Under the Gaslight New York Herald Aug 11 1867

''Under the Gaslight'' is an 1867 play by

Augustin Daly John Augustin Daly (July 20, 1838June 7, 1899) was one of the most influential men in American theatre during his lifetime. Drama critic, theatre manager, playwright, and adapter, he became the first recognized stage director in America. He exer ...

. It was his first successful play, and is a primary example of a melodrama, best known for its suspense scene where a person is tied to railroad tracks as a train approaches, only to be saved from death at the last possible moment.Kabatchnick, Ammon
Blood on the Stage, 1800 to 1900: Milestone Plays of Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem
pp. 351-52 (2017)Fisher, James
Historical Dictionary of American Theater: Beginnings
pp. 441-42 (2015)

Reception

The show had a successful initial run at the Worrell Sisters' New York Theatre in New York, starting on August 12, 1867, and running through October 1, a total of 47 performances.

Rose Eytinge Rose Eytinge (November 21, 1835 – December 20, 1911) was a Jewish American actress and author. She is thought to be the first American actor to earn a three figure salary. Biography Eytinge was born November 21, 1835 in Philadelphia, ...

starred at Laura Courtland.Advertisement
''New York Herald'' (advertisement for play with positive quotes from reviews) It returned for an additional two-month run in December 1867, with the Worrell Sisters playing the lead three female roles. The play is an example of Daly's mixture of realism and melodrama, with authenticity of his depiction of real locations in New York in the play, and in his use of social commentary.Walter J. Meserve, ''An Outline History of American Drama'', 2nd ed., 1994. Though the play introduced the now-clichéd device of the villain tying someone to railroad tracks, it was also a reversal of the usual roles because a male character (Snorkey, a comic sidekick) was tied up, and the heroine saves him. In the book ''Vagrant Memories,'' critic William Winter recalls how Daly came up with the device: "He was walking home toward night, thinking intently about the play which he had begun to write, when suddenly the crowning expedient occurred to him and at the same instant he stumbled over a misplaced flagstone, striking his right foot against the edge of the stone and sustaining a severe hurt. "I was near my door," he said, "and I rushed into the house, threw myself into a chair, grasping my injured foot with both hands, for the pain was great, and exclaiming, over and over again, 'I've got it! I've got it! And it beats hot-irons all to pieces!" I wasn't even thinking of the hurt. I had the thought of having my hero tied on a railroad track and rescued by his sweetheart, just in the nick of time, before the swift passage of an express train across a dark stage. Some have argued that Daly borrowed the train device from the English play ''The Engineer'', which also put a train on the stage though the circumstances of the storyline were not identical. Daly was able to successfully get an injunction against

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 ...

over his 1868 play '' After Dark'', which also had a train scene, a case that became an important decision in copyright law.The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature
p. 249 (2005)(31 May 2000)
Melodramatic Gaslight Brings 1860s Theatre to Seattle's Empty Space May 31 - July 9
''Playbill'' (2000 production at Seattle's Empty Space Theatre)

Original cast (New York, August 12, 1867)

*Ray Trafford by A.H. (Dolly) Davenport *Snorkey by John K. Mortimer *Byke by John B. Studley *Ed. Demilt by Mr. Newton *Windel by Mr. Reed *Justice Bowling by Welsh Edwards *Counsellor Splinter by Jason Dunn *Bermudas by C.T. Parsloe *Peanuts by Master Shea *Lillywhite by Master Shay *Sam by Mr. Williams *Rafferdi by Mr. Sullivan *The Sergeant of the River Patrol by Mr. Hurley *Policeman 999 by Mr. Sampson *Martin by Mr. Fielding *Peter Rich by Master Willie *The Signal Man at Shrewsbury Road by Mr. H. Ryner *Laura Courtland by

*Pearl Courtland by Blanche Grey *Peachblossom by Mrs. Skerrett *Old Judas by Mrs. Wright *Mrs. Van Dam by Miss Lizzie Davey *Sue Earlie by Miss Mason *Lizzie Liston by Miss MacyText of play, 1895 publication, lists casts for August and December 1867
/ref>

Adaptations and legacy

The play was adapted to a silent film of the same name in 1914. A 1929 revival on Broadway at Fay's Bowery Theatre was not successful, only running for three weeks.Bordman, Gerald
American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1914-1930
p. 381 (1995) Daly aggressively defended the play's copyright by pursuing unauthorized productions. This led to two United States Supreme court cases, '' Webster v. Daly'' and '' Brady v. Daly''. Unlike the vast majority of 19th century American plays, ''Under the Gaslight'' has continued to be revived to the modern day. Notable revivals include ones in 1993 at the

Soho Repertory Theatre The Soho Repertory Theatre, known as Soho Rep,The official website'now use "Soho", with a lowercase h, as do most articles from th''New York Times''/ref> is an American Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City which is notable for prod ...

in New York,(28 October 1983)
Weekender Guide
''

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 ...

'' 1995 at the

Laguna Playhouse Laguna Beach (; ''Laguna'', Spanish for "Lagoon") is a seaside resort city located in southern Orange County, California, in the United States. It is known for its mild year-round climate, scenic coves, environmental preservation efforts, and a ...

in southern CaliforniaA Sparkling Revival of Classic 'Gaslight'
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' and the

Metropolitan Playhouse The Metropolitan Playhouse is a resident producing theater in New York City's East Village. Founded in 1992, the theater is devoted to presenting plays that explore American culture and history, including seldom-produced, "lost" American plays an ...

in New York in 2009, among others.Reviews- Under the Gaslight
metropolitanplayhouse.com, Retrieved 6 December 2017(19 December 2009)
Metropolitan Playhouse Closes UNDER THE GASLIGHT 12/19
''Broadway World''Gates, Anita (29 November 2009)

''

''Koehler, Robert (2 October 1992)
'Under Gaslight' Mocks Innocent Past
''Los Angeles Times'' (reporting in 1992 production by the Pacific Theatre Ensemble, and note that the Cabaret Repertory Theatre in

Brea, California Brea (; Spanish for "tar") is a city in northern Orange County, California. The population as of the 2010 census was 39,282. It is southeast of Los Angeles. Brea is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The city began as a center of cru ...

mounted it 10 years ago)

References

External links

* *
Text of play, 1895 publication
via Google books {{Authority control 1867 plays American plays adapted into films