Theatre: History
New York: The Dancey-Davis Press, [1923]. 4to. La Chauve-Souris (French: The Bat) was a touring company that originated in Moscow and expanded to Paris during the early 1900s. Directed by Nikita Balieff, the revue performed songs, dances, and sketches, and toured the United States and Europe. Colorful wraps, some creases and light wear. Very scarce. G
The triumphant story of how an all-Black Broadway cast and crew changed musical theatre--and the world--forever.
"This musical introduced Black excellence to the Great White Way. Broadway was forever changed and we, who stand on the shoulders of our brilliant ancestors, are charged with the very often elusive task of carrying that torch into our present."--Billy Porter, Tony, Grammy, and Emmy Award-winning actor
If Hamilton, Rent, or West Side Story captured your heart, you'll love this in-depth look into the rise of the 1921 Broadway hit, Shuffle Along, the first all-Black musical to succeed on Broadway. No one was sure if America was ready for a show featuring nuanced, thoughtful portrayals of Black characters--and the potential fallout was terrifying. But from the first jazzy, syncopated beats of composers Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, New York audiences fell head over heels.
Footnotes is the story of how Sissle and Blake, along with comedians Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles, overcame poverty, racism, and violence to harness the energy of the Harlem Renaissance and produce a runaway Broadway hit that launched the careers of many of the twentieth century's most beloved Black performers. Born in the shadow of slavery and establishing their careers at a time of increasing demands for racial justice and representation for people of color, they broke down innumerable barriers between Black and white communities at a crucial point in our history.
Author and pop culture expert Caseen Gaines leads readers through the glitz and glamour of New York City during the Roaring Twenties to reveal the revolutionary impact one show had on generations of Americans, and how its legacy continues to resonate today.
Praise for Footnotes:
"A major contribution to culture."--Brian Jay Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Jim Henson: The Biography
"With meticulous research and smooth storytelling, Caseen Gaines significantly deepens our understanding of one of the key cultural events that launched the Harlem Renaissance."--A Lelia Bundles, New York Times bestselling author of On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
"Absorbing..."--The Wall Street Journal
Finalist for the Publishing Triangle's Judy Grahn Award for Lesbian Nonfiction
Finalist for the Marfield Prize For fans of Book of Ages and American Eve, this "lively, illuminating new biography" (The Boston Globe) of 19th-century queer actress Charlotte Cushman portrays a "brisk, beautifully crafted life" (Stacy Schiff, bestselling author of The Witches and Cleopatra) that riveted New York City and made headlines across America. All her life, Charlotte Cushman refused to submit to others' expectations. Raised in Boston at the time of the transcendentalists, a series of disasters cleared the way for her life on the stage--a path she eagerly took, rejecting marriage and creating a life of adventure, playing the role of the hero in and out of the theater as she traveled to New Orleans and New York City, and eventually to London and back to build a successful career. Her Hamlet, Romeo, Lady Macbeth, and Nancy Sykes from Oliver Twist became canon, impressing Louisa May Alcott, who later based a character on her in Jo's Boys, and Walt Whitman, who raved about "the towering grandeur of her genius" in his columns for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. She acted alongside Edwin and John Wilkes Booth--supposedly giving the latter a scar on his neck that was later used to identify him as President Lincoln's assassin--and visited frequently with the Great Emancipator himself, who was a devoted Shakespeare fan and admirer of Cushman's work. Her wife immortalized her in the angel at the top of Central Park's Bethesda Fountain; worldwide, she was "a lady universally acknowledged as the greatest living tragic actress." Behind the scenes, she was equally radical, making an independent income, supporting her family, creating one of the first bohemian artists' colonies abroad, and living publicly as a queer woman. And yet, her name has since faded into the shadows. Now, her story comes to brilliant life with Tana Wojczuk's Lady Romeo, an exhilarating and enlightening biography of the 19th-century trailblazer. With new research and rarely seen letters and documents, Wojczuk reconstructs the formative years of Cushman's life, set against the excitement and drama of 1800s New York City and featuring a cast of luminaries and revolutionaries who changed the cultural landscape of America forever. The story of an astonishing and uniquely American life, Lady Romeo reveals one of the most remarkable forgotten figures in our history and restores her to center stage, where she belongs.
Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959) was an American actress and member of the famous Barrymore family. Her six-decade career spanned stage, screen, and radio, and earned her the title of First Lady of American Theatre. Her autobiography is sure to interest and inspire actors and film buffs.
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1955. 1st ed. Dust jacket in protective mylar cover; spine edges chipped; corners bumped; bookplate affixed to pastedown. G/G
This rags-to-riches story of the highest paid performers in live entertainment tells how Siegfried and Roy climbed from their troubled childhoods in wartime Germany to the heights of show business with their amazing Las Vegas magic show.
1st edition; inscribed by Siegfried and Roy. Dust jacket has minor soiling on rear cover; slight cant to volume; bundled with program, two tickets, postcard of the Mirage, and slightly soiled napkin from the Mirage. VG/VG
La Chauve-Souris (French: The Bat) was a touring company that originated in Moscow and expanded to Paris during the early 1900s. Directed by Nikita Balieff, the revue performed songs, dances, and sketches, and toured the United States and Europe. Program for the 1923 Paris season. 4to. Outer wraps feature a woodcut print of a bat on the front and an ad for "The Chinese Good Luck Jewel" on the rear; edges creased and lightly worn; mid-line crease throughout. Scarce. G
