File:The greatest street in the world - the story of Broadway, old and new, from the Bowling Green to Albany (1911) (14589446389).jpg

Identifier: greateststreeti00jenk (find matches)
Title: The greatest street in the world : the story of Broadway, old and new, from the Bowling Green to Albany
Year: 1911 (1910s)
Authors: Jenkins, Stephen, 1857-1913
Subjects: Streets--New York (State)--New York. Hudson River Valley (N.Y. and N.J.)
Publisher: New York London : G. P. Putnam's Sons
Contributing Library: Rutgers University Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Lyrasis Members and Sloan Foundation

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um in 1850; the performanceswere principally burlesques and farces. James W.Wallack secured the house and opened it on September8, 1852, with his sons, Lester and Charles, as stage-manager and treasurer. It was the successor of the oldPark Theatre in the selection and presentation of itsplays, and was steadily successful for nearly ten yearsuntil the playgoers had moved up-town. The pricesof admission were fifty and twenty-five cents. Theelder Wallack ended his career here as an actor, but notas a manager; as in 1861 he removed to the northeastcorner of Thirteenth Street. After Wallack left Number485, the theatre was continued under various managersand names and underwent various vicissitudes—Germanopera, melodrama, the legitimate, concerts, Lents Circus■—until 1864, when it came under Woods managementfor several years, being torn down in 1869 to make placefor dry-goods stores. James W. Wallacks last appearance on the stagewas at the close of the season of 1862, when he made his
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rZ>-^^ _ 209 2IO The Worlds Greatest Street farewell speech; he died two years later. The ThirteenthStreet theatre was continued by his more famous sonLester; and Wallacks Theatre and its stock companybecame synonymous with all that is best in dramaticart—in acting, in scenery, in stage management andpresentation, and in the play itself. The fact that anactor had been a member of Wallacks company wassufficient recommendation as to ability and trainingto secure him admission into almost any theatre com-pany in the land; although Thomas Allston Brown saysthat Wallack never made a good actor, but only engagedthose who already had reputations. The first theatreI ever attended n my life was Wal acks; the play was,1 believe, The Clandestine Marriage, though I have littlerecollection of it. I have very distinct recollections ofmany another play at Wallacks, as at one time in mylife I was a regular first-nighter here, and I remembersome famous casts, especially of The School for Scandalw

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