''Two Nights in Rome'' is an 1880 American play by

Archibald Clavering Gunter Archibald Clavering Gunter (25 October 1847 – 24 February 1907) was a British-American writer primarily known today for authoring the novel that the film ''A Florida Enchantment'' was based upon, and for his hand in popularizing "Casey at the B ...

. Directed to and consumed by the popular masses like all of Gunter's output, it has been described by modern critics as a success, and a "crude but powerful drama."The Concise Oxford Companion to American Theatre
p. 280 (3d ed. 2004) The play opened at

Union Square Theatre Union Square Theatre was the name of two different theatres near Union Square, Manhattan, New York City. The first was a Broadway theatre that opened in 1870, was converted into a cinema in 1921 and closed in 1936.(8 October 1921)Two landmarks to ...

in New York on August 16, 1880.(17 August 1880)
Record of Amusements
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' The ''New York Times'' noted that the plot was complicated and could not be easily summarized, and "while the entertainment cannot be said to be up to the standard of the Union-Square performances during the regular season, it furnishes an average Summer evening's amusement." The summer offering closed on Saturday, September 11, 1880.(9 September 1880)
Amusements
''The New York Times'' It subsequently toured, and productions can be found being mounted into the 1910s.(19 August 1890)
The Theaters
''The Morning Call''(7 October 1909)
Canton Opera House (advertisement)
''Commercial Advertiser'' (Potsdam, New York)(27 January 1914)
The Theatres
''Fargo Forum and Daily Republican'' (1914 production)(25 April 1902)
Grand Opera House
''Daily Morning Journal and Courier'' (Hartford, Connecticut) Some asserted that the play seemed to borrow from ''Forget Me Not'' by Herman Charles Merivale and

Florence Crauford Grove Florence Crauford Grove (12 March 1838 – 17 August 1902) was an English mountaineer and author, sometimes known as F. Crauford Grove. He led the first expedition to ascend the higher summit of Mount Elbrus and was at one time president of t ...

, though assertions of plagiarism were not uncommon in that age, ''

The Critic ''The Critic'' was an American primetime adult animated sitcom revolving around the life of New York film critic Jay Sherman, voiced by Jon Lovitz. It was created by writing partners Al Jean and Mike Reiss, who had previously worked as writers a ...

'' (New York) noting in 1882 that "there is not one scene in 'Forget-me-not' which cannot be found in older writers."(20 May 1882)
The Drama
p. 144

Original Broadway cast

* Joseph Wheelock as Gerald Massen * Frank Mourdant at Abija Peabody * Henry Edwards as Herr Franz * J.R. Grismer as Capt. Warmstree * J.B. Studley as Louis Bennidetti * Geo. Devere as Gen. Aubrey * J.W. Thorpe as George Seeley * Harry B. Bell as Ferdie Fortescue * M.B. Curtis as Walter * John Morgan as Beppo *

Maude Granger Maude Granger (1849-August 17, 1928) was a popular American stage actress of the latter part of the 19th century, and early 20th century. Biography Granger was born Anna Brainard in Middletown, Connecticut. She made her Broadway debut in ''A W ...

as Antonia * Julia Stewart as Evelyn Aubrey * Katie Gilbert as Lily Davenant * Adelaide Thornton as Mme. Sylvia * Genevieve Mills as TemaBrown, T. Allston
A History of the New York Stage from the First Performance in 1732, Volume 3
p. 162 (1903)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

at Indiana University Archives * ttp://digital.chipublib.org/digital/collection/CPB01/id/5621 1881 Chicago Playbill 1880 plays Plays by Archibald Clavering Gunter