1901: MAY-AUGUST
1901: SEPTEMBER
1901: OCTOBER
1901: NOVEMBER
1901: DECEMBER
 |
| Columbia Theatre, Brooklyn. |
by
Samuel L. Leiter
This is
one of several blogs I’ve created to record the progress of Brooklyn, New York’s,
theatre history from January 1, 1898, the day that the City of Brooklyn became
the Borough of Brooklyn, as part of Greater New York City. For a week-by-week
verbal as well as pictorial summary of theatrical activity, see STAGES IN
BROOKLYN’S PAST (for the first six weeks) and ANNALS
OF THE BROOKLYN STAGE for everything afterward. The weekly “Amusements”
page ads in each Sunday’s Brooklyn Eagle are pasted here so they can be
viewed in aggregate without having to read the descriptive background. For as
long as I’m able, I’ll continue to add to this blog, which, obviously, will
move much faster into the future than the weekly summaries provided in ANNALS
OF THE BROOKLYN STAGE.
Readers interested in a thorough history of Brooklyn theatre from its beginnings to December 31, 1897, should consult my book, BROOKLYN TAKES THE STAGE: NINETEENTH-CENTURY THEATER IN THE CITY OF CHURCHES (McFarland, 2024).
A week-by-week
chronology of the shows listed for legitimate theatres precedes the Amusement
pages. Note that one-act plays, often with famous stars, were often being done
on vaudeville stages. Their titles and stars can be found in the ads, especially
for Hyde & Behman’s, but they are not included in chronology since they
were only part of long bills with multiple acts.
Note that
by late April theatres begin closing for the season, and that, by July, both
legit and nonlegit theatres are closed for the hot summer months. They slowly begin
to reopen at the end of August. These openings and closings, as well theatres
being shut down or opened for other reasons, are duly noted.
Midway through, on June 19, the theatrical season of 1897-1898 closed for good, with the only local offerings of professional theatrical entertainment being comic operas and the like at the open-air shore theatres of Bergen Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Brighton Beach. There was also a Floating Roof Garden that gave light entertainment aboard the steamer Republic in New York Bay, picking up passengers from several Brooklyn piers.
Note on summer theatres of Brooklyn south shore beach communities:
At the turn of the 20th century, the summer theaters at Bergen Beach,
Manhattan Beach, and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn offered a mix of open-air and
enclosed venues, reflecting the era's diverse entertainment preferences. Here's
an overview of each:
Bergen Beach
Bergen Beach, developed in the 1890s by vaudeville impresario Percy G.
Williams and chewing gum magnate Thomas Adams, featured a resort with various
attractions, including a casino and the Trocadero Theatre. The term
"casino" at the time referred to a venue for entertainment rather
than gambling. These establishments hosted vaudeville, musical comedies, and
stock company productions. While specific architectural details are scarce,
it's likely that these venues were enclosed structures to accommodate
performances and audiences comfortably.
Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach was renowned for its open-air entertainment. North of the
dining pavilion stood a vast outdoor stadium where James Pain, an English
fireworks manufacturer, presented pyrotechnic shows. These spectacles combined
pageantry, drama, and fireworks, offering audiences a unique open-air
theatrical experience.
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach's theatrical scene evolved over time. Initially, it
featured open-air venues, such as the Brighton Beach Music Hall, which hosted
concerts and performances in an outdoor setting. By 1910, the New Brighton
Theatre, an enclosed venue designed by Dodge & Morrison, was established. This
theater became a notable spot for plays and performances, indicating a shift
towards enclosed theatrical spaces in the area.
See the article reprinted below, located chronologically, from the Eagle of June 19, 1898, for an account of the just ended, 41-week 1897-98 season and a comment on what was now available for Brooklyn theatergoers.
