By
Samuel L. Leiter
For
further background on Brooklyn’s theatre history please see my book, Brooklyn
Takes the Stage: Nineteenth-Century Theater in the City of Churches (McFarland:
2024) and my blog,
“Annals of the Brooklyn Stage.” The latter is a
week by week description of theatre activity in Brooklyn; obviously, it will
expand rather slowly because so much must be described.
1899 was
the second year in Brooklyn’s history as a borough of Greater New York. As the
listings below reveal, its theatrical business witnessed a variety of interesting
developments. Perhaps its saddest event was the death of Col. William E. Sinn,
who had been the most successful theatre manager Brooklyn ever knew, first
during his many years at the Park Theatre from 1875, and then at the Montauk,
where his daughter took over the management after his passing.
Williamsburg’s
American Theatre, which previously had had many other names, most notably the
Novelty, had folded the year before but reopened in 1899, again called the
Novelty. It was no longer a legitimate playhouse but was now devoted to
vaudeville, which was gradually becoming a bigger and bigger fad. Although the
lists below include only the names of the vaudeville houses, not their bills,
the newspaper ads provide that information in detail.
One can
notice there the many legitimate stars who were earning far more money by doing
one-acts in vaudeville than they could get on the legit stage, when they were
able to find those popular enough in which to tour. The increasing presence on vaudeville
programs of the “biograph” and “cinematograph” films, precursors to mainstream
movies, is evident as well.
The Park Theatre
had several iterations, beginning with a stock company headed by Kate Claxton, still
performing The Two Orphans after several decades, and ending the year as
presenting operas, light and heavy. Opera, in fact, in the hands of touring companies,
was having a heyday in Brooklyn, along with vaudeville, while the legitimate
theatre only sporadically offered anything of serious artistic value.
Farces
(replete with vaudeville acts), comedies, and melodramas were the most common
forms of “straight” theatre, with romantic costume dramas being among the most
noteworthy of the serious dramatic offerings. American drama was inching toward
maturity, but there was a great reliance still on foreign plays, mainly from
England and France.
Another
theatre that came back into the fold this year was the Criterion, relegated to amateur
theatricals in the recent past, but now returning to professional shows, first
under its familiar name, and later doing popular-priced melodramas as the Eagle.
The Montauk and Columbia in the Western District and the Amphion in the Eastern
(i.e., Williamsburg) continued to be the leading purveyors of first-class drama,
hosting road shows with the top companies and stars. The Gayety and Grand Opera
House, however, were more and more inclined to present vaudeville companies,
which meant a decline in the number of legit productions. Also, a perusal of
the titles of shows produced in Brooklyn this year reveals how often the same recent
visitors kept returning to local stages, some compiling five or six weeks of
performances over the course of the year, albeit at more than one theatre. Several
stars specializing in classical repertories brought them along when visiting
the new borough, so Shakespeare lovers were not without opportunities to see a
few of his plays, but their numbers were minimal.
The names
of important actors, especially those qualified to be called stars, are usually
enlarged in the ads, and are listed below next to the shows they appeared in.
1. January 2-7, 1899
Amphion: The
Royal Box, with Charles Coghlan
Bijou: A
Female Drummer, with Johnstone Bennett
Columbia: Hotel
Topsy Turvy, with Marie Dressler
Criterion:
The Mikado, with Standard Opera Company
Gayety:
Hyde’s Comedians (vaudeville)
Grand
Opera House: What Happened to Jones
Montauk: The
Liars, with John Drew
Park: Miss
Multon, with Clara Morris
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
2.
January
9-14, 1899
Amphion: The
Jolly Musketeer, with Jefferson De Angelis Opera Company
Bijou: Shaun
Rhue and Kerry Gow, with Joseph Murphy
Columbia: Shenandoah,
with Maurice Barrymore, Mary Hampton
Criterion:
Reverts to amateurs. See below, though, from January 24, 1899.
Gayety: Superba
Grand
Opera House: The Evil Eye
Montauk: The
Head of the Family, with William H. Crane
Park: Cyrano
de Bergerac, with Edward W. Mawson and Kate Claxton Company
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
3.
