Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 1, Number 4, March 1990 Page: 111
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Texas Cultures Online and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Nesbitt Memorial Library.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
The Glory Days of the Stafford Opera House
served a genuine Chinese meal. But the show was,
according to the Citizen, "a miserable farce". The audience
jeered and hissed throughout, and the manager of the
company finally came out on stage and characterized the city
and its citizens as "the worst place and the worst people" he
had ever seen.7
The next day, as the company was boarding the
train which was to take them out of town, many of the same
people their manager had so wantonly criticized were
waiting to reinforce the actors' opinion of them. They pelted
the performers with eggs, knocking off their hats and
staining their clothes. The egg throwers did make one
concession though, which proved that the company might
indeed come in contact with worse people. They used fresh
rather than rotten eggs.
The 1888-1889 season had no such farcical
episode, but it did have several dramatic highlights. The first
was an appearance by Thomas W. Keene in the popular play
Richelieu on the evening of October 18. Edwin Booth had
chosen the same play in which to make his Texas debut on
January 24, 1882. Richelieu, which had been written by
Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, had also been a featured
attraction of such stars as John McCullough and Frederick
Warde. Keene, in touring with it, was inviting comparison
and drawing generally favorable reviews. The Citizen
trumpeted Keene's appearance as "the greatest dramatic
event in the history of Columbus" and called the star "one
of the finest actors in the world".8 The house, which con-
tained many people from surrounding towns, was very
substantial.
In the week after Keene's triumph, the famous
Irish comedian, William J. Scanlan played the Stafford Opera
House in a period drama, Shane-na-lawn. Set in Ireland in
1790, the play nonetheless afforded Scanlan an opportunity
to sing the song which made him famous, "Peek A Boo".
Newton Beers followed Scanlan to the opera house with a
7 Colorado Citizen, March 2, 1888
8 Colorado Citizen, October 18, 1888111
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Nesbitt Memorial Library. Nesbitt Memorial Library Journal, Volume 1, Number 4, March 1990, periodical, March 1990; Columbus, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth151377/m1/11/?q=%22~1~1%22~1&rotate=0: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Nesbitt Memorial Library.