The unofficial biographer of the Pfaff’s crowd, William Winter was born in coastal Massachusetts, and his mother died
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In a letter to "My Dear General," Quelqu'un writes about Brougham's new play at Wallack's, Playing with Fire,. While he reviews the play positively, Quelqu'un takes issue with the tendency towards "fine sentiment" that has become popular among playwrights and actors. He feels that the quality of plays and playwriting would improve if the moral people were "weeded out" from the theater-going population. Quelqu'un also discusses Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Bible, calling them both "interesting books" and encouraging the General to read them. Quelqu'un labels Miss Cushman a "sensation artist" and makes amends for his "light treatment" of Southern writers by reprinting a review of Patti and Brignoli from the Baltimore Patriot. Quelqu'un also takes issue with the editor of the New York Times' stance on morality, theaters, and the theater-going public. Quelqu'un sarcastically proposes that maybe there should be a rule that compels "wicked people" to remain indoors on sunny days as to not appear to be as favored by Nature as "good people." Quelqu'un claims that he "belongs to the good people" and "always did," as he "came from Boston" (3). The Feuilleton is followed by "The Player's Library" from The N.Y. Express that discusses the sale for Burton's Library.
Quelqu'un claims that if he were the manager of Wallack's, he would have given Brougham the advice of the Old Harvard Officer gave to one of his Sophomores to "take it home again, first, and 'strike out all the fine passages'" in regards to his new play, Playing with Fire (2).
Quelqu'un discusses de Walden's Aileen Aroon, or the Lady of Glanmire at Laura Keene's Theatre (2).
Quelqu'un reports that there was a large turnout at Laura Keene's Theatre for the production of de Walden's Aileen Aroon, or the Lady of Glanmire. Quelqu'un reviews her performance in the play (2).
Quelqu'un cites Raymond's editorial about the "people of doubtful morality" who have been populating the audiences of the operatic Matinees. The "virtuous editor" also claims that the "very atmosphere of the place is tainted with Bohemianism" (3).
Quelqu'un criticizes Brougham's new play at Wallack's, Playing with Fire for having too much "fine sentiment" (2).
An electronic version of this text was previously available in CONTENTdm and has been migrated to Lehigh University's Digital Collections. Reconstruction of direct links to individual articles is in progress. In the meantime, browse issues of the Saturday Press in the Vault at Pfaff's Digital Collection. Page images of The New York Saturday Press were scanned from microfilm owned by Emory University, which was made from original copies held by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
The unofficial biographer of the Pfaff’s crowd, William Winter was born in coastal Massachusetts, and his mother died
Born in Ireland, John Brougham originally pursued a surgical career at the Peter Street Hospital in Dublin.
27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015