Opened: 1856. The three story Maguire's Opera House was the first San
Francisco theatre built with the intention of housing grand opera with
its big stage, a large pit, and good rigging. Although the house was supposedly dedicated to opera they also ran minstrel shows, burlesque, farce, and melodrama.
One of the posters on display in the photo is for the "British Blonde Burlesque Troupe," a show that opened in June 1870. Also advertised is "Luna, or the little boy who cried for the moon." The photo by Eadweard Muybridge is on Calisphere from the Museum of Performance
and Design Performing Arts Library. Thanks to Art Siegel for dating it as well as locating a stereo card version of it in the J. Paul Getty Museum collection.
The photo also appears with "Early San Francisco Theater," an article by Greg Williamson on the Found SF site. It's also on a Bancroft Library "Mark Twain Project" page. There's also a version from Eldon Grupp that he posted on the San Francisco History Facebook page where he noted "...we see Muybridge’s Flying Studio photo
wagon at the left and his 'Helios' logo at the bottom right."
The location was on the north side of the street between Montgomery and Kearny. In
the 1871 city directory the address was listed as "N. side of
Washington near Montgomery." The 618 address also appears in that issue
of the directory.
Seating: 1,000 when the Opera House opened in 1856 with 700 on the main floor and 400 in the balcony. A second balcony added a year and a half later added another 600 seats.
An ad for the "British Blonde Burlesque Troupe" and "Luna!" that appeared in the Daily Alta California on June 17, 1870. This review was in the same issue:
"Maguire's Opera House — The British Blonde Burlesque Troupe were received with all the honors last night— a theatre crowded to its capacity, and no end of enthusiasm, bouquets, baskets of flowers and recalls. The performance commenced with a farce, in which the comedian of the troupe, Mr. Harry Beckett, and Miss Eliza Weathersby, made their appearance, but this was only occupying time, for the burlesque was what the audience were there to see. When the curtain raised on 'Luna, or the Little Boy who cried for the Moon,' there was a hum of expectation until the representative of the 'Chaste Goddess' came on, and then, a storm of applause for the new star, Miss Rose Massey; she is beautiful, of symmetrical figure, and has a graceful carriage, with the most lovely golden tresses. She was accepted at once as a favorite, and will continue so if she listens to a little judicious advice about the 'Love among the Roses" song and dance, though she was even then rewarded by a tempest of applause and an enthusiastic recall. She is as beautiful as a picture when the flood of light is thrown on her at the back of the stage, and she knows how to choose a graceful and picturesque attitude to best display her beauty.
"Miss Eliza Weathersby (another handsome blonde), as Endymion, shared in the applause and received the larger number of bouquets for her singing; she has a nice voice and sings very well. Miss Ada Harland, as Cupid, attracted a good deal of attention by her dancing and singing: she has a pleasant face, and grew in favor with each scene of the burlesque. Mr. Harry Beckett, the low comedian of the troupe, made an immense hit, as Actaeon, and especially in his singing of little local allusions in the 'A, B, C' song; he hit Sam Brannan, Michael Reese, the Mercantile Library Gift Concert, Prince Alfred, Emperor Norton, and Woodward's Gardens, each sally bringing out an enthusiastic recall. Mr. Ketchum, as Pan, was hardly less successful than Mr. Beckett. Mr Maurice de Solla, another member of the troupe, was in this city some months ago, with his little son, the boy tenor. The burlesque and farce of last night will be repeated to-night."
Thanks to Art Siegel for locating the ad and review. The issue of the Daily Alta California is on the website of the California Digital Newspaper Collection. See more information about the Blondes on the site Operetta Research Center.
More Information: Maguire had opened the short-lived Academy of Music on Pine St. for several seasons of grand opera in the 1860s. After his Maguire's Opera House was demolished in 1873, he moved over to the Standard Theatre, at 318 Bush, a venue that he also called Maguire's Opera House.
Later he took over the Alhambra Theatre at 325 Bush St. which he called, after a rebuild, Maguire's New Theatre. It was later renamed the Bush St. Theatre. In 1876 Maguire was managing the Baldwin Theatre located on Market St. at Powell. Initially it was called the Academy of Music.
James R Smith's "San Francisco's Lost Landmarks" discusses San Francisco Hall and Maguire's Opera House on pages 96 to 100. The pages are included in the Google Books preview.
Maguire's adventures are discussed at length in the 1938
monograph by Lawrence Estevan titled "Tom Maguire; Dr. David G. (Yankee) Robinson; M.B. Leavitt."
It was completed as part of a Works Progress Administration project.
The copy in the collection of the San Francisco
Public Library is reproduced on Internet Archive.
| back to top | San Francisco Theatres: by address and neighborhood | alphabetical list | list by architect | pre-1906 theatre list | home |
No comments:
Post a Comment