Description
Book SynopsisTraces the history of the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia from its founding in 1809. Documents the productions and players at the theater, and the difficulties it has faced from economic crises, changing tastes, and competition from new media.
Trade Review“The book is beautifully produced with a lush, velvet cover that sits as comfortably in one’s hands as, no doubt, patrons sit in the theatre’s lush seats. Readers throughout the country will enjoy this book; although it is a case study of only one significant theatre, it is a comprehensive, fascinating introduction to American culture and society as depicted through the history of its entertainments.”
—Marti LoMonaco Broadside
“Davis describes the remarkable growth and development of the Walnut over the past several decades. This narrative is among the book’s most useful contributions to the institution’s history. Another important feature of Davis’s chronicle may be found in the way that it documents the central role of the nondramatic in the various activities that took place in and around nineteenth-century American playhouses.
“America’s Longest Run provides a rare opportunity to survey the development of an important American institution that has borne witness to much of the nation’s history.
“Davis’s work will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in the history of Philadelphia or the American theatre.”
—Aaron Tobiason Pennsylvania History
Table of ContentsContents
List of Illustrations
Prologue: America’s Oldest Theatre
1 The Beginnings of Theatre in Philadelphia, 1682–1809
2 Circus and Spectacle at the Walnut Street Theatre, 1809–1820
3 The Era of the English Star, 1820–1829
4 The Walnut in the Age of Jackson, 1829–1840
5 The Marshall Era, 1840–1849
6 Respectability, 1849–1860
7 The Civil War Years, 1860–1867
8 The Last Years of Stock, 1867–1879
9 A Combination House, 1879–1895
10 The Syndicate Years, 1896–1920
11 Boom and Bust, 1920–1940
12 A Tryout House, 1941–1954
13 The Shuberts in Decline, 1954–1969
14 Performing Arts Center, 1969–1982
15 A Subscription House, 1982–1999
16 The State Theatre of Pennsylvania, 2000 and Beyond
Notes
Bibliography
Index