CHRONOLOGY: 1898
1. January 3-January 8, 1898
Montauk: An
American Citizen, with Nat. C. Goodwin and Maxine Elliott
Columbia: A Stranger in New York,
Amphion: Heartsease, with Henry
Miller
Grand Opera House: A Ward of France,
with Maurice Barrymore
Bijou: A Guilty Mother
Park (stock): Incog (evenings); Little
Lord Fauntleroy (matinees)
Gayety: Who Is Who?, with Kelley
and Mason
American: The Fast Mail
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
2. January 10-15, 1898
Columbia: A Stranger in New York
Montauk: The Girl from Paris
Amphion: Cumberland ‘61
Grand Opera House: McSorley’s Twins
Bijou: Heart of the Klondike
Park (stock): The Lights o’ London
Gayety: Hyde’s Comedians
American: The Captain’s Mate
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
3. January 17-22, 1898
American: Shannon of the Sixth
Bijou: In Old Kentucky
Montauk: The Girl from Paris
Columbia: The Circus Girl
Amphion: Never Again
Grand Opera House: Superba
Park (stock): The Lost Paradise
Gayety: The Pacific Mail
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
4. January 24-January 29, 1898
American: The Midnight Flood
Bijou: The Great Train Robbery
Brooklyn Academy of Music: The Geisha
Columbia: The Circus Girl
Amphion: The Cat and the Cherub,
with Anna Held
Gayety: Superba
Grand Opera House: Who Is Who?,
with Kelly and Mason
Montauk: The Senator, with William
H. Crane
Park (stock): The Streets of New York
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde &
Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
5. January 31-February 5, 1898
American: The Dear Irish Home and The
Cruiskeen Lawn
Montauk: The Countess Valeska, with
Julia Marlowe
Columbia: The Idol’s Eye
Amphion: My Friend from India
Grand Opera House: The Pacific Mail
Bijou: The Electrician
Park (stock): The Ticket-of-Leave Man
Gayety: Vaudeville, with Vesta Tilley
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
6.
February 7-February 12, 1898
American: The Land of the Living
Amphion: The Geisha
Bijou: Fallen Among Thieves
Columbia: A Marriage of Convenience,
with John Drew
Gayety: The Governors, with Ward
and Vokes
Grand Opera House: Primrose and West’s
Minstrels
Montauk: Romeo
and Juliet, For Bonnie Prince Charlie, As You Like It,
Ingomar, with Julia Marlowe
Park (stock): The New Unknown
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde &
Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
7.
February 14-19, 1898
American: Ingomar,
Leah the Forsaken, East Lynne, repertory with Rachelle Renard
Amphion: The Girl from Paris
Bijou: Cumberland ‘61
Columbia: Die Lachtaube,
Waldmeister, La Belle Hélène, Die Fledermaus, in repertory
with Conried Comic Opera Company
Gayety: Primrose and West’s Minstrels
Grand Opera House: In Gay New York
Montauk: A Bachelor’s Romance, with
Sol Smith Russell
Park (stock): The
Galley Slave (last week of Park Theatre Stock Company)
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
8.
February 21-26, 1898
Amphion: A Stranger in New York
Bijou: East Lynne
Columbia: Jack and the Beanstalk
Gayety: In Gay New York
Grand Opera House: A Hot Old Time,
with Johnny and Emma Ray
Montauk: The Swell Miss Fitzwell, with
May Irwin
Park: Kit, The Arkansas Traveler
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
9.
February 28-March 5, 1898
[American: No
public program; 2 benefit performances of The Chain of Destiny for
manager). Theatre closes, is auctioned off, and returns as the Novelty in
November]
Amphion: The Idol’s Eye, with Frank
Daniels
Bijou: At Gay Coney Island, with
Mathews and Bulger
Columbia: The Heart of Maryland,
with Mrs. Leslie Carter
Gayety: A Hot Old Time, with Johnny
and Emma Ray
Grand Opera House, An Irish Gentleman,
with Andrew Mack
Montauk: Secret Service, with
William Gillette
Park: The Land of the Living, with
Lillian Washburn
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
10.
March 7-12, 1898
Amphion: Under
the Red Robe
Bijou: Sweet
Inniscarra, with Chauncey Olcott
Columbia: Never
Again
Gayety; At
Gay Coney Island
Grand Opera
House: A Milk White Flag
Montauk: Secret
Service, with William Gillette
Park: The Man
in the Iron Mask
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
11.
March 14-19, 1898
Amphion: The Wedding Day, with
Lillian Russell, Della Fox, Jeff De Angelis
Bij ou: Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Columbia: The French Maid
Gayety: An Irish Gentleman, with
Andrew Mack
Grand Opera House: The Prisoner of
Zenda
Montauk: Secret Service, with
William Gillette
Park: The Cruiskeen Lawn, with Dan
McCarthy
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
12.
