Janauschek either has not the power to move an audience or else was unable to exercise it in playing Mary Stuart. There were one or two scenes which formed an exception to the rule. With the aid of the magnetism of a crowded house, acting and reacting upon the actress and the audience, no doubt a different feeling would have prevaded the assembly, the players would have shown more spirit and the applause would have been more frequent and hearty.”
Her greatest work was in the heroic roles of great dramas, but unfortunately in later years, as public taste changed, she was forced to perform the crude melodramas of the period to gain a livelihood. Her second Oswego appearance, in an unimportant play “Zillah,” February 25, 1884, was given a warmer reception than her earlier performance, though the production was far from being an artistic triumph. At the age of sixty Janauschek returned in “Meg Merrilies,” a romantic three act play, dramatized from Sir Walter Scott’s novel “Guy Mannering.” It was in this play that the aging actress attained considerable financial success. Supporting her at the time of this final appearance in 1890 was Tyrone Power, father of Tyrone Power, the moving picture actor.
Mr. And Mrs. William Florence
“The Mighty Dollar,” a satirical picture of society life in the nation’s capital, first brought Mr. and Mrs. William Florence to Oswego. William Jermyn Florence, an American actor, dramatist and comedian who specialized in Irisii and Yankee characters, appeared in his best known characterization, The Honorable Bardwell Slote. Mrs. Florence, the former Malvina Pray Littell, famous as the first American actress to appear before an English audience, played Mrs. General Gilflory, a part she eventually repeated more than 2,500 times in America and England. The “Palladium” of January 11, 1878, reported:
“Seldom is an audience so handsomely entertained as was that in the Academy of Music by the Florences in ‘The Mighty Dollar.’ The play is a rich combination of scenes in two of the most ludicrous phases of American life: the rural congressman with a scheme, and the relic of an American general, who has traveled abroad, seen the sights, and gets them all mixed up and believes that blood is what tells.
“In their respective characters Mr. and Mrs. Florence are absolutely inimitable and above fair criticism. The manners of Hon. Bardwell Slote, M. C, his dress, his notions of the duties of a congressman to his constituents and to himself—that phenomenal combination of stupidity, self- consequence and ignorance—are reproduced by Mr. Florence in all their original drollery and deformity.
The Mighty Dollar
“Mrs. Florence dresses and plays the no less phenomenal character of Mrs. General Gilflory with a degree of brilliancy and reality which makes the part one of the most successful and wonderful on the stage of the present day. Her costuming is a marvel of Parisian art. The support was good, and the audience was completely overcome with enjoyment. At the close of the first act Mr. and Mrs. Florence were called before the curtain and complimented by continuous applause for several minutes.”
The Florences repeated their success in the same play in November of the same year, and again on October 29, 1881; and returned in 1884 to present a new comedy, “Facts, Or His Little Hatchet.” They made their final appearance at the Academy of Music, December 10, 1887, in a play entitled “Our Governor,” which was the old play “Facts” with a new title. The newspaper again greeted them with enthusiasm:
“Florence outdid the aborigines, who appeared at the Academy of Music recently under Captain Jack Crawford, by the manner in which he branished his little hatchet last evening. ‘The Governor,’ the play ‘Facts’ revised, is suited to him better perhaps than ‘The Mighty Dollar.’ At least it gives him rare opportunities and the ‘facts’ which he gives are of an outstanding nature. He is aided and abetted by his talented wife, who as an English authoress looking for facts which are kindly furnished for her by the governor, gives an inimitable performance. Her costumes which are magnificent, attract much attention from the ladies. Florence has an excellent company, each one peculiarly adapted for the role assigned and everything went smoothly to the close. Mr. and Mrs. Florence are always welcome in Oswego.”
The Count Of Monte Cristo
James O’Neill, father of the famous playwright, Eugene O’Neill, was an Irish-American actor best known for his portrayal of Edmond Dantes in “The Count of Monte Cristo,” which he played for years in cities all over the country. Following his first Oswego appearance, September 22, 1885, the “Times-Express” reported:
“In spite of the inclement night there was a large audience at the Academy of Music last evening to hear James O’Neill in Monte Cristo. The character of Edmund Dantes is particularly adapted to Mr. O’Neill who made the most of it. He was supported by an excellent company in every respect. The Company will be welcome at any time.”
The second appearance of the actor in the same play on October 30, 1889, however, did not meet with the warm reception predicted four years earlier. The comment in the “Palladium” was brief and none too complimentary of the supporting company.
“James O’Neill, who appeared at the Academy last night in Monte Cristo was greeted by a crowded house. It has been truly said that no actor on the American stage can compare with O’Neill in ‘Monte Cristo.’ His acting last night was all that it ever has been, but his support was very indifferent. The scenic effects were good and, as a whole, the play was enjoyed by the large audience. The costumes were elegant.”
Edwin Booth In Othello
Edwin Booth, who was probably America’s greatest Shakespearean actor, if contemporary criticism can be believed, appeared at the Academy of Music on Christmas eve, 1886, in “Othello.” He played the role of Iago, and was supported by Chavles Barron as Othello, Emma Vaders as Desdemona, Owen Fawcett as Roderigo, L. J. Henderson as the Duke of Venice, and Mrs. Augusta Foster as Emilia. Mr. Oliver Dowd served as stage director, and Ormand H. Butler as agent for Mr. Booth. Historically correct costumes and armor for auxiliaries was from Eaves Costume Company, New York. A program note also announced that the piano used in the theatre was supplied by Frank Schilling’s Music Store, Oswego.
