The Lyceum Theatre was a theatre 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 ...

located on Fourth Avenue (now

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) between 23rd and 24th Streets in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. It was built in 1885 and operated until 1902, when it was torn down to make way for the

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower (colloquially known as the Met Life Tower and also as the South Building) is a skyscraper occupying a full block in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. The building is composed of ...

. It was replaced by a new Lyceum Theatre on 45th Street. For most of its existence, the theatre was home to

Daniel Frohman Daniel Frohman (August 22, 1851 – December 26, 1940) was an American theatrical producer and manager, and an early film producer. Biography Frohman was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Sandusky, Ohio. His parents were Henry (1826&nda ...

's Lyceum Theatre Stock Company, which presented many important plays and actors of the day.

Building

The three-story building's auditorium was deep by wide, with a seating capacity of 727: boxes 88, parquet 344, dress circle 172, and balcony 123.

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...

is reported to have personally worked on making it the first theatre lit entirely by electricity (not the first to use electric lights), and

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...

designed aspects of the interior. Not all new technologies lasted: for the first season the orchestra rode an "automatic elevator car" into the fly gallery to play in a gallery over the proscenium during performances, but the car was removed in the theatre's second year. Ticket prices initially ranged from $1 to $2.50.

Origins

Actor, playwright and theatre technology innovator

Steele Mackaye James Morrison Steele MacKaye ( ; June 6, 1842 – February 25, 1894) was an American playwright, actor, theater manager and inventor. Having acted, written, directed and produced numerous and popular plays and theatrical spectaculars of the day ...

and producer

Gustave Frohman Gustave Frohman (c. 1854 – August 16, 1930) was a theatre producer and advance man. He was one of three Frohman brothers who entered show business and he worked for most of his career alongside his brother, Charles Frohman. These two financ ...

built the theatre as the base for the Lyceum School of Acting, to be run by them and Franklin H. Sargent. The school quickly became the New York School of Acting and then, by 1888, the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

(AADA). Sargent soon left and after six months Mackaye and Frohman were forced to sell their interests to benefit Tiffany and other creditors. Actress

Helen Dauvray Helen Dauvray (February 14, 1859 – December 6, 1923) was an American actress.(20 February 1892)Our Gallery of Players - XXXIV. Helen Dauvray ''The Illustrated American'', p. 16, 35 She was a star in Bronson Howard's play ''One of Our Girl ...

then became manager, making her one of the first woman theatrical executives in the U.S. Gustave's brother, the

impresario An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer. Hist ...

, took over at the beginning of the theatre's third season and stayed until it was demolished in 1902, when he established the Lyceum Theatre on 45th St.

Lyceum Theatre Stock Company

Daniel Frohman ran the Lyceum Theatre Company, a stock company with a more or less constant troupe of actors performing several different plays each season. Frohman sought to introduce as many new, “modern plays” as possible. The plays reflected both the older

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

style and the newer naturalistic or realistic style, common to the last decades before the motion picture era. The Lyceum Company also sent productions on the road with full complements of actors, sets, musicians, crew, and publicists. (Prior to this, lead actors tended to tour alone and work with local actors and musicians, with results of varying artistic quality.) From 1886 until 1890,

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of m ...

worked for the Lyceum Company as

stage manager Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including the overseeing of the rehearsal p ...

(in today's terms, director or artistic director), co-wrote three of the company's productions with

Henry Churchill de Mille Henry Churchill de Mille (September 17, 1853 – February 10, 1893) was an American businessman and Georgist, and the father of film pioneers Cecil B. de Mille and William C. de Mille, and the paternal grandfather of the dancer and choreograp ...

, and taught at the acting school. In January 1899, three years before the old Lyceum shut down, Daniel Frohman moved the Lyceum Theatre Company to Daly's Theatre. He and his brother

Charles Frohman Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theater manager and producer, who discovered and promoted many stars of the American stage. Notably, he produced ''Peter Pan'', both in London and the US, the latter production ...

continued to produce plays at the Lyceum after the stock company moved.Mantle and Sherwood, ''The Best Plays of 1899-1909'', pp. 346-584.

