{"id":5641,"date":"2020-10-02T00:48:20","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T00:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/?p=5641"},"modified":"2025-04-21T07:16:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T07:16:29","slug":"1868-george-washington-smith-restages-the-black-crook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mobballet.org\/index.php\/2020\/10\/02\/1868-george-washington-smith-restages-the-black-crook\/","title":{"rendered":"1868 – George Washington Smith Restages The Black Crook"},"content":{"rendered":"
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1868<\/h1>\n

George Washington Smith Restages The Black Crook<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

The Black Crook,<\/em> a theatrical extravaganza, opened in 1866 and was restaged in 1868. During its very long run, the musical introduced generations of Americans to the art of ballet. Hundreds of dancers were featured in its long run and tour, which lasted until 1909. It was the start of music halls and variety shows.<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Black Crook<\/b><\/i> is a work of musical theatre first produced, with great success, in New York in 1866. Many theatre writers have identified The Black Crook<\/i> as the first popular piece that conforms to the modern notion of a musical, while others regard this conclusion “as something of a joke.” The Black Crook<\/em>‘s book was written by Charles M. Barras (1826\u20131873). The music, selected and arranged by Thomas Baker, consists mostly of adaptations, but included some new songs composed for the show, notably “You Naughty, Naughty Men.” The story is a Faustian melodramatic romantic comedy, but the production became famous for its spectacular special effects and skimpy costumes.<\/p>\n

The show opened on September 12, 1866 at the 3,200-seat Niblo’s Garden on Broadway in New York City and ran for a record-breaking 474 performances. It then toured extensively for decades and was revived on Broadway in 1870\u201371, 1871\u201372, and many more times after that. The Black Crook<\/i> is often considered a prototype of the modern musical in that its popular songs and dances are interspersed throughout a unifying play and performed by the actors.<\/p>\n

A British production titled The Black Crook<\/i>, which opened at the Alhambra Theatre on December 23, 1872, was an op\u00e9ra bouffe with a new story based on some of the French source material that influenced the New York version and with new music by Frederic Clay and Georges Jacobi. A silent film version of The Black Crook<\/i> was produced in 1916.<\/p>\n

The production combined scantily clad Italian Ballerinas with special effects\u2014sensationalism and spectacle, a melting pot of entertainment both high and low. It was widely popular and got more outrageous with each production. In 1868, The Black Crook<\/em> was restaged by George Washington Smith<\/a> for the Walnut Street Theatre, where he restored the integrity of the ballet.<\/p>\n

George Washington Smith was born in Philadelphia and is deemed America’s first premier danseur. Smith\u2019s talents were developed by studying with various visiting European teachers in his native Philadelphia, then a mecca for theatre and dance. His performing debut\"\"<\/a> was made in 1832, and he soon grew into a versatile dancer, admired for his skills as a technician, actor, partner, and pantomimist.<\/p>\n

Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The Beginnings of American Ballet, Andros on Ballet<\/a>
\nCatherine Littlefield Writings<\/a><\/p>\n

See also:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1846: George Washington Smith Dances Prince Siegfried in the First American Production of Giselle, MoBBallet<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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