Booth’s visit to Oswego came toward the end of his glorious career on the stage, a career which had brought him worldwide fame as an actor. He had risen to the heights in the theatrical world during the 1850’s, but had retired from the theatre when the insane act of his brother, John Wilkes Booth, in assassinating Abraham Lincoln, had plunged the nation into mourning. At public insistence Edwin Booth had returned to the stage and was again hailed with great enthusiasm. In 1869 he had opened Booth’s Theatre in New York City at a cost of a million dollars, but in 1874 had lost everything in bankruptcy. From that time on Booth devoted himself to starring tours that took him throughout the United States, and to Europe where he enjoyed brilliant success. Booth visited Oswego when he was at the very peak of his career, and it is a great tribute to the tastes of local play-goers and the business acumen of the theatre manager that the greatest figure on the American stage should have appeared at the Academy of Music.
The actor had often been criticized for surrounding himself with poor supporting players, but the company with him in Oswego met with the approval of the “Time-Express” critic who wrote:
“Booth As Iago
“The Appearance of the Great Actor at the Academy of Music Friday evening. A Brilliant and Delightful Assemblage.
“It was a bold venture of Manager Pierce in making an engagement with Edwin Booth to appear at the Academy of Music. All the more so when it is considered that the holiday week is always one that is dreaded by theatrical managers, as social events more or less monopolize the time and attention of the usual patrons of the drama. The large guarantee Manager Pierce was obliged to assure was of itself sufficient to deter a less enterprising manager from assuming such a risk in a small city at a season, too, when festivities of various kinds were certain to decrease receipts. But Mr. Pierce was determined that the patrons of the Academy of Music should have an opportunity of seeing and hearing the greatest of living American actors, even if he sustained a personal pecuniary loss. Such was not the case, however, and he has the satisfaction of knowing that his efforts to cater to the lovers of the drama in this city are appreciated.
“It was a brilliant assemblage, notwithstanding the weather was anything but propitious. The play of “Othello” is regarded by many as Shakespeare’s masterpiece.
“Edwin Booth was, of course, the great attraction, but the playing, as a whole, was on a much higher level than that to which small cities like Oswego are often treated.
“The playing of Booth as Iago was remarkable for its unity He was always the cunning, plotting villian—always himself. His gestures and facial expressions were true to the character. He did not once “slop over”, did not once render the villainy so broadly as to disgust his audience. He was the graceful, self-contained villain from first to last.
“Barron as Othello was also consistent throughout, a wiry man, compact of muscle and sinew, brave, commanding, introspective, weak in his strong faith in Iago, incapable of large loving, thinking most of self when fancying himself most in love with Desdemona, or blind that he cannot see her purity, so selfish that he wants every corner of her love, killing her finally for his own sake. Only once when the thought that she may be false first possesses him do his tones fill his audience with sympathy.
At the smothering scene, the hearers are not greatly moved, because even here, it is Othello thinking of Othello.
“At first we were inclined to criticize Barron, in that he did not move us more, but reflecting, we see that the Othello Shakespeare created could not move us: hence, we say his playing was consistent throughout.
“Desdemona was a true, simple, loving, young creature. The part was played well but not masterfully.
“Emilia was the only one who ranted and this only at first. Her playing at the close was strong and now merited applause. “The dramatic treat enjoyed by the audience will be remembered with pleasure. The large attendance proved that high prices will not deter the amusement loving element of the city from witnessing the drama when presented by such a brilliant company as the one Manager Pierce treated his patrons with on Friday evening.”
Reminiscence Of Booth
Christmas Day the Booth Company left Oswego by train for Syracuse. Mr. Frederick W.
Barnes of Oswego was also a passenger in the same coach, and was able to observe the actors off stage and out of character. Booth, a dark, handsome man 53 years old, sat quietly reading a French novel in the original, while the rest of the company carried on a gay, hilarious conversation. “What was the name of that hotel in Oswego?” asked one of the actors.
“The Doolittle House,” someone answered.
“Oh,” said the first, “I thought it was the ‘Get-little’ House.”
As the uproarious laughter died away, one of the actresses remarked that as she was coming out of the hotel the day before she had asked a small street urchin, “Sonny, where is the Opera House?”
The youngster, not knowing he was addressing a member of the dignified Booth Company and not a “Tom Show” player, answered, “Oh missus, be you one of them show people. When you gonna have the street parade?”
Management Changes In 1887
A change in management of the Academy of Music took place in July, 1887, when Wallace H. Frisbie, proprietor and manager of a rival Oswego theatre, the Casino Opera house, leased the Academy for an indefinite period. The newspapers announced the change as an important event in the theatrical history of Oswego:
“A change in management of the Academy of Music will occur July first, it will then be Manager Frisbie. Mr. W. H. Frisbie has leased the Academy and will take possession on July 1. Great improvements will be made in the house and everything changed behind the orchestra railing. The stage will be widened 8 feet and the scenes lifted 6 feet higher, and there will be a better opportunity to put on pieces which have heretofore been cramped for room. It is an improvement long desired, as Oswego has lost many attractions and others have been impaired from the fact that they found it impossible to get scenes properly set. The Casino will be closed entirely to theatricals and will be for rent and used only for renting purposes, for which it is peculiarly adapted. Manager Frisbie will secure the coming season the best attractions and give Oswego a rare season of theatricals.
“Oswego will bid good-bye to Manager John R. Pierce with regret and hope that he may be equally successful in any other field of labor which he may choose The change is simply a business matter and the best feeling exists between all the parties concerned.”
Staff In 1887
Mr. Frisbie was assisted in the management of the Academy by James McDonough as treasurer, Professor E. E. Favreau as orchestra leader, John S. Parsons as head usher, and Fred Wallace and George Chetney as ushers. A few years later the theatre program listed Mr. Parsons as treasurer, Clarence S. Martin as chief usher, and Charles O’Geran, James A. Frisbie, B. Thompson and H. F. Cavanaugh as ushers. Professor Favreau continued for many years as leader of an orchestra which included Frank Schilling at the piano, Sol Hunt on the double bass, and a musician named Janauschek on the clarinet.