Actors

Lyceum productions featured top American and English actors. Many later appeared in silent films.Brown, ''A History of the New York Stage'', pp. 419-441. *W.C. Bellows *William Courtleigh *Rowland Buckstone * Georgia Cayvan *Helen Dauvray *

James K. Hackett James Keteltas Hackett (September 6, 1869 – November 8, 1926) was an American actor and manager. Life James K. Hackett was the son of Clara C. and James Henry Hackett, a comedian and celebrated Falstaff. He was born on Wolfe Island, Onta ...

* Virginia Harned *

Isabel Irving Isabel Irving (February 28, 1871 –September 1, 1944) was an American stage actress. Irving made her London debut at the Lyceum Theatre in 1890 as Daisy in ''Nancy and Company''. In 1894, she signed a three-year contract with the manager o ...

*Herbert Kelcey * W.J. LeMoyne * Sarah Cowell Le Moyne *Enid Leslie *

Mary Mannering Mary Mannering (born Florence Friend; April 29, 1876 – January 21, 1953) was an English actress. She studied for the stage under Hermann Vezin. She made her debut at Manchester in 1892 under her own name of Florence Friend. Biography Born Cl ...

*Edward J. Morgan *Kate Pattison-Selten *

Annie Russell Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

Morton Selten Morton Selten (6 January 1860 – 27 July 1939) was a British stage and film actor. He was occasionally credited as Morton Selton. Biography At birth, Selten was given the name Morton Richard Stubbs and claimed as the son of Morton Stubbs, a ...

Effie Shannon Effie Shannon (May 13, 1867 – July 24, 1954) was an American stage and silent screen actress. Biography Shannon had a 60-year career as starring performer and later character actress. She began as a child actor appearing with John McCullou ...

E.H. Sothern Edward Hugh Sothern (December 6, 1859 – October 28, 1933) was an American actor who specialized in dashing, romantic leading roles and particularly in William Shakespeare, Shakespeare roles. Biography Sothern was born in New Orleans, Louisiana ...

*Sam Sothern *Ernest Tarleton * Elizabeth “Bessie” Tyree *Charles Walcot *Mrs. Charles Walcot *Thomas Whiffen * Mrs. Thomas “Blanche” Whiffen Among the married couples in the company were: *

William Faversham William FavershamBlum, Daniel (c. 1954). ''Great Stars of the American Stage''. "Profile No. 46". 2nd ed. (12 February 1868 – 7 April 1940) was an English stage and film actor, manager, and producer. Biography He was born in London. As a t ...

and

Julie Opp Julie Opp (January 28, 1871 – April 9, 1921) was an American stage actress who was for a number of years popular on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. She was the wife of the Anglo-American actor William Faversham, whom she married shortly aft ...

*James K. Hackett and Mary Mannering *Herbert Kelcey and Effie Shannon *Morton Selten and Kate Pattison-Selten *E.H. Sothern and Virginia Harned *Mr. and Mrs. Charles Walcot *Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whiffen

Presentations

Over 80 plays were presented at the Lyceum, not counting dozens of benefits, concerts, lectures, amateur and student productions, short-stay touring performances, and revivals of these plays in

repertory A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawing ...

. (WP=world premiere, AP=American premiere.)Chapman and Sherwood, ''The Best Plays of 1894-1899'', pp. 83-260. *''Dakolar'',

, 4/6/1885. *''In Spite of All'',

after

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 18318 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-centur ...

, 9/15/1885. *''One of Our Girls'',

Bronson Howard Bronson Crocker Howard (October 7, 1842 – August 4, 1908) was an American dramatist. Biography Howard was born in Detroit where his father Charles Howard was Mayor in 1849. He prepared for college at New Haven, Conn., but instead of ente ...