March 21-March 26, 1898
Amphion: A Lady of Quality, with
Julia Arthur
Bijou: Alone
in London, with Cora Tanner
Columbia: The
French Maid, with Saharet
Gayety: The Prisoner of Zenda
Grand Opera House: The Sporting Duchess
Montauk: The
Moth and the Flame, with Effie Shannon and Herbert Kelcey
Park: A Bunch of Keys, with Ada
Bothner
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
13.
March 28-April 2, 1898
Amphion: Closed
for season
Brooklyn Academy
of Music: The Country Girl and Lilli Tse, The School for
Scandal, The Taming of the Shrew, repertory with Ada Rehan
Bijou: “Hermann
the Great,” magic show with Leon and Adelaide Hermann
Columbia: The Royal Box, with
Charles Coghlan
Gayety: The Foundling, with Cissy
Fitzgerald
Grand Opera House: The Sunshine of
Paradise Alley
Montauk: The Telegraph Girl, with
Louis Mann and Clara Lipman
Park: The Span of Life
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
14.
April 4-April 9, 1898
Bijou: Northern Lights
Columbia: The Ballet Girl
Gayety: The Sunshine of Paradise Alley
Grand Opera House:
Lucia di Lammermoor and Cavalleria Rusticana, Jaxon Opera Company
Montauk: The
Princess and the Butterfly, with Mary Mannering and James K. Hackett
Park: Waifs of New York, with Merry
Katie Emmett
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
15.
April 11-16, 1898
Bijou: McFadden’s Row of Flats
Brooklyn Academy
of Music, The Country Girl, The School for Scandal, The Taming
of the Shrew, with Ada Rehan
Columbia: The Ballet Girl
Gayety: Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Grand Opera House: Olivette, Jaxon
Opera Company
Montauk: The
Wedding Day, with Lillian Russell, Della Fox, and Jeff De Angelis
Park: Out in the Streets, with N.S.
Wood
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
16.
April 18-23, 1898
Bijou: Hamlet,
Othello, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Spartacus,
repertory with Louis James
Columbia: The Fair at Midgettown
Gayety: East Lynne, with Wilton
Lackaye, Nance O’Neil
Grand Opera House: Il Trovatore (in
English), Jaxon Opera Company
Montauk: A Virginia Courtship, with
William H. Crane
Park: A Romance of Coon Hollow
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
17.
April 25-April 30, 1898
Bijou: The Two
Orphans, with Kate Claxton
Columbia: Oh! Susanna! and “Dangerfield,
95,” with Annie Russell
Gayety: Maggie Cline and her vaudeville
company
Grand Opera House: Il Trovatore,
Jaxon Opera Company
Montauk: El Capitan, with De Wolf
Hopper
Park: Closed for the season
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
18.
May 2-May 7, 1898
Bijou: Gettysburg
Columbia: Closed for the season
Gayety: The Cherry Pickers
Grand Opera House: The Mikado,
Jaxon Opera Company
Montauk: Lord
Chumley; The Lady of Lyons, with E.H. Sothern and Virginia Harned
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
19.
May 9-14, 1898
Bijou: White
Squadron, with Robert Hilliard
Gayety: New Eight Bells
Grand Opera House: Fra Diavolo, Jaxon
Opera Company
Montauk: One Summer’s Day, with
John Drew
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire
20.
May 16-21, 1898
Bijou: Othello,
As You Like It, Richard III, Julius Caesar, with Even
Plimpton and Mary Shaw
Gayety: Closed for
the season
Grand Opera House:
H.M.S. Pinafore, Cavalleria Rusticana, Maritana, Jaxon
Opera House
Montauk: Closed for the season
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre, Star Theatre
21.
May 23-May 28, 1898
Bijou: Eight
Bells
Grand Opera House: Closed for the season
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre, Star Theatre
22.
May 30-June 4
Bijou: Vaudeville
23.
June 6-June 11, 1898
Bijou: Closed for
the season
Montauk: Castle
Hall Opera Company
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Brooklyn Music Hall closed for the season.
The Castle Hall
Opera Company occupied the Montauk for several weeks in June but, without air
conditioning, all other Brooklyn theatres were closed, except for those that provided
several comic operas in outdoor venues near the shore in Bergen Beach,
Manhattan Beach, and Brighton Beach; Coney Island wasn’t interested in this
kind of entertainment. We will skip them here. An idea of their offerings can
be seen in these ads. Most shows were musical, but a small number of light
comedies also were presented. By the first week of July, all Manhattan theatres
except the Casino also had closed for the summer, replaced by several roof
garden theatres in the warm, open air.
By the time the ad below appeared on
August 28, Manhattan and Brooklyn’s theatres were slowly revving up for their
fall openings.
24.
August 29-September 3, 1898
Montauk: What Happened to Jones (opened
August 29)
Park (stock
returns): How Brown Was Hypnotized (opened Saturday night, August 27)
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Star, Brooklyn Music Hall reopen. Shows still being done in Bergen
Beach and Manhattan Beach, and on a Floating Roof Garden that sailed on the
steamer Grand Republic through New York waters among the fleet.
25.
September 3-September 12, 1898
Bijou:
The Dawn of Freedom, with Ethel Barrymore (opened September 3)
Gayety: An
Enemy to the King (opened September 3)
Grand Opera House:
A Sure Cure (opened September 5)
Montauk: A
Stranger in New York
Park (stock): The Open Gate and The New
Private Secretary
Vaudeville and burlesque:
Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
26.
September 14-19, 1898
Bijou: The Grip of Steel
Gayety: A Sure Cure
Grand Opera House: My Friend from India
Montauk: The Belle of New York,
with Dan Daly
Park (stock): Our Boarding House
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
27.
September 19-24, 1898
Amphion: The Telegraph Girl
Bijou: Two Little Vagrants
Gayety: My Friend from India
Grand Opera House: At Piney Ridge
Montauk: The White Heather
Park (stock): Saints and Sinners,
J.H. Stoddart
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
28.
September 26-October 1, 1898
Amphion: Diplomacy, with Mary Shaw
Bijou: Going to the Races
Columbia: The Meddler, with Stuart
Robson
Gayety: At Piney Ridge, with David
Higgins
Montauk: The White Heather
Park (stock): Lost in New York
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
29.
October 3-8, 1898
Amphion:
Carmen, The Masked Ball, Faust, Il Trovatore, with Royal
Italian Grand Opera Company
Bijou: Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Macbeth,
Othello, with Louis James, Kathryn Kidder, Frederick Warde
Columbia: The
Idol’s Eye, with Frank Daniels
Gayety: William H.
West’s Big Minstrel Jubilee
Grand Opera House:
Natural Gas, with Eddie Girard
Montauk: Bride
Elect
Park (stock): Lost
in New York
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens
September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
30.
October 10-15, 1898
Amphion: The Meddler, with Stuart
Robson
Bijou: Shall We Forgive Her?, East
Lynne, with Marie Wainwright
Columbia: The Tree of Knowledge,
with James K. Hackett
Gayety: Natural Gas, with Eddie
Girard
Grand Opera House: Tempest Tossed
Montauk: A Virginia Courtship, with
William H. Crane
Park (stock): Confusion
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
31.
October 17-22, 1898
Amphion: The Belle of New York,
with Dan Daly
Bijou: In Old Kentucky
Columbia: The Serenade, Robin
Hood, with the Bostonians
Gayety: Tempest Tossed
Grand Opera House:
When Greek Meets Greek, Monte Cristo, with James O’Neill
Montauk: Uncle Dick, with Sol Smith
Russell
Park (stock): All the Comforts of Home
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
32.
October 24-29, 1898
Amphion: War Correspondent!, with
Burr McIntosh
Bijou: John Martin’s Secret
Columbia: The Old Homestead, with
Denman Thomson
Gayety: When Greek Meets Greek, Monte
Cristo, with James O’Neill
Grand Opera House: A Hot Old Time,
with Johnny and Emma Ray
Montauk: Cyrano de Bergerac, with
Ada Rehan
Park (stock): All
the Comforts of Home
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
33.
October 31-November 5, 1898
Amphion: La
Tosca, Antony and Cleopatra, Fedora, with Melbourne MacDowell
and Blanche Walsh
Bijou: Cumberland ‘61
Columbia: The Golden Horse Shoe,
with the Lilliputians
Gayety: A Hot Old Time, with Johnny
and Emma Ray
Grand Opera House: An Irish Gentleman,
with Andrew Mack
Montauk: The Fortune Teller, with
the Alice Nielson Opera Company
Park (stock): Pink Dominos
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
34.
