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Chanfrau’s New National Theatre Broadside - Evacuation Day!

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Books & Manuscripts Start Price:210.00 USD Estimated At:350.00 - 450.00 USD
Chanfrau’s New National Theatre Broadside - Evacuation Day!
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FRANCIS FRANK” CHANFRAU (1824-1884) American actor and theater manager. Printed Broadside for Chanfrau’s New National Theatre [Formerly Chatham]” 6” x 21 1/2”. New York. November 25, 1848. This evening includes the last performance of “New York As It Is,” a hugely popular play that gave birth to the celebrated character of Mose. In addition this broadside commemorates Evacuation Day, which celebrates the final departure of British troops from New York at the close of the Revolutionary War. Before the warming of relations with Britain in the early 20th century, this event was commemorated by a competition to tear a Union Jack from a greased pole in Battery Park and a great deal of public celebration. In 1848, Frank Chanfrau assumed management of the struggling Chatham Theater, renaming the venue Chanfrau’s New National Theatre. Though the theater only operated under Chanfrau’s management for two years, it proved to be a highly successful time in the theater’s history. Prominently featured throughout this time was Chanfrau’s character of Mose, a caricature of the working-class masses of Lower Manhattan that had originally appeared to rave reviews in “New York as it is.” In addition to this popular character, the theater also drew large crowds because Chanfrau allowed working-class patrons to sit anywhere in the playhouse, a break from the custom of seating these patrons only in the pit. This open seating policy and the popularity of the Mose character led to frequent sell-out performances, and, in one instance, and over-sale that required the city police’s presence to remove a crowd of theatergoers that had rushed the New National Theatre’s stage! Very Fine.