, 1/10/1885. 200 performances. *''The Highest Bidder'', J. Maddison Morton, 5/3/1887. WP, first D. Frohman/Belasco production. *''Editha's Burglar'',

Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (published in 1885–1886), '' A Little ...

and George Flemine, 9/19/1887. *''The Wife'',

and Henry DeMille, 11/1/1887. WP, 239 perfs. *''Lord Chumley'', Henry De Mille and

, 8/21/1888. WP. *''

Sweet Lavender ''Sweet Lavender'' is a play in three acts by Arthur Wing Pinero, first performed in 1888. The sentimental and gently humorous story concerns the romance of Lavender Rolt and Clement Hale, and the complications impeding the course of true love. ...

'',

Arthur Wing Pinero Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (24 May 185523 November 1934) was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor. Pinero was drawn to the theatre from an early age, and became a professional actor at the age of 19. He gained experience as a supp ...

, 11/13/1888. AP, 100+ perfs. *''The Marquis'', Sardou, 3/18/1889. *''The Charity Ball'',

and Henry DeMille, 11/19/1889, WP, 200 perfs. *''The Maister of Woodbarrow'',

Jerome K. Jerome Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue ''Three Men in a Boat'' (1889). Other works include the essay collections '' Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow'' (1886) an ...

, 8/26/1890. AP. *''The Idler'', C. Haddon Chambers, 11/11/1890. WP. *''Nerves'',

J. Comyns Carr Joseph William Comyns Carr (1 March 1849 – 12 December 1916), often referred to as J. Comyns Carr, was an English drama and art critic, gallery director, author, poet, playwright and theatre manager. Beginning his career as an art critic, Car ...

, 1/19/1891. AP. *''Old Heads and Young Hearts'',

Dion Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...

, 4/6/1891. *''The Dancing Girl'',

Henry Arthur Jones Henry Arthur Jones (20 September 1851 – 7 January 1929) was an English dramatist, who was first noted for his melodrama '' The Silver King'' (1882), and went on to write prolifically, often appearing to mirror Ibsen from the opposite (conserv ...

, 8/31/1891. AP. *''Lady Bountiful'',

, 11/16/1891. AP. *''Squire Kate'', adapted by Robert Buchanan, 1/18/1892. *''Merry Gotham'',

Elisabeth Marbury Elisabeth "Bessie" Marbury (June 19, 1856 – January 22, 1933) was a pioneering American theatrical and literary agent and producer who helped shape business methods of the modern commercial theater, and encouraged women to enter that industry. ...

, 3/14/1892. WP. *''Captain Lettarblair'', Marguerite Merrington, 8/16/1892. WP. *''Americans Abroad'', Sardou, 12/5/1892. *''The Guardsman'',

George R. Sims George Robert Sims (2 September 1847 – 4 September 1922) was an English journalist, poet, dramatist, novelist and ''bon vivant''. Sims began writing lively humour and satiric pieces for ''Fun'' magazine and ''The Referee'', but he was soon co ...

and Cecil Raleigh, 4/3/1893. *''Sheridan, or the Maid of Bath'', Paul Potter, 9/5/1893. *''Our Country Cousins'', Paul Potter, 1/8/1894. WP. *''The Amazons'',

, 2/19/1894. AP, 100+ perfs. *''The Case of Rebellious Susan'',

, 12/29/1894. *''The Prisoner of Zenda'', Edward E. Rose, 9/4/1895. 200 perfs. *''

The Home Secretary The Home Secretary is a four-act play by R. C. Carton, first produced in 1895 in the West End of London. Production The play was first given at the Criterion Theatre, London, under the actor-manager Charles Wyndham. It opened on 7 May 1895 an ...

'',

R. C. Carton R. C. Carton (born Richard Claude Critchett, 10 May 1853 – 1 April 1928) was an English actor and playwright. Life and career Carton was born in London on 10 May 1853, a son of the oculist George Critchett and his wife Martha ''née'' Brooker. ...

, 11/25/1895. AP. *''An Enemy to the King'', R.N. Stephens, 9/1/1896. 103 perfs. *''The Late Mr. Castello'',

Sydney Grundy Sydney Grundy (23 March 1848 – 4 July 1914) was an English dramatist. Most of his works were adaptations of European plays, and many became successful enough to tour throughout the English-speaking world. He is, however, perhaps best remembe ...

, 12/14/1896. *''The First Gentleman of Europe'',

and George Fleming, 1/25/1897. *''The Mysterious Mr. Bugle'', Madeleine Lucette Ryley, 4/19/1897. *''

The Princess and the Butterfly ''The Princess and The Butterfly: or, The Fantastics'' is a comedy in five acts by Arthur Wing Pinero first produced at London’s St. James's Theatre on March 25, 1897 and in New York at the Lyceum Theatre on November 23, 1897. The New York v ...

'',

, 11/23/1897. *''The Tree of Knowledge'', R. C. Carton, 1/24/1898. *''The Moth and the Flame'',

Clyde Fitch Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (c. 1890–1909). Biography Born in Elmira, New York, and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (cl ...

, 4/11/1898. *''The Adventure of Lady Ursula'',

Anthony Hope Sir Anthony Hope Hawkins, better known as Anthony Hope (9 February 1863 – 8 July 1933), was a British novelist and playwright. He was a prolific writer, especially of adventure novels but he is remembered predominantly for only two books: ''Th ...

, 9/1/1898. *''

Trelawny of the 'Wells' ''Trelawny of the "Wells"'' is an 1898 comic play by Arthur Wing Pinero. It tells the story of a theatre star who attempts to give up the stage for love, but is unable to fit into conventional society. Synopsis ''Trelawny of the "Wells"'' t ...

'',

, 11/22/1898. AP, 131 perfs. *''His Excellency the Governor'', Capt. Robert Marshall, 5/9/1899. First post-Lyceum Stock Company production. *''Miss Hobbs'',

, 9/7/1899. 158 perfs. *''My Daughter-in-Law'',

Paul Bilhaud Paul Bilhaud (31 December 1854 – 8 January 1933) was a French playwright and librettist. An old friend of the author Alphonse Allais, he is remembered along his friend as a forerunner of minimalism with his painting ''Combat de nègres pendan ...

and

Michel Carré Michel Carré (20 October 1821, Besançon – 27 June 1872, Argenteuil) was a prolific French librettist. He went to Paris in 1840 intending to become a painter but took up writing instead. He wrote verse and plays before turning to writing libre ...

, 2/26/1900. *''A Royal Family'', Capt. Robert Marshall, 9/5/1900. 175 perfs. *''The Love Match'',

, 10/12/1901. *''The Girl and the Judge'',

, 12/4/1901. Last production at the old Lyceum Theatre, 125 perfs.

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Belasco, David, "My Life's Story", ''Hearst's Magazine'', serialized, vols. 24–28, Mar. 1914-Dec. 1915. *Brown, Thomas Allston, ''A History of the New York Stage From the First Performance in 1732 to 1901'', vol. III, (New York: Dodd, Mead & Company), 1903. *Chapman, John, and Garrison P. Sherwood, eds., ''The Best Plays of 1894-1899'', (New York: Dodd, Mead, & Company), 1955. *Frohman, Daniel, ‘’Memories of a Manager: Reminiscences of the Old Lyceum and of Some Players of the Last Quarter Century,’’ (London rinted in NY W. Heinemann), 1911. *Mantle, Burns, and Garrison P. Sherwood, eds., ''The Best Plays of 1899-1909'', (Philadelphia: The Blakiston Company), 1944. *Wickham, Glynne, ''A History of the Theatre'', 2nd Edition, (London: Phaedon Press Limited), 1999. *Winter, William, ed. by William Jefferson Winter, ''The Life of David Belasco, Volume 1'', (New York: Moffat, Yard), 1918.

External links

American Academy of Dramatic ArtsBelasco, "My Life's Story", via Google BooksBrown, ''A History of the New York Stage'', via Google BooksFrohman, ''Memories of a Manager'', via Google Books
*
Winter, ''Life of Belasco'', via Google Books
{{Authority control Former Broadway theatres Former theatres in Manhattan Demolished theatres in New York City Demolished buildings and structures in Manhattan Buildings and structures demolished in 1902