One of the most popular as well as the longest lived of the contemporary
burlesques is _Evangeline_, in the construction or reconstruction of which
Mr. Brougham is known to have had a share. As a travesty upon a purely
American subject, originally treated, of course, in all seriousness by an
illustrious American, Mr. Longfellow, and at the suggestion of an American
equally illustrious, Mr. Hawthorne, _Evangeline_ may surely claim to be an
aboriginal production; it merits its success, and with a certain degree of
national pride it may be recorded here that it has been repeated upon the
American stage over five thousand times. In it, at the Fifth Avenue
Theatre, in Twenty-eighth Street, New York, during the summer of 1877,
Miss Eliza Weathersby, as Gabrielle, made a pleasant impression, William
H. Crane appeared as Le Blanc, George H. Knight gave a series of wonderful
imitations of the Hero of New Orleans, N. C. Goodwin came prominently
before the public, and Harry Hunter, although not the original in the
part, created a decided sensation as the Lone Fisherman, one of the
drollest dramatic conceptions of modern times. He had no connection
whatever with the play, had not a word to say, was entirely unnoticed by
his fellow-players, paid no attention to anybody, but was always
present--the first to enter, the last to leave every scene. With his
ridiculous costume, his palm-leaf fan, his fishing-rod, his camp-stool, he
pervaded everything, was ever prominent, never obtrusive, and exceedingly
mirth-provoking. It may be added that Henry Dixey, whose Adonis is one of
the best of modern burlesque performances, made, during the long run of
_Evangeline_, his New York _debut_ as the fore-legs of the heifer!
Amusement seekers in the metropolis will remember with pleasure Willie
Edouin, Mrs. James Oates, and scores of other burlesque actors, excellent
in many ways, whom it will not be possible even to mention here. N. C.
Goodwin burlesqued a burlesque at Harrigan and Hart's first theatre, when
he played Captain Stuart Robson-Crosstree to the Dame Hadley of Mr.
Harrigan and the Black-eyed Susan of Mr. Hart; at the same house G. K.
Fortescue played Lousqueeze to Mr. Hart's Hungry-Yet and Mr. Harrigan's
Pierre, in a play styled _The Two Awfuls_. The San Francisco Minstrels at
the same time presented _The Four Orphans and the Big Banana_, a burlesque
upon two dramas of great popularity and no little merit.
[Illustration: FRANCIS WILSON IN THE "OOLAH."]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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