Minnie Maddern’s Four Appearances
For the opening play under new management, Mr. Frisbie engaged the youthful star, Minnie Maddern, to present her latest New York success “Caprice,” Howard Taylor’s fireside idyl, under the direction of Arthur Miller. In this play Miss Maddern made her greatest success, and brought to popularity the song “In The Gloaming.” She was supported by an excellent cast which included Arthur Forrest, Harry Wilson. Odette Tyler, and her own sister, Mary Maddern. The review next day praised both the star and the new manager of the Academy for a pleasant evening in the theatre:
“There was a large audience at the Academy of Music last evening to see the popular little actress, Minnie Maddern in her new play, ‘Caprice,’ in which she has toured the country.
“Miss Maddern appeared in a double character, that of Mercy, the bright but ignorant country girl who by her witchery captured a rich and cultured husband, and later as Lucy Ashton when she had grown to be a lady. In the character of Mercy, Miss Maddern appeared to particular advantage and there was some brilliant character acting which seemed to suit the audience. The little star was called before the curtain twice. She was supported by an excellent company, and the interest did not flag from the start.
“We hear only good words from the manner in which the Academy has been fitted up by Manager Frisbie. The stage is so much enlarged that it is in view from all parts of the house, and the scenery and stage fittings are so greatly improved as to call for universal commendation.”
Miss Maddern made four appearances in Oswego, once in Charles Callahan’s romantic comedy-drama, “Fogg’s Ferry,” once in “The Puritan Maid,” and twice in her greatest success, “Caprice.” The little actress was long remembered for her personal charm and acting ability which was well suited to both serious drama and comedy. A year after her fourth appearance in Oswego on April 3, 1889, she was married to Harrison Grey Fiske and retired from the stage for four years. When she returned to the theatre she was known as Mrs. Fiske, and under this name achieved great success as a serious actress in the plays by Ibsen.
Joseph Jefferson III was another celebrated actor to tread the boards at the Academy of Music. He made two different appearances in “Rip Van Winkle,” the triumph of his career, which brought him fame and fortune. After a successful run in New York City, Jefferson played the part all over the United States and came to Oswego on September 23. 1887. The role of Gretchen was played by Emma Vadders, who less than a year previously had appeared as Desdemona in Booth’s production of “Othello.”
Charles Duval played the part of Hendrick Hudson. According to the newspaper report the play and Jefferson met with huge success in Oswego:
Jefferson In “Rip Van Winkle”
“There was a magnificent audience at the Academy of Music last evening when Joe Jefferson appeared in his grand representation of Rip Van Winkle. It is one of the rare characters which is never old but which touches the heart as quickly as in the early days when Jefferson made for the quaint old vagabond of the Catskills the place it has ever since retained upon the American stage. It is not the acting merely, but the audience seemed to be looking into the real life in the old Dutch village of Falling Waters as is appeared when Irving wrote it. It was a grand piece of character painting and even such of the audience that had seen Jefferson a dozen times were the foremost to applause. The company is a fine one throughout, but the work of Edwin Varrey as ‘Derrick Van Beekman’s deserves special mention. Miss Emma Vadders was magnificent as ‘Gretchen,’ and May Woolcott was admirable in the character of Mennie grown to be a woman.
“If there is any falling off in Jefferson in any particular the audience did not note it and gave him as cordial a reception as when he first appeared before the Oswego public. May it be many years before Joe Jefferson leaves the stage.”
Jefferson did not again play at the Academy of Music, but since he continued on the stage for many more years it is quite possible that he may have returned to Oswego later to play in the Richardson Theatre. His lasting popularity was based on the magical charm of his acting which blended humor, pathos and beauty, and he was always remembered a gentle, kindly Rip Van Winkle.
Kate Claxton, Rose Coghlan
Time and space do not permit a complete account of all the actors and actresses that appeared at the Academy of Music, to do so would require an almost complete list of the players of that period. Brief mention must be made, however, of a few other outstanding performers who played in Oswego:
Kate Claxton, appeared here several times in her greatest success as the blind sister in “The Two Orphans,” a part she had played for one hundred and eighty nights at the Union Square Theatre in New York, and later for twenty years on tour. She also appeared here in the plays “Frou-Frou,” and “The Sea Of Ice.”
Rose Coghlan, an English actress who made her American debut under Wallack’s banner, appeared twice in Oswego as Lady Teazle in “The School For Scandal.” Critics believed her to be the greatest Lady Teazle in the English-speaking world.
Admirer Carried Langtry From Theater
Lily Langtry, affectionately referred to as “the Jersey Lily,” was an English celebrity who attained success in this country because of her great beauty and clever acting. She toured America under her own management, and appeared twice before audiences at the Academy of Music; “As You Like It” in 1883, and “As In A Looking Glass” in 1888. An amusing story is told about Mrs. Langtry and a fire at the Academy. On one of her visits to Oswego she was accompanied by an ardent admirer, Freddie Gebhart, who was most solicitous of the actress’s welfare and happiness. During an evening performance the theatre furnace became overheated, and though there was no actual danger the management thought it wise to empty the auditorium. The audience filed out quietly without difficulty, but Mrs. Langtry’s admirer, seeing a splendid opportunity for an act of heroism lifted the actress tenderly and carried her downstairs to the street.
Mr. and Mrs. Nat C. Goodwin starred together in a three act comedy, “The Member For Slocum On A Racket.” Mr. Goodwin later to become best known for the number of his wives, was at first a variety actor with Tony Pastor in New York, and later a star on the legitimate stage. He came to Oswego in 1882 with one of his wives to appear in a play which gave him a fine opportunity to show his skill in comedy, burlesque and mimicry.
Heme In “Hearts Of Oak”
James A. Heme was a playwright, actor and manager who believed that a play should improve the morality of the audience. He was thought to be the greatest author of his time, and is best remembered for “Hearts Of Oak,” which was enormously popular when it was presented here on April 17, 1883, with the author in the leading part.
Thomas W. Keene, a well known tragedian, came to Oswego three different times to play the leading roles in “Richard III,” “Richelieu,” and “Othello.” Following his March 6, 1883, presentation of “Richard III” the “Palladium” noted:
“Thomas W. Keene, the accomplished tragedian, gave Richard III at the Academy of Music last evening to a good house taking into consideration the fact that it was election night. Mr. Keene’s conception of the character of the crook backed king is a fine one, and from first to last the play was finely rendered. There were no long waits and the audience expressed their approbation by repeated encores. The combat in the last act was excellent and the audience went away highly pleased with the performance.”
Keene’s performance must have been especially inspiring for Mr. Frederick W. Barnes relates that he and a group of 9 to 12 year old boys were inspired by his appearance here later to produce their own version of Richard. After much planning and rehearsing the boys finally presented their interpretation of the immortal drama in the attic of one boy’s home. They all agreed afterward that their production was a great success.
A woman playing a masculine role was very unusual, and not always acceptable, at the Academy of Music. The appearance of Adele Belgarde as Hamlet, however, was a novel event which met with at least partial approval of the “Daily Times” reviewer who commented:
“Miss Adele Belgarde made her first appearance before an Oswego audience last evening, and essayed the role of Hamlet. Miss Belgarde is very young, only 17 or 18 years old we are told, and she certainly does not look any older. We must therefore consider her performance as that of a youthful prodigy, and viewed in that light it was truly wonderful and challenged our admiration. That a girl so young should be able to sustain the part of Hamlet passably well, so as not to provoke weariness and disgust in her audience is enough to show that she had considerable histrionic ability. As an exhibition of youthful prodigy the performance was a success. Thus far we go and no further in commendation.”
Brougham, Denman Thompson
The distinguished Irish author and comedian, John Brougham, on his final tour of America, appeared in his own exquisite comedy, “Playing With Fire,” on October 16, 1877.
Roland Reed, a very popular player of light comedy, appeared in Oswego for seven different engagements in such plays as “Cheek,” “Humbug,” and “Lend Me Your Wife.” Reed never attained the lasting fame he may have deserved, but his performances were more and more enthusiastically received, and he established himself as one of Oswego’s favorite actors, especially with the “gallery gods.”
Frank Mayor, famous chiefly for his impersonation of a native American type in the title role of the play “Davy Crockett,” appeared in Oswego for seven engagements between 1878 and 1890.
Denman Thompson, best known as delineator of rustic types, made four appearances in the title role of the play “Joshua Whitcomb.”
Sig Sawtelle’s Tented Theater
Mention should also be made of four stock companies that appeared regularly at the Academy of Music to present a variety of classic and popular dramas, including most of the old favorite stock pieces. The four were the Standard Dramatic Company, the People’s Theatre, the Forresters’ Stock Company, and the Sawtelle Comedy Company. Sig Sawtelle and his troupe first appeared for a one week engagement in July, 1884, and continued to play in Oswego for many years afterward both at the Academy of Music and in their own tent theatre.
Burlesque shows were probably the most sensational, and, at least with the male population, the most popular form of entertainment to appear at the Academy of Music. The performances were somewhat like minstrel shows and variety bills with music, dancing, sketches, and comedians. The humor was usually broad, and the dancing sensational, chiefly because it introduced dancers clad in pink tights. Fun and noise were the aim of these shows which often ended with a wrestling match, a boxing bout or a hoochee-coochee dancer as an “extra added attraction.”
Burlesque
A total of thirty burlesque shows played in Oswego between 1875 and 1893, or an average of two a year. Among the best known to appear here were May Fiske’s “English Blondes,” in 1878; the Female Mastodons in 1883; the “Black Crook” in 1885 and 1887; the Ida Siddons Mastodon Burlesque Company playing “A Strike In the Harem” in 1886; and the Gussie Bellwood Burlesque company in 1890.
The advertisement of May Fisk’s English Blondes announced: “Songs, dances, living art pictures and a grand specialty combination, the most extensive organization traveling. A grand collection of female beauty. The performance will conclude with the latest of sensational extravaganzas, entitled ‘A Celebrated Blonde Case, or ‘A Blue Bird of Paradise.’ In addition to the above great attraction will appear Ira A. Paine, champion pigeon and glass ball shot of the world.”
A reporter for the “Daily Times” waxed poetic in his review of the show, he wrote:
“The bald-headed bucks got some terrible steers from the redlegged beauties, ‘the little dears’; the reason of which, if appears, was because they sat in the foremost row. The gallery god with the opera glass says things have come to a pretty pass (he received a sly wink from a saucy lass.) The gray-haired patriarch (who didn’t know what kind of a show it was going to be) remarks with truth, that such exhibitions are bad for the youth.”
Hart and Sullivan’s Female Mastodons advertised: “The grandest female organization traveling. Presenting everything fresh, animated, sparkling, mirthful, ticklish, inviting. Full of delicious nonsense, delightful situations, spicy bon-bons, charming music, magnificent costumes and appropriate appointments. Appearance of sixteen beautiful maidens in evening dress. Magnificent orchestra and brass band.
The “Palladium” review of this performance was very conservative, the principal comment being, “There was very little if anything in the performance to commend it to the public.”
The Black Crook
The outstanding sensation of the period was the colorful musical extravaganza, “The Black Crook,” which set a new style in gorgeous entertainment but added nothing to dramatic literature. The plot was unimportant, the main attractions were magnificent scenes and girl dancers in fleshcolored tights. An item in the “Palladium,” October 24, 1885, announced the coming performance:
“The presentation of the great spectacular play, ‘The Black Crook,’ will occur at the Academy of Music next Thursday evening. The Kiralfy Brothers are widely known, and in the piece have spared no expense to make the spectacle a notable one. The success of the play depends upon the ballet and scenic effects, and these, particularly the latter, almost reach the acme of perfection. The company numbers forty people, and a carload of scenery is used. The performance will be perfectly suitable for ladies, and it is to be hoped that a large number will attend. In all the cities ladies are a large proportion of the audience. An erroneous impression exists that the character of the play is such that ladies cannot well attend it. Such is not the case. There is nothing in the performance that any one could take offense at.”
This advance notice was evidently borne out by the performance, the review next day said: “There was a large audience to see ‘The Black Crook.’ It was a fine performance and everyone who attended was delighted. The spectacle was put on the stage better than we have ever seen in Oswego and the ballet was very good, excelling in the Amazon March and the Jersey Guards. The opinion expressed yesterday was fully borne out.”
Following the appearance of the Gussie Bellwood Burlesque and Novelty Company the newspaper commented: “Everyone was agreeably surprised, for the performance was very much more refined than the somewhat loud lithographs had led people to expect.”
Female Minstrel Troupe
Minstrel shows, with their sprightly humor, song and dance, continued to be as popular with Oswegonians at the Academy of Music as during the earlier period when this form of entertainment was first developed. Dozens of minstrels appeared each year, and a total of 73 companies played the Academy during the eighteen year life of the theatre. Happy Cal Wagner’s Minstrels, Bryant’s Minstrels, Haverly’s Minstrel Troupe, Duprez and Benedict’s Famous New Orleans Minstrels, Calender’s Georgia Minstrels, and many other famous companies appeared at one time or another. Among the unusual troupes that played in Oswego were M’Gill and Strong’s Emerald Minstrels, and Healy’s Hibernian Minstrels featuring Irish songs, dances and jokes; Madame Rentz’s Female Minstrels, an all-woman company; and Hagues Operatic Minstrels, presenting classical music.
Gilbert And Sullivan Operettas
Music was an important part of the entertainments scheduled at the Academy, and many of the outstanding musical organizations of the period appeared before local audiences. The Holman Opera Company presented many old favorites such as “Bohemian Girl,” “La Grande Duchess,” “The Princess of Trebizonde,” “Maritana,” and “The Chimes Of Normandy.” The Oates English Opera Company appeared with Lecoq’s romantic comic opera, “GirofleGirofla”; Payson’s Company presented “Martha”; and the Liliputian Opera Company, a group of talented youngsters, appeared in “Jack, The Giant Killer.” Strauss’ beautiful comic opera, “The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief,” was presented by the New York Opera Company; and the comic opera, “Little Duke,” was given by Alice Oates, the great American primadonna comedienne.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas was played regularly by various groups including the D’Oyly-Cart? Opera Company, the Saville Comic Opera Company, Henderson and Duff’s Opera Company, Pyke’s New York Opera Company, and Lehnen’s Juvenile Opera Company. This last named was a group of fifty children under the direction of Adele Daniel, and played “Pinafore” in Oswego on September 23-24, 1879. Reviewing this unusual troupe the “Daily Times” said:
“Lehnen’s Juvenile Opera Company was greeted last evening by a fine audience of our best people and the entertainment was eminently satisfactory. The performance of the little people is really wonderful. They present the popular opera in a manner which would reflect credit on any company and they certainly excel some of the professionals that have traveled through the country during the past year. The liberal applause which was bestowed on the leading characters, testified to the appreciation of the audience. It was spontaneous and hearty and expressed thorough enjoyment. It is to be hoped that the troupe will visit Oswego again.”
A few years later another children’s group, the Juvenile Ideal Opera Company presented Van Suppe’s sparkling opera, “Fatinitza,” before an enthusiastic Oswego audience. This same piece was also presented several times by the Philharmonic Society of Syracuse. The Syracuse group returned many times to sing other operas including the “Chimes of Normandy,” and “H. M. S. Pinafore.”
The famous McGibney Family was the musical group to appeal most regularly in Oswego. This large and talented family singing solo and in groups, and playing a wide variety of musical instruments, never failed to draw an appreciative audience.
The Fiske University Jubilee Singers, presenting a program of Negro spirituals, came to the Academy of Music many times to charm Oswegonians with their rich harmonies.
Many instrumental organizations also played their melodies at the Academy, the Boston Philharmonic club being the most outstanding, and the Central New York Zither Club being the most amusing.
Variety Shows Drew Patronage
Variety and vaudeville shows never failed to draw large crowds to the playhouse, though occasionally the spectators were noisy. When Heywood Brothers’ Combination and Kate Logan’s New York Serenaders appeared in a variety entertainment including clog dancing, serio-comic singing, juggling, plate-spinning, Dutch delineations, and comedy skits, a program note requested:
“Gentlemen will please remove their hats during the performance. Patrons are requested not to beat time with the music. Whistling and anything of a rowdy nature not tolerated. Parties not willing to comply with this reasonable request will be ejected with but little ceremony.”
Another note on the program of Dan Shelby’s Novelty Company assured the audience that “The manager has spared no expense in selecting a vaudeville company, free from all coarseness, which the amusement-going public is so often compelled to tolerate by would be traveling managers.”
