Niblo's Garden "THE BLACK CROOK" Landmark Broadway Musical 1800's Rare Cigar Box

Description

This is a rare cigar box with a merchandising tie-in to the landmark musical "THE BLACK CROOK" which played Niblo's Garden in New York City. (The production opened September 12th, 1866 and ran for 475 performances.) ..... "THE BLACK CROOK" has the distinction of being the first piece of musical theatre that conforms to the modern notion of a "book musical". The book was written by CHARLES M. BARRAS (1826-1873), an American playwright. The music was comprised of mostly adaptations, but some new songs were composed for the play, notably "March of the Amazons" by GIUSEPPE OPERTI, and "You Naughty, Naughty Men", with music by GEORGE BICKWELL and lyrics by THEODORE KENNICK. This production gave America claim to having originated the musical.
The Black Crook
is considered a prototype of the modern musical in that its popular songs and dances are interspersed throughout a unifying play and performed by the actors.
The Black Crook
was born when a dramatic group and Parisian ballet troupe joined forces in New York. Henry C. Jarrett and Harry Palmer had hired the ballet troupe to perform at the New York Academy of Music, but the troupe was left without an engagement when a fire destroyed the Academy. They approached Wheatley at Niblo's Garden to see if he could use them. Wheatley offered them a chance to participate in a musical "spectacle" by combining their ballet forces with Barras's melodrama. In operas, even comic operas with dialogue, the principal singers leave the dancing to the ballet troupe. In burlesque, music hall and vaudeville, there is little or no unifying story, just a series of sketches. So
The Black Crook
, with song and dance for the entire company, was an evolutionary step. In the late 1860's, as post-Civil War business boomed, there was a sharp increase in the number of working and middle class people in New York, and these more affluent people sought entertainment. Theaters became more popular, and Niblo's Garden, which had formerly hosted opera, began to offer light comedy. The production was a staggering five-and-a-half hours long, but despite its length, ran for a record-breaking 475 performances and exceeded a record-shattering one million dollars. The same year,
The Black Domino/ Between You, Me and the Post
was the first show to call itself a "musical comedy." (Reprinted in part from AbsoluteAstronomy.com) ..... The original cast included GEORGE BONIFACE, ANNIE KEMP BOWLER, CHARLES MORTON, MARIE BONFANTI, J. W. BLAISDELL, E. B. HOLMES, MILLIE "Milly" CAVENDISH, Mlle. RITA SANGALLI, Mlle. BETTY REGAL, J. G. BURNETT, GEORGE ATKINS, HERNANDEZ FOSTER, Mr. RENDLE, Mr. CLARKE, Mr. WEAVER, Mr. LITTLE, ROSE MORTON, MARY WELLS and Miss WHITLOCK ..... CREDITS: Book by CHARLES M. BARRAS; Music and Lyrics by GIUSEPPE OPERTI, GEORGE BICKWELL, THEODORE KENNICK and others; Scenery designed by R. MARSTON (Covent Garden, London); Choreographed by Signor DAVID COSTA; Produced and Directed by WILLIAM WHEATLEY ..... DETAILS: This rare cigar box measures 7" (length) X 5 1/2" (width) X 5 1/4" (height) inches and includes the original label on one end, edge strips and is stamped on two sides. The top is missing, but some of the loose paper from the cover's label is inside the box. The wood and glass display case with lucite stand (shown in the last scanned image) is included ..... CONDITION: The cigar box cover is missing, but some of the loose paper from the cover's label is inside the box. The end label is brittle and shows edge wear and a few small punctures, but is intact. The edging is missing in places, but all sides are shown in the scanned images. Despite these flaws, this historic cigar box will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian.