Henry Eugene Abbey (June 27, 1846 – October 17, 1896) was an American

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

and producer.

Early life

Henry E. Abbey was born in

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

on June 27, 1846, to

clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly to ...

Henry Stephen Abbey and Elizabeth Smith Abbey."Death of Henry E. Abbey."
''The New York Times,'' Sunday, October 18, 1896 He engaged in business with his father, a

jeweller A bench jeweler is an artisan who uses a combination of skills to make and repair jewelry. Some of the more common skills that a bench jeweler might employ include antique restoration, silversmith, Goldsmith, stone setting, engraving, fabricat ...

, until 1869, when he leased the Akron opera house.

Career

During the 1870s - 1890s, he managed such prominent

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''T ...

s as Booth's, Wallack's, Abbey's Theatre and

Abbey's Park Theatre Abbey's Park Theatre or Abbey's New Park Theatre was a playhouse at 932 Broadway and 22nd Street in what is now the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. It opened as the New Park Theatre in 1874, and was in use until 1882 when it ...

promoting the talents of some of the foremost American actors of his day, as well as

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an stars. In 1882 with

John B. Schoeffel John Baptist Schoeffel (11 May 1846 - d. Boston, 31 August 1918), was an American theatre manager and producer, and hotel owner. With Henry E. Abbey he was involved presenting European theatrical stars in the US, including Sarah Bernhardt, Henry ...

and

Maurice Grau Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau was a US theatre management and production firm, active from 1880 until 1896. The partners were Henry E. Abbey, John B. Schoeffel and Maurice Grau. Abbey and Schoeffel had been in partnership since 1876, and joined force ...

he formed the theatrical management partnership of

Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau was a US theatre management and production firm, active from 1880 until 1896. The partners were Henry E. Abbey, John B. Schoeffel and Maurice Grau. Abbey and Schoeffel had been in partnership since 1876, and joined force ...

. Abbey was the first lessee and manager of the inaugural season in 1883 of the 'old' Metropolitan Opera House, with Grau's own Opera Company and stars. The season was a critical success but a financial flop. Abbey as manager was personally responsible for losses of $250,000.

Christina Nilsson Christina Nilsson, Countess de Casa Miranda, also called Christine Nilsson (20 August 1843 – 22 November 1921) was a Swedish dramatic coloratura soprano. Possessed of a pure and brilliant voice of first three then two and a half octaves tra ...

's and

Marcella Sembrich Prakseda Marcelina Kochańska (February 15, 1858 – January 11, 1935), known professionally as Marcella Sembrich, was a Polish coloratura soprano. She is known for her extensive range of two and a half octaves, precise intonation, charm, port ...

's cachets, known to be high, explain 40% of this losses. He managed the tours of

Adelina Patti Adelina Patti (19 February 184327 September 1919) was an Italian 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851, and gave her l ...

Francesco Tamagno Francesco Tamagno (28 December 1850 – 31 August 1905) was an Italian operatic tenor who sang with enormous success throughout Europe and America.Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 782 pages, On 5 February ...

and the London Gaity in America, and he introduced

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including ''La Dame Aux Cameli ...

to America. He opened Boston's Park Theatre in 1879. He also opened Abbey's Theatre in 1890, one of the first theatrical managers to present expensive shows outside of the major cities. Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau returned to the 'Met' in 1891, and Abbey continued as manager there until his death. He died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on October 17, 1896, at the age of 50.

Legacy

One of his longest lasting legacies was his bringing a group of Spanish performers, known as the Spanish Students, to the United States. These performers inspired imitators and gave rise to the widespread playing of the

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of ...

in the United States, where it was previously unknown.Jean Dickson
"Mandolin Mania in Buffalo’s Italian Community, 1895 to 1918"
. ''Journal of World Anthropology''. Occasional Papers: Volume II, Number 2. University at Buffalo (SUNY).]Paul Sparks, ''The Classical Mandolin'', Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995, pages 26-27.

Personal life

He married Kate Kingsley in 1876, and had two children with her. He married again in 1886, to the actress Florence Gerard. She appeared at the new

Wallack's Theatre Three New York City playhouses named Wallack's Theatre played an important part in the history of American theater, as the successive homes of the stock company managed by actors James W. Wallack and his son, Lester Wallack. During its 35-ye ...

at 30th Street and Broadway while Abbey was manager there.

References

;Notes ;Citations * * *''Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896.'' (1967). Chicago, IL: Marquis Who's Who.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abbey, Henry Eugene 1846 births 1896 deaths American theatre managers and producers Opera managers Metropolitan Opera people Businesspeople from Akron, Ohio Businesspeople from New York City 19th-century American businesspeople