The Enchanted Years of the Stage: Kansas City at the Crossroads of American Theater, 1870-1930 (Volume 1)

About this book

Sarah Bernhardt Sir Henry Irving Edwin Booth . . . there was a time when they all played Kansas City. From star-studded engagements at ornate opera houses to risqu shows in Fourth Street honky-tonks Kansas City was a cow town that wanted to civilize itself through the performing arts. And because it was a railway hub in the heyday of trouping it opened its doors to Americas traveling performers. This book chronicles the first golden age of Kansas City theater from the opening of the Coates Opera House in 1870 through the gradual decline of touring productions after World War I. Drawing on the recollections of renowned theater critic David Austin Latchaw and on newspaper archives of the era Felicia Londr has gleaned long-lost nuggets of theater lifeboth the legitimate stage and popular fareto create a fascinating account of a city and its theater culture. The Enchanted Years of the Stage is brimming with forgotten stories and historical illustrations that offer a new perspective on both the history of American theater and the humor and pathos of performers lives. It tells how James ONeill once chased a messenger boy for ruining a big scene while Louis James played practical jokes on fellow actors in the middle of Shakespeare performances; how police kept watch over the burlesque girls at the Folly to make sure their act wouldnt reach the level of indecency allowed in St. Louis; how Orth Stein shot the manager of the Theatre Comique; and how Eddie Foy played his death scene in Kansas Cityby dying there. Throughout the book sidebars of Latchaws writing reflect the style and spirit of this bygone era. Offering a richer view of American theater than have accounts centered on New York Londrs book also yields a wealth of new insights into the social and political fabric of an emerging metropolis and testifies to the importance of the arts in the growth and reputation of a great city. By conveying the richness and complexity of road shows in Kansas Citya microcosm of the burgeoning national stageshe gives us a key piece in the mosaic that was American theater in a neglected but unforgettable era.