Publisher's Synopsis
The theater had a difficult time establishing itself in Massachusetts. The colonial authorities in Boston were very much opposed to theatrical amusements. In 1745 theatricals were performed in private homes, rousing a puritanical uproar. In 1750 came the first law prohibiting all plays in Massachusetts. Actors were to be fined five pounds each, plus a penalty for leasing halls for theatrical use. The first public dramatic performance was produced at a coffeehouse on State Street by two English actors and some local volunteers.;In 1775, General Burgoyne, himself an actor and playwright, converted Boston's Faneuil Hall into a theater, where he presented, among other pieces, "The Blockade of Boston." After the war, the dramatic history of Boston may be said to have begun with the opening of the Boston Theatre (later the Federal Street Theatre). The history of Boston theaters from the eighteenth century through the present is covered in this well-illustrated work.;The book begins with a discussion of theater's rough beginnings. But by 1841, more than 15 theater houses - including the Boston Theatre, Concert Hall, the Haymarket (which did not survive because of fierce competition with the Boston Theatre), Merchants Hall, Boylston Hall, the Washington Gardens Amphitheatre (which later became the City Theatre), the Tremont Theatre, the Washington Theatre, the American Amphitheatre, the Federal Street Theatre, Mr. Saubert's Theatre, the Lion Theatre, the National Theatre (which boasted gas lighting), and the Howard Athenaeum - were all established and the Columbian Museum was offering "live entertainments." Information is provided about building architecture, types of performances, ticket prices and other interesting data about each theater's history.