January
16-21, 1899
Amphion: The
Village Postmaster
Bijou: Hogan’s
Alley, with Gilmore and Leonard
Columbia: The
Charlatan, with De Wolf Hopper
Gayety: A
Lucky Coon, Williams and Walker Company
Grand
Opera House: Superba
Montauk: Sporting
Life
Park: Battles
of Our Nation
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
4.
January
23-28, 1899
Amphion: The
Master, Heartsease, with Henry Miller
Bijou: Red,
White and Blue
Columbia: The
White Heather, with Rose Coghlan
Gayety: Devil’s
Island
Grand
Opera House: Primrose and Dockstader’s American Minstrels
Montauk: Mary Stuart, Antony
and Cleopatra, Camille, Mary Stuart, Macbeth, with Helena
Modjeska
Park: Battles
of Our Nation
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
5.
January
30-February 4, 1899
Amphion: The
White Heather, with Rose Coghlan
Bijou: Have
You Seen Smith
Columbia: On
and Off
Gayety: Primrose
and Dockstader’s American Minstrels
Grand
Opera House: At the French Ball, with Fanny Rice
Montauk: Cyrano
de Bergerac, with Richard Mansfield
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
6.
February
6-11, 1899
Amphion: That
Man
Bijou: Through
the Breakers
Columbia: On
and Off
Gayety: At
the French Ball, with Fanny Rice
Grand
Opera House: Pousse Café
Montauk: The
Second Mrs. Tanqueray, The Termagant, Camille, Carmen,
with Olga Nethersole
Park:
Closed
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star; Novelty now added as
vaudeville house
7.
February
13-18, 1899
Amphion: Shenandoah,
with Maurice Barrymore and Mary Hampton
Bijou: McFadden’s
Row of Flats
Columbia: Secret
Service, with William Gillette
Gayety: Pousse
Café, with Maggie Cline
Grand
Opera House: The Bride-Elect
Montauk: The
Moth and the Flame, with Herbert Kelcey and Effie Shannon
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star; Novelty now added as
vaudeville house
February
20-25, 1899
Amphion: A
Dangerous Maid, with Cissie Loftus
Bijou: In
Old Kentucky
Brooklyn
Academy of Music, Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Columbia: Secret
Service, with William Gillette
Gayety: The
Ragged Earl, with Andrew Mack
Grand
Opera House: The Governors, with Ward and Vokes
Montauk: Kate
Kip, with May Irwin
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
8.
February
27-March 4, 1899
Amphion: The Crucifix Carver of Ammergau,
Almenraush und Edelweiss, Der Gesunde Kern, Prozesshansl, Huntersblood,
At the Black Horse Tavern, with Die Tergenseer, in repertory of Bavarian
plays
Bijou: Daughters of the Poor
Columbia: The Little Host,
with Della Fox
Gayety: A Stranger in New York,
with Harry Conor
Grand Opera House: The Ragged
Earl, with Andrew Mack
Montauk: Countess Valeska,
As You Like It, Ingomar, with Julia Marlowe
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
9.
March
6-11, 1899
Amphion: The
Little Hostess, with Della Foz
Bijou: A
Female Drummer, with Johnstone Bennett
Columbia: Catherine,
with Annie Russell
Gayety: The
Four Cohans and Company
Grand
Opera House: The Telephone Girl, with Louis Mann and Clara Lipman
Montauk: The
Fortune Teller, with Alice Nielsen Opera Company
Park: (reopens with opera company) The
Chimes of Normandy, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
10. March 13-18, 1899
Amphion: Way Down East
Bijou: Shenandoah, with
Maurice Barrymore and Mary Hampton
Columbia: Catherine, with
Annie Russell
Gayety: The Governors, with
Ward and Vokes
Grand Opera House: The White
Heather, with Alice Fischer
Montauk: La Belle Helene,
with Lillian Russell, Thomas Q. Seabrooke, Edna Wallace Hopper
Park: Fra Diavolo, The
Bohemian Girl, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
11. March 20-25, 1899
Amphion: Griffith Davenport,
with James A. Herne
Bijou: Casey’s Wife
Columbia: A Dangerous Mind,
with Cissie Loftus
Gayety: The White Heather, with
Alice Fischer
Grand Opera House: The Village
Postmaster
Montauk: Nathan Hale, with
Nat C. Goodwin and Maxine Elliott
Park: Olivette, The
Mascot, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
12. March 27-April 1, 1899
Amphion:
(Closed for the week)
Bijou: King
of the Opium Ring
Gayety: A
Female Drummer, with Justine Johnstone
Grand
Opera House: (Closed for the week)
Montauk: Nathan
Hale, Nat C. Goodwin and Maxine Elliott
Park: Il
Trovatore, Lucia Di Lammermoor, Faust, with Jaxon Opera
Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
13. April 3-8, 1899
Amphion: The
Chimes of Normandy, The Bohemian Girl, Jaxon Opera Company
Bijou: Yon
Yonson, with Ben Hendricks Company
Columbia: The
Turtle
Gayety: The
Village Postmaster
Grand
Opera House: Jack and the Beanstalk
Montauk: Her
Atonement
Park: Wang, with Milton
Aborn Comic Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
Amphion: Olivette, The
Mascot, Lucia Di Lammermoor, Il Trovatore, Faust, with
Jaxon Opera Company
Bijou: A
Romance of Athlone, with Chauncey Olcott
Brooklyn
Academy of Music: A Runaway Girl, with Augustin Daly’s Company
Columbia: The
King’s Musketeer, with E.H. Sothern
Gayety: King
of the Opium Ring
Grand
Opera House: London Life
Montauk: Her
Atonement
Park: The
Isle of Champagne, with Milton Aborn Comic Opera Company
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
15. April 17-22, 1899
Amphion: The
Little Minister, with Maude Adams
Bijou: A
Romance of Athlone, with Chauncey Olcott
Brooklyn Academy of Music: Nathen
der Weise, one performance only (April 17), with Adolf von Sonnenthal (in
German)
Columbia: The
King’s Musketeer, with E.H. Sothern
Gayety: London
Life
Grand
Opera House: Vaudeville bill, with Marie
Dressler
Montauk: The
Three Dragoons, with Broadway Theater Opera Company
Park: Cavalleria Rusticana, H.M.S.
Pinafore, The Chimes of Normandy, The Bohemian Girl, Boccaccio,
with Milton Aborn Comic Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty, Grand Opera House
(see above, in this week’s listing)
16. April 24-29, 1899
Amphion: Fra
Diavolo, Martha, with Jaxon Opera Company
Bijou: King
of the Opium Ring
Columbia: At
the White Horse Tavern
Gayety: The
Ragged Earl, Andrew Mack
Grand
Opera House: Too Much Johnson
Montauk: Trelawny
of the Wells, with Lyceum Theatre Company
Park: Said
Pasha, Martha, Mikado, with Milton Aborn Comic Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty
17. May 1-6, 1899
Amphion: Cavalleria
Rusticana, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, with Jaxon Opera
Company
Bijou: The
Turtle
Columbia: Mlle.
Fifi, with Grace George
Gayety: Two
Little Vagrants, with Mildred Holland
Grand
Opera House: Closed for the season
Montauk: Rip
Van Winkle, The Rivals, with Joseph Jefferson
Park:
Closed for the season
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Star, Empire, Novelty
18. May 8-13, 1899
Amphion: Lucia Di Lammermoor,
Il Trovatore, The Bohemian Girl, Carmen, with Jaxon Opera
Company
Bijou: The Prodigal Daughter
Columbia: Closed for season
Gayety: The Silver King
Montauk: Aida, with Castle
Square Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde &
Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star, Novelty (closed for season)
19. May 15-20, 1899
Columbia:
(reopens temporarily) Romeo and Juliet, with Maude Adams
Gayety: Too
Much Johnson
Montauk: Faust,
with Castle Square Opera Company
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire, Star
20. May 22-27, 1899
Columbia: Romeo
and Juliet, with Maude Adams
Montauk: Romeo
and Juliet (opera), with Castle Square Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Brooklyn Music Hall (closes for season), Empire (closes after
fire), Star
21. May 29-June 3, 1899
Montauk: Il
Trovatore, with Castle Square Opera Company
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s (closes for season), Star
22. June 5-10, 1899
Montauk:
Carmen, with Castle Square Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Brooklyn
Music Hall, Star
23. June 12-17, 1899
Montauk: The
Mikado, with Castle Square Opera Company (Montauk closes after this week)
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Star (Closes for season)
We will
skip the offerings on view during the summer of 1899, most of them at the entertainment
establishments of Bergen Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Brighton Beach, and resume
when legitimate theatre returns in late August and early September. The Star,
“cooled by electric fan,” reopened for burlesque and other nonlegit amusements
on August 14. The new season officially opened on Labor Day, September 4,
although the Bijou opened two nights earlier. As seen in the next illustration,
theatrical activities continued at Brooklyn’s shorefront resorts.
