Misplaced Pages

#588411

32-659: The Chestnut Street Theatre (originally named the New Theatre) was the brainchild of Thomas Wignell and Alexander Reinagle who in 1791 convinced a group of Philadelphia investors to build a theater suitable for Wignell's company to perform in. Wignell had not yet formed his company when the New Theatre was being set up to be built, but as the New Theater was being built, Wignell was in England recruiting actors to be

64-603: A stage name . Under the stage name "Miss Jennie Stanley," Hosmer began her career in Buffalo doing ballet at the age of 15. At the age of 16, under the tutelage of actor Barton Hill, she gained her first speaking role at the Metropolitan Theatre and was soon promoted to member of the theater's stock company. In 1860, while a leading actress, the young Hosmer was noticed by McVicker's Theater in Chicago and

96-836: A break from acting, but after two years reappeared for her starring tour. On May 29, 1865, she opened in New York at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway as Camille in Camille to glowing reviews, and stayed in New York until July 7. In announcing her farewell week there, the Spirit of the Times wrote : The current is the sixth and positively last week of the brilliantly successful engagement of Miss Hosmer at this house. I say brilliant both in an artistic and financial point of view, for rarely, if ever, has an artiste achieved

128-403: A few shows at this venue and traveled with them often. But debatably the most important point of his career happened in 16 April 1787 in New York. It was the opening of the play The Contrast by Royall Tyler . The Contrast was a five-act comedy of manners. The play was the first play to be written by an American citizen and then professionally produced. One of the reasons for the plays success

160-524: A home to opera performances in Philadelphia for many years, was now regarded as too small and cramped for the Grand Opera performances of the era. In 1854, a committee of prominent Philadelphians funded and ordered construction of the much larger and grander American Academy of Music on Broad Street, which was completed and opened in early 1857. Some of the traditions of "Old Drury" were imported to

192-426: A more legitimate and well-merited artistic success or been rewarded with a more substantial one as soon as her unqestionable genius became known to the play-going public. I regard Miss Hosmer's engagement as one of the most extraordinary in every way that has been played in this city for many years. She came among us unheralded and unpuffed; content, it would seem, to rely on her own intrinsic merits, and stand or fall by

224-484: A mystery since the building had been vacant for several days while the company was engaged in Baltimore. Two years later, the second Chestnut Street Theatre was built in the same area as the first. It was built in the customary design of the day by architect William Strickland with triple tiers of boxes making a horseshoe around the orchestra and apron of the stage that accommodated about 2,000 theatergoers. The façade

256-476: A number of different theatres. While back in London, Wignell recruited the popular female actress Ann Brunton Merry , who was popular at Covent Garden until her marriage and retirement from the London stage. They came to America in 1796, her husband Robert Merry died on 24 December 1798. She married Wignell on 1 January 1803. Their marriage was short lived, unfortunately because Wignell died about seven weeks after

288-472: A part of his company. The New Theater's design, modeled after the Theatre Royal, Bath , was made possible by John Inigo Richards , Wignell's brother-in-law, who obtained architect Thomas Greenway's original plans. The New Theatre was built on Chestnut Street near the corner of Sixth Street across from Congress Hall , and opened its doors on February 2, 1793. $ 30,000 was raised for the construction of

320-405: Is why the inscription on the facade of the building does not include the internal T. This particular spelling was abandoned in later years.) The second Chestnut Street Theatre was demolished in 1855. The neighborhood around Chestnut and Sixth had become increasingly unfashionable and the narrow streets were often congested by business traffic. In addition, The Chestnut Street Theatre, which had been

352-925: The Revolutionary War he came to North America in 1774 with his cousin Lewis Hallam . Wignell and the Hallam Company then left for Jamaica , where they stayed until 1785. After performing in Covent Garden and then later in Jamaica he returned newly independent America. He then worked with the Old American Company at the John Street Theatre in New York City , New York ; with Hallam. He did quite

