Brougham, John (1810-1880) Actor, Playwright, Short Story Writer. Born in Ireland, John Brougham originally pursued a surgical career at the Peter Street Hospital in Dublin. A change in fortune resulted in his decision to move to England and become an actor in 1830. He was associated with London's Tottenham Street Theatre, the Olympic Theatre, and became manager of the London Lyceum in 1840. Brougham produced over 100 works and is remembered for his comedic playwriting and acting.

In 1842 Brougham and his first wife, actress Emma Williams whom he married in England in 1842, traveled to New York City to perform in <em>His Last Legs </em> at the Park Theatre (Curry 95). They remained in the United States, touring the country with theatrical productions. Brougham's friend William Winter noted that, during the tour, he "lost all his earnings, while endeavoring, aboard a Mississippi River steamboat, to learn the national game of poker" (Wallet 137). In 1845 Williams divorced Brougham and in 1852 returned to England. 

Brougham’s next wife, an English actor and American stage manager, Annette Nelson, moved to New Orleans in 1833 and made her first New York stage appearance in 1836 (Curry 16). Brougham married Annette Nelson, two years after his divorce from Williams in 1847 (Curry 16). Nelson’s stage career was shortened by her increasing obesity that would lead to her early retirement from the stage and, shortly thereafter, her death in 1870 (Curry 16) Brougham is said to have the “distinction of having had two wives in the management business, though neither was married to him at the time of her managerial career” (Curry 16). 

Brougham spent time in Boston, but by 1848 he had returned to New York to manage William Burton's Chambers Street Theatre and later the Lyceum Theatre where he produced adaptations of the work of Charles Dickens and social satires on American history like <em>Franklin </em> (1856), <em>Dred </em> (1856), <em>Po-Ca-Hon-Tas, or, The Gentle Savage </em> (1855), and <em>Columbus, El Filibustero! </em> (1858). He also edited <em>The Lantern </em> in 1852 and published two volumes of collected writings <em>A Basket of Chips </em> (1855) and <em>The Bunsby Papers </em> (1856). While in New York, Brougham was said to have associated with Pfaff’s initial clientele made up of “performers of nearby theatres” (Lause 60). Mark Lause describes the beer-cellar as becoming a “mecca for performers of all sorts, including the English-born acrobats the Hanlon brothers” who later performed for a benefit with Brougham and Keene thus proving thus “underscoring the fact that their associations extended beyond” the doors at Pfaff’s (60-1). 

Capitalizing on the success of his plays, Brougham opened the Lyceum Theatre in New York in 1850, "but lost on the venture because the public thought the theatre walls unsafe after an adjoining building was torn down" (W. Eaton). Two years before his death he received a testimonial benefit at the Academy of Music which bestowed upon him over $10,000 in annuity to provide for him in his old age. During the American Civil War, Brougham traveled and performed in England and Ireland, returning to New York in 1865 where he remained until his death on June 7th, 1880. In attendance at his funeral were fellow Pfaffian associates: Edwin Booth and William Winter, and scores of others who filled the small church's vestibule: "Every seat in the edifice was occupied by actors and actresses, judges, lawyers, writers from the press, physicians, merchants, and representative men of popular clubs" (Burial of John Brougham).

In <em>The Wallet of Time</em>, dramatic critic and friend William Winter eulogized Brougham as "a pensive moralist, a poetic dreamer, a delicate, sensitive gentleman, as frank as a child, and as gentle as a woman" (144). Though acknowledging that Brougham was no practical businessman, Winter praised his "joyous dash" as well as his concern for others and his dedication to exposing social inequity in plays which contain "delicate thought, poetic suggestion, sweet-tempered satire, contemplative philosophy, and pathos" (143).