24. September 4-9, 1899
Bijou: (opened
the previous Saturday night, September 2, 1899) Devil’s Island
Gayety: Mrs.
B. O’Shaughnessy, with George Monroe
Grand
Opera House: Under the Red Robe, with Paul Cazaneuve
Montauk: The
Moth and the Flame, with Herbert Kelcey and Effie Shannon
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Empire, Star
25. September 11-16, 1899
Bijou: The
Cherry Pickers
Columbia: Because
She Loved Him So
Gayety: Under
the Red Robe
Grand
Opera House: A Grip of Steel
Montauk: The
Cuckoo
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Star, Empire, Novelty
26. September 18-23, 1899
Amphion: The
Mikado, The Bohemian Girl, with Jaxon Opera Company
Bijou: An
Easy Mark
Columbia: Because
She Loved Him So
Gayety: A
Grip of Steel
Grand
Opera House: The White Heather, with Rose Coghlan
Montauk: Hon.
John Crosby, with Sol Smith Russell
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
27. September 25-30, 1899
Amphion:
Announces regular season opening for October 16
Bijou: The
Sporting Duchess
Columbia: Because
She Loved Him So, with J.E. Dodson
Gayety: The
White Heather, Rose Coghlan
Grand
Opera House: The Village Postmaster
Montauk: Colinette,
with Julia Marlowe
Park: The
Mikado, The Bohemian Girl, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire
Theatre
28. October 2-7, 1899
Bijou: Two
Little Vagrants, with Mildred Holland
Columbia: His
Excellency, the Governor
Gayety: Courted
into Court, with Clifford and Huth
Grand
Opera House: A Wise Guy, with Edmund Hayes and Emily Lytton
Montauk: Zaza,
with Mrs. Leslie Carter
Park: The
Chimes of Normandy, Martha, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
29. October 9-14, 1899
Bijou: Shore
Acres
Columbia: Phroso,
with Odette Tyler
Gayety: A
Wise Guy, with Edmund Hayes and Emily Lytton
Grand
Opera House: The Last of the Rohans, with Andrew Mack
Montauk: Zaza,
with Mrs. Leslie Carter
Park: Il
Trovatore, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire
Theatre
30.
October
16-21, 1899
Amphion: The
Moth and the Flame, with Herbert Kelcey and Effie Shannon
Bijou: Hearts
of Oak
Columbia: The
Musketeers, with James O’Neill
Gayety: The
Village Postmaster, with Archie Boyd
Grand
Opera House: A Hot Old Time, with Johnny and Emma Ray
Park:
Faust, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
31. October 23-28, 1899
Amphion: The
Musketeers, with James O’Neill
Bijou: Through
the Breakers
Columbia: The
Smugglers of Bayadez, The Serenade, Rob Roy, Robin Hood,
with the Bostonians
Gayety: A
High Toned Burglar, with Dolan and Lenharr
Grand
Opera House: Courted into Court, with Billie Clifford and Maud Huth
Montauk: Rupert
of Hentzau, with James K. Hackett
Park: H.M.S.
Pinafore, Cavalleria Rusticana, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
32.
October
30-November 4, 1889
Bijou: The Policy Players,
with Bert Williams and George Walker
Columbia: The Rounders, with
Thomas Q. Seabrooke
Gayety: The Last of the Rohans,
with Andrew Mack
Grand Opera House: McIntyre and Heath’s
Comedians, with Marie Dressler
Montauk: The Little Minister,
with Maude Adams
Park: Carmen, with Jaxon
Opera Company
Vaudeville
and burlesque: Hyde & Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire
Theatre
33. November 6-11, 1899
Amphion: ‘Way
Down East
Bijou: The
New Eight Bells
Brooklyn Academy of Music:
(Election Day, November 7, only) Percy Williams’s Vaudeville Carnival
Columbia: At
the White Horse Tavern
Gayety: McIntyre
& Heath’s Comedians
Grand
Opera House: Fulgora’s European American Stars (vaudeville)
Montauk: Cyrano
de Bergerac (comic opera adaptation), with Francis Wilson
Park: Lucia
Di Lammermoor, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
34. November 13-18, 1899
Amphion: A
Stranger in a Strange Land
Bijou: Zorah,
with Edward Arden
Columbia: Sporting
Life
Gayety: A
Hot Old Time, with Johnny and Emma Ray
Grand
Opera House: La Tosca, Gismonda, Fedora, with Melbourne
McDowell, Blanche Walsh
Montauk: The
Girl from Maxim’s
Park: Daughter
of the Regiment
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
35. November 20-25, 1899
Amphion: Why
Smith Left Home
Bijou: Man o’ Warsman, Slaves
of Sin, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, A Tale of Two Cities, with
Thomas E. Shea
Columbia: Mr.
Smooth, with Willie Collier
Gayety: The
Rising Generation, with Billie Barry
Grand
Opera House: Sis Hopkins, with Rose Melville
Montauk: Lord
and Lady Algy, with Empire Stock Company
Park: Fra
Diavolo, with Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
36. November 27-December 2, 1899
Note:
As can be seen, theatres that formerly were almost entirely legitimate,
especially the Gayety and Grand Opera House, have begun to present vaudeville
programs on a more frequent basis. For the time being, they will continue to be
listed among the legitimate theatres.
Amphion: At
the White Horse Tavern
Bijou: A
Romance of Athlone, with Chauncey Olcott
Brooklyn
Academy of Music: Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Columbia: The
Song of the Sword, with E.H. Sothern, Virginia Harned
Eagle:
(Opens November 30, Thanksgiving Day; formerly the Criterion) Gettysburg
Gayety: Fulgora’s
European American Stars
Grand
Opera House: Hopkins’ Trans-Oceanic Star Specialty Company, with Mlle. Marzella
Montauk: Lord
and Lady Algy, with Empire Theatre Company
Park: The
Bohemian Girl, Il Trovatore, with the Jaxon Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
37. December 4-9, 1899
Amphion: Who
Killed Cock Robin?, with Thomas Q. Seabrooke
Bijou: A
Romance of Athlone, with Chauncey Olcott
Columbia: The
Old Homestead, with Denman Thompson
Eagle: Gettysburg
Gayety: Hopkin’s
Trans-Oceanic Star Specialty Company
Grand
Opera House: Superba
Montauk: A
Rich Man’s Son, with William H. Crane
Park: Erminie,
with American Standard Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
38. December 11-16, 1899
Amphion: Cyrano
de Bergerac (comic opera adaptation), with Francis Wilson
Bijou: The
Gunner’s Mate
Columbia: A
Stranger in a Strange Land
Gayety: Superba
Grand
Opera House: Secret Service
Montauk: The
Girl in the Barracks, with Louis Mann and Clara Shipman
Park: Erminie,
American Standard Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
39. December 18-23, 1899
Amphion: Closed
for the week
Bijou: A
Trip to Coontown, Cole and Johnson
Columbia: The
Sign of the Cross, with William Greet’s London Company and Charles Dalton
Gayety: Sis
Hopkins, Rose Melville
Grand
Opera House: The Rising Generation, with Billy Barry
Montauk: More
Than Queen, with Julia Arthur
Park: Girofle
Girofla
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
40. December 25-30, 1899
Amphion: Because
She Loved Him So, with J.E. Dodson
Bijou: The
Queen of Chinatown
Brooklyn
Academy of Music: Becky Sharp, with Mrs. Minnie Maddern Fiske
Columbia: The
Christian, with Viola Allen
Gayety: A
Stranger in a Strange Land
Grand
Opera House: Hyde’s Comedians
Montauk: The
Tyranny of Tears, with John Drew
Park: Iolanthe,
with American Standard Opera Company
Vaudeville and burlesque: Hyde
& Behman’s, Star, Novelty, Brooklyn Music Hall, Empire Theatre
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