November 7-12, 1898
Amphion: A Stranger in New York
Bijou: On Land and Sea
Columbia: A Day and a Night in New York
Gayety: An Irish Gentleman, with
Andrew Mack
Grand Opera House: Devil’s Island
Montauk: The
Conquerors, with Charles Frohman’s Empire Theatre Company
Park (stock): Everybody’s Friend
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
35.
November 14-19, 1898
Amphion: The Old Homestead, with
Denman Thompson
Bijou: Sweet Inniscarra, with
Chauncey Olcott
Columbia: A Brace of Partridges, with
Strand Comedy Company
Gayety: Devil’s Island
Grand Opera House: J.H. Haverly’s Minstrels
Montauk: The
Conquerors, with Charles Frohman’s Empire Theatre Company
Park (stock): The Long Strike, with
J.H. Stoddart
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (opens September 5), Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
36.
November 21-26, 1898
Amphion: The
Golden Horse Shoe, with the Lilliputians
Bijou: Sweet
Inniscarra, with Chauncey Olcott
Brooklyn Academy
of Music: The Little Corporal, with Francis Wilson
Columbia: The
Christian, with Viola Allen
Gayety: J.H.
Haverly’s Minstrels
Grand Opera House:
A High Born Lady, with Billy Clifford and Maud Huth
Montauk: The
Adventure of Lady Ursula, with E.H. Sothern
Novelty: (recently
known as the American; reopens as the Novelty, a former name, November 19) The
Lost Paradise
Park (stock): Wolves
of New York
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
37.
November 28-December 3, 1898
Amphion:
A Day and a Night in New York, with Otis Harlan
Bijou: On the Wabash
Columbia: Way Down East
Gayety: The Mulligan Guard Ball, with Robert
Fitzsimmons and Edward Harrigan
Grand Opera House: A Reign of Error, with the
Rogers Brothers
Montauk: The Little Minister, with Maude Adams
Novelty (stock): Lend Me Your Wife
Park (stock company): Wolves of New York
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
38.
December 5-10, 1898
Amphion:
Closed until further notice
Bijou: Going to the Races
Columbia: Way Down East
Gayety: A Reign of Error,
with the Rogers Brothers
Grand Opera House: The Mulligan Guard Ball,
with Robert Fitzsimmons and Edward Harrigan
Montauk: The Little Minister, with Maude Adams
Novelty (stock): A Fair Rebel
Park (stock): The White Rabbits
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn
Music Hall, Empire, Star
39.
December 12-17, 1898
Bijou: When
London Sleeps
Columbia: The
Jolly Musketeer, with the Jefferson De Angelis Opera Company
Gayety: Devil’s
Auction
Grand Opera House:
Maids to Order, with the Russell Brothers
Montauk: The
Little Minister, with Maude Adams
Novelty (stock): Stock
company ends; combination companies hereafter
Park (stock): A
Lucky Coon, with Willams and Walker Company
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall,
Empire, Star
40.
December 19-24, 1898
Bijou:
The Silver King, with Carl A. Haswin
Columbia: The Geisha
Gayety: Maids to Order, with the Russell
Brothers
Grand Opera House: Devil’s Auction
Montauk: The Royal Box, with Charles Coghlan
Park: Temporarily closed
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
41.
December 26-31, 1898
Amphion: (reopens)
The Tree of Knowledge, Rupert of Hentzau, with James K. Hackett
Bijou: The
Finish of Mr. Fresh
Brooklyn Academy
of Music: Love Finds the Way, “A Bit of Old Chelsea,” Tess of
D’Urbervilles, with Minnie Maddern Fiske
Columbia: Yankee
Doodle Dandy, with Edna Wallace Hopper and Thomas Q. Seabrooke
Criterion: (changes
back from policy of amateur to professional) The Mascot, with Standard
Opera Company
Gayety: What
Happened to Jones
Grand Opera House:
The Girl from Paris
Montauk: The
Liars, with John Drew
Park: (reopens) The
Two Orphans, with Kate Claxton
Vaudeville and
burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
SUNDAY AMUSEMENT ADVERTISEMENTS IN BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE 1898
 |
| January 24-29, 1898 |
Sunday, June 5, 1898
Amusement
page ads from this point on to late August are omitted. Things began revving up
late that month, as seen in this ad from August 28.
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