SECTION 10

#1732791818589

384-541: The Seven Wonders of America. A yellow fever epidemic spoiled the theater's debut in 1793, and its first regular season did not begin until the following year when the inaugural night's entertainment offered a double feature, John O'Keeffe's Castle of Andalusia and Hannah Cowley's Who's the Dupe? Over the following twenty-seven years the theater would become a showcase for works by local and national dramatist of

416-422: The academy, including the bell that announced the rising of the opening curtain. The third Chestnut Street Theatre was built in 1862, seven blocks to the west of its original location, where once again it found favor with Philadelphia audiences as a fashionable night spot. Tragic actress Jean Hosmer was among those who starred at the debut of the third theater. It closed its doors for the last time in 1913 after

448-586: The building and the final touches were not completed until 1805 under architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe . The stage ran with a depth of seventy-one feet and had a width of thirty feet. The three tiers of boxes could hold nine hundred people; the theatre itself was able to hold an audience of two thousand. There were multiple dressing rooms, two green rooms, and for the first time in America a large well-stocked wardrobe. There were two different entrances from

480-411: The curtain fell on the final act of Arthur Wing Pinero 's The Second Mrs Tanqueray . The building was demolished in 2017. 39°56′58″N 75°09′04″W  /  39.9494°N 75.1511°W  / 39.9494; -75.1511 Thomas Wignell Thomas Wignell (1753 – 21 February 1803) was an English -born actor and theatre manager in the colonial United States . Thomas Wignell

512-577: The day. Hail to the Chief , the anthem that introduces and plays out the President of the United States debuted at this theatre. In 1816 the New Theatre became the first American theater to be illuminated by gas fixtures rather than candlelight or oil lamps. Four years later a suspicious fire destroyed the theater along with its library, music, scenery and costumes. The cause of the fire remained

544-575: The early 19th century, this theatre was where "many of the most important American plays…received their world premieres". Which under Wignell's and Reinalge's management, Philadelphia became the reigning theatrical capital in the United States for at least a decade. And with the help of Wignell, and the Chestnut Street Theatre, the city of Philadelphia would remain in competition with New York until at least 1826. In Wignell's later years he stopped acting and devoted his time to managing

576-549: The freely-expressed opinion of her auditors and the critical acumen of the press. To triumph over the former was an easy task; to win the good opinion of the latter, one of great difficulty. Following the close of the New York show in 1865, Hosmer's career began to decline. In 1866, she returned to Philadelphia to play at Arch Street Theatre with McKee Rankin, but left after a short while. Bad personal habits began to affect her work, and she likely suffered from alcoholism which became more noticeable in her acting as she aged. This

608-731: The marriage due to an infected arm. The city of Philadelphia then gave him an excellent burial at the Episcopal Church of St. Peter . Jean Hosmer Jean Haskell Hosmer (January 29, 1842 – January 29, 1890) was an American actress and tragedienne who reached the zenith of her career directly following the American Civil War , and is associated through her career with actor and Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth along his brother Edwin Booth . Hosmer

640-494: The play was being performed in at that time. Wignell had other roles he was successful in; Darby in O'Keefe's farce The Poor Soldier was another comedic part Thomas became praised for. President George Washington even came to see The Poor Soldier in May 1787. William Dunlap , the most prolific writer of his time, wrote a short comic sketch entitled "Darby's Return" for Wignell to perform for his benefit performance. With Wignell in

672-504: The stage and now taught acting and elocution. However, in order to further sustain herself, she continued to irregularly act in productions with small-town and amateur companies across the country. In the winter of 1889–90, Hosmer took a job acting with the small Ramage's Standard Theatre company playing in Midwestern towns. While at a production in a small town near Cleveland, Ohio , she suddenly began to severely hemorrhage. Hosmer

SECTION 20

#1732791818589

704-426: The street for the theatre patrons, those going to the pit and those headed to the boxes. The entryway to the pit was only eighteen inches wide, a death trap in the event of a fire. Like English theatres the New Theatre on Chestnut Street had all the essentials. A proscenium with proscenium doors in the proscenium walls with a balcony overhead. Not long after its construction the New Theatre was often referred to as one of

736-588: The title role, this sketch was a spin-off of O'Keefe's The Poor Soldier . After separating from the American Company in 1793, Wignell teamed up with Alexander Reinagle and began to fund the building of a new theatre. Reinagle, a prominent musician at the time, started a fund-raising campaign to build this first class theatre located west of sixth and Chestnut Street to be named The Chestnut Theatre. Georgina George appeared there in 1794 in "Robin Hood". She

768-405: Was a cousin of sculptor Harriet Hosmer and of poet William H. C. Hosmer . Born in 1842, near Boston, Massachusetts , Hosmer and her family moved to near Buffalo, New York, when she was four years old. At the age of eight, Hosmer's desire to act was stimulated by witnessing a performance of Douglas Jerrold's play Black-Eyed Susan . Hosmer soon after fell ill with an unknown disease which

800-486: Was a leading singer and she had been recruited in London the year before. She appeared as "Mrs Oldmixon". The founding of the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia created opportunities for many new plays to take off. Philadelphia became a capital for American theatre for many years. The Chestnut Street Theatre became Philadelphia's main playhouse and the first American theatre to be lit by gas. In

832-562: Was attributed to her intense excitement for the production. Upon her recovery she continued to visit the theatre despite her parents' objections, often dressed in boys' clothes. She attended the Genesee and Wyoming Seminary in Alexander, New York , for a short time but remained committed to having a career on the stage. Her parents, influenced by her father's failings in business, eventually gave their consent so long as she performed under

864-403: Was because of Thomas Wignell in the role of Johnathan, the first stage yankee. The stage yankee became the first American stock character. He had American pride, twangy speech, terrible sense of fashion, and was ignorant to a lot of things the other characters in the play found important. There is a scene in the play that is famous for Johnathan describing the John Street Theatre , the theater that

896-494: Was born into a working theatre family. He was born in England to his parents John and Henrietta Wignell in 1753. His father John Wignell worked at Covent Garden Theatre . His first appearance was at The Covent Garden in 1766 where he played Prince Arthur in King John . He was originally apprenticed as a seal cutter but eventually left to become an actor. While acting in England, he was a member of Garrick's Company. Right before

928-481: Was made of Italian-style marble with an arcade supported by a row of composite columns with a plain entablature. The entrance stood between two wings whose niches held statues of Tragedy and Comedy by William Rush . Below the statues were semi-circular recesses containing basso relievos of tragic and comic muses. (Note: During this period in American orthography, it became usual to spell the street name "Chesnut", which

960-429: Was noted by English theater critic Clement Scott during an 1878 production of Lucrezia Borgia : There were moments when I felt almost paralyzed by her acting. I never saw the spirit of such intense tragedy in a woman. But as the performance wore on she became indistinct, reckless and uncertain, and when the curtain went down she was thoroughly drunk. During the 1870s and 1880s, Hosmer was considered semi-retired from

992-499: Was quickly sent to her sister's home in Buffalo, where she died in obscurity on her birthday of January 29. She was 48 years old. At McVicker's, Hosmer appeared in supporting roles to John Wilkes Booth and his brother Edwin. Of John, Hosmer later remarked: I consider him a greater actor than his brother. He better represented the genius of his father, the first Junius Brutus Booth, and he played with such fire and vigor that he made us in his company actually fear him. But he did not have

Chestnut Street Theatre - Misplaced Pages Continue

1024-678: Was recruited by the playhouse for its company. She performed with the company there under the name "Miss Jean Stanley" for two years supporting the Booth brothers. After leaving McVicker's, Hosmer moved on her own to Philadelphia to star at the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , under her own name. In 1863, she made her mark at the Chestnut playing strong, tragic female characters in plays such as Macbeth , Camille , and Romeo and Juliet . The death of one of her sisters in that same year prompted Hosmer to take

#588411