Magic and legerdemain was presented by Frickell, the King of Conjurers, in his drawing room entertainment of mystery, and comic scenes in ventriloquism. As a special drawing attraction Mr. Frickell gave away a beautiful old chromo “all framed, ready to hang on the wall,” to everybody who attended on the grand opening night, with “An elegant chamber set valued at forty-five dollars” given as an extra special gift to the holder of the lucky number.
Hartz, Magician
Hartz, a celebrated magician, met with a cordial reception in Oswego as indicated by a review of his performance. This warm reception may have been due to the ton of coal and other valuable gifts he distributed to his audience. The reporter wrote: “Professor Hartz again delighted his audience at the Academy of Music last night, with his tricks and deceptions, which are by far the best of the kind ever seen in this city, and which utterly defy the penetration of the most astute. All are performed in a very neat, graceful and off-hand manner, and give great satisfaction. Last night the professor gave away a silver watch, a ton of coal, and a large number of other valuable gifts.
“Tonight will be memorable, and an immense and costly attraction is offered. It is the last night, and the professor will present to his audience a solid gold huntingcase watch, a complete set of bedroom furniture and a large assortment of other valuable gifts; he will give a handsome present to everyone who purchases a fifty cent ticket. The most beautiful lady in the hall will be presented with a handsome coral necklace, and a present is ready for the honest man. This places Mr. Hartz under great expense, but he is determined to leave a good name in Oswego, as he intends returning in the spring, and we are confident he will do all he advertises.”
Professor Reynolds, a mesmerist, gave a demonstration before a large audience. The Palladium remarked: “His entertainment was one of the most astonishing and amusing ever seen here. Several citizens were got entirely under his control and went through the most laughable and ludicrous performances at the professor’s will, at which the audience were continually convulsed with laughter. To put the facts in a single statement, it was the funniest thing ever seen here.”
Spiritual Manifestations
August 12-13, 1877, The Cecil Brothers gave two entertainments exposing “Spiritual Manifestations.” The first night they confined themselves almost entirely to reproducing the manifestations, such as the Davenport rope-tying, cabinet seance, the handcuff trick, the Katy King materialization, and other acts. A committee was appointed from the audience to do the tying, which was done as securely as possible. Then the brothers were placed in a cabinet, released themselves and performed upon musical instruments and bells, and showed “spirit” hands and faces. One of them entered the cabinet and allowed the “spirits” to tie him, after which his coat was taken off and put on again, and he also played upon a mouth organ when his mouth was supposed to be full of water. Each time the cabinet was opened he appeared to be securely tied.
Miss Cecil performed the Katie King materialization trick. A rope was tied securely around her neck, she was placed in the cabinet, the two ends of the rope were passed through holes in the cabinet and tied outside. The cabinet was closed and in a short time “spirit” hands and faces were exhibited at the apertures, and presently a “spirit form” draped in fleecy white made its appearance and wandered about the stage. The “spirits” re-entered the cabinet, the doors were closed, soon after re-opened and Miss Cecil was found tied in the same manner as when first placed in the cabinet.
The second evening most of the manifestations were repeated and were followed by a complete “expose” in which all of these things were done in full view of the audience so it could be seen that no other agency was at work by the nimble fingers of the “mediums.”
Pat Rooney Pays Visit
When the Irish comedian, Pat Rooney, who became famous on the vaudeville stage in later years, made his first of many visits to Oswego the “Morning Herald” announced the entertainment with the comment: “Reader, if you want to enjoy a rare treat tonight and have a hearty laugh that will keep the blues away for many a day, go to see Pat Rooney and his variety entertainment. ‘Yer thare are ye McCarty?’ “
A notice at the bottom of the program was amusing in that it announced: “Mr. Rooney assures the public, that this combination is strictly first class in every respect, as the names of the ladies and gentlemen engaged is a sufficient guarantee as to that fact. Gentlemen can bring their families to enjoy the entertainment, as nothing will be said or done to offend the most fastidious.”
Next day the Herald reporter commented on the show, and also on the public taste for entertainment: “Pat Rooney had a house last night which ought to have warmed the cockles of his heart, the gallery and lower floor being about as full as they could hold.
Rooney was very good, but the others did not arouse us to such a pitch that our pocket book could have been taken without our knowing it. A variety show can fill the hall it seems, while firstclass actors of the legitimate drama may have to walk out of town.”
Rosina Vokes, who was said to be one of the cleverest and most piquant variety actresses ever to adorn the stage, and “to have the most infectious laugh ever heard in a theatre, and a merry devil lodged in her eye,” made two Oswego appearances with her London Comedy Company in programs of one-act plays. Her 1885 engagement featured “The Tinted Venus, of Tweedle’s Dream,” with Miss Vokes in the role of Venus, a gay goddess. “A Game Of Cards” was the headline play when she returned in 1889.
Popular Lectures
Lectures on a wide variety of subjects were also given at the Academy for the information and entertainment of local audiences. As in the earlier period these lectures were well received and contributed much to the intellectual life of Oswego. Among the most notable lecturers to appear were Henry Ward Beecher, Wendell Phillips, and Robert G. Ingersoll. Beecher spoke on “The Ministry of Wealth,” in 1877; Phillips came here in 1878 to talk on “Women, Temperance and Labor”; and Ingersoll presented his controversial lecture on “Orthodoxy” in 1885.
Professor W. C. Richards, of Massachusetts, presented a series of four scientific lectures: first, “The Matter King,” or the chemistry of the air; second, “The Matter Queen,” or the chemistry of water; third, “Franklin’s Kite,” or the marvels of electricity; and fourth, “About the Poles,” or magnetic wonders. The subject of social reform was covered by Dr. E. B. Halliday in a lecture entitled, “Vices Of the Period”; by Frost and McElvey on “Temperance”; and by James W. Brooks on “Civil Service Reform.”
Popular lectures included “Lincoln,” given by Schuyler Colfax; “Iceland and the Northmen” by Dr. Isaac I. Hayes; and “Tours Of Europe,” with visual and oral illustration, by Prof. Cromwell. James Edley, an eminent physionomist, gave a course of eight lectures on “Human Character, and the Art of Reading it in the Face”; Dr. Townsend, acknowledged everywhere as the greatest living psychologist and mental scientist, lectured on “Fun, Science and Mystery;” and Prof. Reynolds, the powerful mesmerist, gave one of his laughable, mystical and wonderfully exciting entertainments consisting of experiments in Animal Magnetism or Mental Electricity.
Humpty-Dumpty Came 23 Times
“Humpty-Dumpty,” a pantomime show, quite unlike the other forms of entertainment to be given at the Academy, appeared in Oswego 23 different times during the life of the old theatre. An harlequinade with dancing, music, ballets. burlesque, pantomime, gymnastics and acrobatic feats, “Humpty-Dumpty” was closely related to opera-bouffe and was popular with all ages, though children were frequently in the majority at all performances. The principal characters were Clown and Pantaloon, who in chalk-white face, clown cap and baggy trousers were probably the forerunner of the modern circus clowns; Harlequin, who carried a flat sword with which he banged away at Pantaloon at every opportunity; and Columbine, a dainty, fairylike character, who appeared as romantic foil to Harlequin. A very loose plot held the pantomime together, but did not interfere with buffoonery. A summary of the scenes indicates the type of entertainment presented: Act 1, Court of Old King Cole, The Fairy and the Poet. The place where “Humpty-Dumpty” was born. Humpty and the pigs. Bold soldier boys. Humpty as a tactician. Arrival of Barnum’s circus. Burlesque bareback act on an untamed wooden horse. Humpty in the toils of a giant policeman 12 feet high. Act 2, Chanticlear proclaims the dawn, the Clown in fits, comical hornpipe by clown and Pantaloon. Humpty-Dumpty on police duty. Grand patriotic tableau. Humpty-Dumpty bids all good night.
Amateur Entertainment
Amateur concerts, plays and recitals were given frequently at the Academy to supplement the professional entertainment fare for Oswegonians. Starting in 1881, and continuing for many years, the Kingsford Band, under the direction of Frank Schilling, presented an annual grand concert. In 1882 the band was assisted by
Mrs. Leonard Ames, Jr., soprano; Charles Tremain, tenor; and Hubert Hurter, pianist. For the third annual grand concert in 1883 the Kingsford Band was assisted by the Concordia Singing Society, and the proceeds turned over for the relief of German sufferers.
Benefit programs presented by amateur organizations were quite common at the end of the last century. In December, 1875, a dramatic entertainment, for the benefits of the widows and orphans of the lost schooner, “I. G. Jenkins,” was presented by a group of Oswegonians. The program included fourteen numbers and is interesting because of its variety:
1. Music by the F. M. T. band under the leadership of Mons. Julian.
2. Duet by Messrs. Mailloux and Kingsley, accompanied by Prof Dur.
3. Terpsichorean Festivities by Mr. P. Taylor.
4. Select Readings by Mrs. Norman Holley.
5. Solo by Miss Lynch, accompanied by Prof. Dur.
6. Recitation by Mr. P. Fennel.
7. Duet by Misses Lawler and King.
8. Musical Sortie (vocal) by Mr. George Allen.
9. Dutch Eccentricities by Mr. Norman Holley and Master Norman Holley in their songs and dances, with instrumental music.
10. Song by Mr. G. Kingsley.
11. Song and dance in costume by Mr. P. Taylor.
12. Stump speech by Sergeant Murray.
13. Indian War and Scalp Dance by the celebrated Indian Chief Red Cloud, imported from the western wilds for the occasion.
14. The whole to conclude with the laughable farce “Troublesome Servants,” presented by F. M. T. amateurs: J. J. White, M. Quinn, Jas. Frisbee, M. A. Clark, John Shepard, Miss Mary Regan, and Miss Maggie Hayes.
Other benefit performances given at the Academy of Music included a home talent production of “The Fallen Saved,” for the St. Paul’s German Lutheran Church; “The Frog Opera,” “Poor Pilligoddy,” and “A Husband to Order,” given for the benefit of the Oswego Orphan’s Asylum, as it was then called; and a Christmas afternoon and evening program given by Barney’s Thespian Dramatic Club and featuring John Newton, Oswego’s favorite vocalist and comedian, and Tillie Barrett. Annie Barrett, Little Dorrett, and many others in a benefit for St. John’s Church.
St. Patrick’s Day Home Talents
St. Patrick’s Day was always the date for an amateur program at the Academy. In 1876 the amateurs of St. Mary’s Academy presented the play “Last Days Of Pompeii,” which had been dramatized from the book by the Rev. L. Griffa. Music between acts was furnished by St. Mary’s choir with Professor D. Dur at the piano, and aided by Miss Cecelia Kelly, and by the F. M. T. Band. St. Patrick’s Day, 1880, brought the drama “Dan O’Carolan, or Horrors of Irish Evictions,” presented by local talent; 1883 a tragic drama entitled “Brian Boroihme,” and an afterpiece, “North Creina”; and 1886 the play “Shandy Maguire.” An organization known as the Ladies’ Opera Club gave the operas “Lily Bell,” “Chimes Of Normandy,” and “A Dress Rehearsal” at various times.
High School Commencements
The Oswego High school held its competitive exercises, and Commencement program, annually at the Academy of Music, together with occasional musical and dramatic events. In 1875 a program by the high school included an instrumental duet by Misses Babbott and Manwaring; a solo by Libbie G. Parker; a vocal duet by Misses Churchill and Wright; a solo by Emma Wright; an instrumental duet by Misses Gillett and McCully; and a fiveact pantomime, “Mistletoe Bough.” Another year the pupils of “A” class, Oswego High school, presented the three act play, “Our American Cousin,” directed by Mr. J. S. Mathews; and in 1883, “The Great Republic,” an allegory and tableaux, was given by over 300 pupils of the high school, assisted by graduates and others.
Normal Society Entertainments
The literary and dramatic societies of the Oswego Normal school gave occasional programs at the theatre, one included an oration “Know Thyself” by F. N. Jenett; a recitation “Battle of Garta” by Lottie Clary; and a five act drama, “The Wedding Scene,” with a cast of twenty-four actors and actresses. Recitals by local readers were popular during the last century, and many were presented for large audiences assembled at the Academy. Typical of these recitals was a program of readings, and costume personations, including two scenes from “Macbeth,” and two scenes from “The School for Scandal,” given by Mrs. Sarah Fisher Ames in 1877. The humorous and dramatic recital given by A. P. Burbank in 1885 illustrates the type of material presented by these “solo artists.” Mr. Burbank read “Squeer’s School” by Dickens, “Buck Fanshaw’s Funeral” by Mark Twain, “The Grave Diggers” by Shakespeare, “Pat’s Panorama” by J. S. Burdett, act 1 of “Rip Van Winkle,” and miscellaneous material entitled, “Uncle Peet,” “The Aesthetic Girl,” and “The Last Rose.”
Casino Becomes Theater
After 1890 the Academy of Music gradually declined in popularity as the principal place of entertainment in Oswego. The theatre continued to operate for several years longer, but public interest in other forms of amusement, and keen competition from another theatre reduced patronage at the Academy to a point where it could no longer operate profitably. The roller-skating craze which struck Oswego drew a great many people away from the theatre audience. Old and young thronged to the Armory on East First street, to Mansard Hall, and to the Casino where they spent morning, afternoon and evening on roller skates. So popular was the past-time that few people had time to see a show.
When the roller-skating fad died down Wallace H. Frisbie, owner of the Casino, converted his skating rink into a theatre which housed many fine stage attractions in direct competition with the Academy. The Casino was new and novel, and located on the street level instead of up a flight of stairs. Soon the public was going there instead of the Academy to see the old favorites. It was at the Casino that Ida Siddon’s Mastodon Burlesque Company presented “A Strike In the Harem”; the comedian Auren Woodhull presented his comedy hit “Eli Wheatfield”; and the same night the Academy was showing a double company in Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” the Casino was showing, “Ten Nights In the Bar Room.”
Mr. Frisbie took over the Academy of Music in 1887, and managed the theatre with some success for several years. The last available theatre program, dated February 11, 1892, listed Frisbie as lessee and manager, but Oswegonians who recall the final months of the theatre report that Joe Wallace, senior, and Charles Gilmore doing business as Wallace & Gilmore and holding leases on many up-state theatres were in charge at the end. A news item from the “Palladium’, December 16, 1892, reporting the closing indicates that Mr. Wallace was the last manager:
“The Academy Of Music Closed – “Superintendent Schwarz, of the D. L. & W. RR. Company, has decided to make certain repairs to the Academy of Music. Mr.Schwarz was in Oswego this morning, overlooking the place and found that it will be necessary to tear up the stage and make certain changes in the auditorium.
“The building will also be strengthened throughout. The repairs will probably occupy three weeks, and Manager Joe Wallace has cancelled all dates for that period. The Academy will doubtless re-open with Hallen & Hart’s new play, ‘The Idea.’ “
A later news item announced that Mr. Wallace was continuing his theatrical enterprise at another site. The item stated: “Brown’s Musee and Theatre, under the management of Joe A. Wallace, will open in one of the stores in the Jefferson Block.”
Fitzhugh Hall Temporary Theater
Because the building was old and almost beyond repair, the Academy of Music was finally closed forever. Mr. Max B. Richardson, a successful real estate operator and patron of theatre arts, became interested in bringing drama to Oswego and opened a small playhouse in Fitzhugh Hall. A “Palladium” news story on January 25, 1893, reported: “Tomorrow morning workmen under the supervision of Max B. Richardson will commence in erecting a stage in Fitzhugh Hall and on Tuesday next week the Livingstone Comedy and Variety Company will open a two night’s engagement there.
The entertainment will consist of farces, singing, dancing and other specialties. The stage will be twenty feet in depth with an opening of twenty-feet. The seating capacity of the hall will be five hundred.
This makeshift theater was a great contrast with the larger and better equipped Academy of Music, but it provided a place for stage plays. Most important of all, however, was the fact that Mr Richardson became so interested in theater management that he later built the large modern Richardson Theater which was opened in 1895. The story of the Richardson, however, must be told at another time.
The closing of the Academy of Music brought to an end an important era in the history of entertainment in Oswego. Drama in Oswego before 1875 had been in an adolescent phase of development. During the period of the Academy, 1875 to 1893, it gained poise and maturity. Oswego became a good show town, and people came from all over the surrounding territory to attend performances at the Academy. The theatre offered its devotees many incomparable and memorable experiences. Here great plays were presented by famous actors, along with minor trifles played by unimportant people. Here was life being lived, idealized, sentimentalized and satirized. Here was both an escape from life and a realization of it. So the Academy of Music lingers as a bright memory in the minds of Oswegonians who attended performances there, and the famous playhouse remains as a bright page in the history of Oswego entertainment.
