Haymarket Theatre (Boston, Massachusetts)

The Haymarket Theatre (1796-1803) or Hay-Market Theatre was a theatre in late-18th century Boston, Massachusetts.[1] Organized by Charles Stuart Powell, it occupied a large, wooden building "opposite the Mall on Common (later Tremont) Street, near Hatch's Tavern."[2] In addition to dramatic plays, the theatre presented some 62 musical entertainments during its first 5 years.[3] The Haymarket "was seldom used after 1800, and on March 3, 1803, it was offered for sale at auction on the condition that it be removed in 60 days."[2]

Haymarket Theatre, Boston, ca.1800

Works performed

View of Tremont St. in Boston, showing Haymarket Theatre, ca.1796

• Isaac Bickerstaffe's "The Padlock"[4]
• Samuel Birch's "The Adopted Child"[5][6]
• William Hill Brown's "West Point Preserved"[2]
• John Daly Burk's "Bunker-Hill; or, the Death of General Warren"[1][7]
• Susanna Centlivre's "The Ghost"[4]
• James Cobb's "The Siege of Belgrade"[8][9]
• George Colman's "Inkle and Yarico"[4]
• Richard Cumberland's "Note of Hand"[10]
• Charles Dibdin's "The Quaker"; "The Waterman"[4]
• David Everett's "Daranzel; or, the Persian Patriot"[1]
• George Farquhar's "The Recruiting Officer"[11]
• Henry Fielding's "The Mock Doctor"[12]
• David Garrick's "The Lying Valet"[4]
• Oliver Goldsmith's "She Stoops to Conquer"[12]
• John Hodgkinson's "The Launch, or, Huzza for the Constitution"[2]
• Elizabeth Inchbald's "Married Man";[13] "Animal Magnetism;" "Child of Nature"[4]
• Robert Jephson's "Two Strings to Your Bow"[14]
• Hugh Kelly's "Romance of an Hour"[4]
• Kotzebue's "The stranger; or, Misanthropy and repentance"[15]
• Nathaniel Lee's "Alexander the Great"[4]
• Thomas Morton's "Way to Get Married"[4]
• Arthur Murphy's "Old Maid"[8]
• John O'Keeffe's "The Young Quaker";[16] "Agreeable Surprise;" "Son in Law"[4]
• Walley Chamberlain Oulton's "All in Good Humour"[4][17]
• William Preston's "Death of Louis XVI"[4][18]
• Frederick Reynolds' "Cheap Living"[19]
• Richard Brinsley Sheridan's "The School for Scandal"[4]
• Royall Tyler's "A Georgia Spec; or, Land in the Moon"[1]
• "The Boston Balloon; or, a Supposed Flight from the Beacon-Hill" ("localized from the celebrated farce written by Mrs. Inchbald, of Mogul Tale")[20]
• "Village Lawyer"[19]
• "Washington, or Memorable Era of 1776"[21]

References

1. Don Wilmeth and Christopher Bigsby, eds. The Cambridge history of American theatre, Volume 2. Cambridge University Press, 1998; p.53.
2. Richard Stoddard. The Haymarket Theatre, Boston. Educational Theatre Journal, Vol.27, No.1, March 1975; p.63.
3. Susan L. Porter. English-American Interaction in American Musical Theater at the Turn of the Nineteenth Century. American Music, Vol. 4, No. 1, British-American Musical Interactions (Spring, 1986); p.11.
4. George Oberkirsh Seilhamer. History of the American Theatre: New foundations. Philadelphia: Globe Printing House, 1891
5. Samuel Birch. The adopted child, : a musical drama, in two acts. As performed at the Hay-Makket [sic] Theatre, Boston. Boston: : Printed by B. Edes, Jun. for John West, no. 75, Cornhill, 1798.
6. WorldCat Samuel Birch
7. WorldCat John Daly Burk
8. Massachusetts Mercury; 08-22-1797
9. WorldCat James Cobb
10. Advertisement: "Hay Market Theatre. Mr. Villiers' night ... On Wednesday evening, April 25, 1798"
11. Boston Gazette, and Weekly Republican Journal; 04-02-1798
12. Columbian Centinel, 10-04-1800
13. Advertisement: "Hay Market Theatre. Mr. Villiers' night ... On Wednesday evening, April 25, 1798 ... The married man, or, A school for husbands. ... To which will be added ... the Descent of Apollo. ... the evening will conclude with a farce ... called, The note of hand, or, A lesson for gamesters"
14. Boston Gazette, and Weekly Republican Journal; 08-14-1797
15. Early American imprints. First series ; no. 48806. ("Hay-Market Theatre : On Monday evening, May 27th, 1799, will be presented (for the last time) the celebrated drama of The stranger; or, Misanthropy and repentance. Translated from the German of Kotesbue [sic]. ... : To which will be added (never performed in Boston) a comedy in 2 acts, called the Wandering Jew; or Love's masquerade.")
16. Early American imprints. First series ; no. 48066 ("Hay-Market Theatre. On Friday evening, September 15th, '97 : Will be presented, a comedy, called, The young Quaker; or, The fair American. ... To which will be added ... Don Juan; or, The libertine destroyed")
17. WorldCat Walley Chamberlain Oulton
18. WorldCat William Preston
19. Columbian Centinel; 05-01-1799
20. Boston Price Current and Marine Intelligencer; 07-31-1797
21. Massachusetts Mercury; 07-02-1799

Further reading

• Letter to the editor. Polar Star and Boston Daily Advertiser; 12-30-1796
• William Warland Clapp. A Record of the Boston Stage. Boston: J. Munroe & Co., 1853

External links

• Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Harvard College Library. Early American playbills: Guide; includes playbills from the Hay-Market Theatre