References & Biographical Resources

A'Beckett, Gilbert Abbott, et. al. Songs, Duets, Trios, Choruses, &c. in the Operatic Comedy of "The Ambassadress". New York: Baker, Godwin & Co., 1851. 
Brougham's theater, the Lyceum, staged the first production of this play in 1851.
Allen, Gay Wilson. The Solitary Singer: A Critical Biography of Walt Whitman. New York: MacMillan, 1955. 
Brougham is mentioned by Whitman as one of the departed company who used to frequent Pfaff's (494).
Source: Whitman - CW 5:21
 [pages:494]
Bolton, H. Philip. Dickens Dramatized. G. K. Hall, 1987. 
"Brougham, John, 1810-1880." Literature Online Biography. Cambridge, Mass.: Chadwyck-Healey, 2003. 
Brougham, John. All's Fair in Love: An Original Dramatic Story. In Five Acts. To Which Are Added, a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage Business. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Listed as a member of the original cast; played the role of "Count Lindorff."
Brougham, John. Captain Cuttle. A Comic Drama, in One Act. Being a few more Scenes from the Moral of "Dombey and Son.". London: John Dicks, 1884. 
Mentioned as a member of the original cast of the play; starred in the role of "Jack Bunsby."
Brougham, John. David Copperfield. A Drama, in Three Acts. Adapted from Dickens' Popular Work of the Same Name. London: John Dicks, 1885. 
Mentioned as a member of the original cast at Brougham's Lyceum, Monday, January 6, 1851; played the role of "Wilkins Micawber."
Brougham, John. Franklin: A New and Original Historical Drama, in Five Acts. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Listed as a member of the original cast; played "Benjamin Franklin" as an adult.
 [pages:2]
Brougham, John. Life, Stories, and Poems of John Brougham. Ed. William Winter. Boston: J.R. Osgood & Co., 1881. 
[pages:FP(ill.), 433(ill.)]
Brougham, John. Life in New York; or, Tom And Jerry an a Visit. A Comic Drama, in Two Acts, with Cast of Characters, Stage Business, Costumes, Relative Positions, Etc., Etc. As Performed at the Principal Theatres. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Credited with playing the roles of "Tom Smith" and "Captain, the Hon. Fitzgammon Bowlingreen" at "all the principal theatres."
Brougham, John. Life in the Clouds, or, Olympus in an Uproar. A Burlesque Burletta, as Performing at the English Opera House. Correctly Printed from the Prompt Copy, with Exits, Entrances, Etc. and for the First Time That Any Dramatic Work Has Posessed the Same Advantage. London: J. Pattie, 1840. 
Listed as playing the role of "O'Rien (a concentrated constellation)" in the original bill.
Brougham, John. Love and Murder: A Farce, in One Act. To which Are Added, a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits--- Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage Business. As Performed at the New York T. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Plays the role of "Mickey Migra" in the original cast.
Brougham, John. Neptune's Defeat; or, The Seizure of the Seas. A New and Curiously Original Allegoric, Mythologic, Metaphoric Filtration of Sur-Passing Events. To which Are Added a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Posit. New York: Samuel French, 1858. 
Listed in the original cast at Wallack's as "Neptune, a Son of Malt and 'Ops---the Julius Cæsar of the Seas---but now reduced to the deepest extremity, though making superhuman efforts to keep his head above water."
Brougham, John. Night and Morning: A Play, in Five Acts. Adapted from Bulwer's Novel. As Performed at Wallack's Theatre. To which Are Added, a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, a. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Listed in the original cast in the role of "Gawtrey."
Brougham, John. Playing with Fire; An Original Comedy, in Five Acts. London: T.H. Lacy, 1860. 
Plays the role of "Doctor Savage" during the play's run at the Princess' Theatre, Sept. 28, 1861.
Brougham, John. Romance and Reality. Or, The Young Virginian. An Original Comedy, in Five Acts. To which Are Added, a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Played the role of "Jack Swift" in the original cast.
Brougham, John. Take Care of Little Charley. A Farce, in One Act. To which Are Added a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage Business. As Performed at Wall. New York: Samuel French, 1858. 
Plays the role of "Mickey Fogarty" in the original cast.
Brougham, John. Temptation: Or, The Irish Emigrant. A Comic Drama, in Two Acts. To which Are Added, a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage Business. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Plays the role of "O'Bryan, an Irish immigrant" in the original cast.
Brougham, John. The Game of Life. An Original Comedy, in Five Acts. With Cast of Characters, Stage Business, Costumes, Relative Positions, Etc. Etc. As Performed at Wallack's Theatre. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Listed among the original cast in the role of "Dr. Chatteron Drake."
Brougham, John. The Game of Love. An Original Comedy, in Five Acts. To which Are Added, a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage Business, as Performed at W. New York: Samuel French, 1855. 
Plays the role of "Ted Murphy" in the original cast.
Brougham, John. The Great Tragic Revival. A New and Undoubtedly Original Contemporaneous Dramatic Absurdity, in One Act and Several Tableaux. To which Are Added a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Perfor. New York: Samuel French, 1858. 
Played the role of "Marcus Brutus Richelieu Samith" in the original cast.
Brougham, John. The Gun-Maker of Moscow: Melo-Drama, in Three Acts. To which Are Added, a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage Business. New York: Samuel French, 1854. 
Played the role of "Vladimir, the mysterious monk" in the original cast.
Brougham, John. The Lottery of Life: A Story of New York: An Original Local Drama in Five Acts by John Brougham. London and New York: Samuel French, 1875. 
Plays the role of "Terence O'Halloran" in the original cast.
Brougham, John. The Musard Ball; or, Love at the Academy. A Contemporaneous Extravaganza, in One Act. To which Are Added a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the. New York: Samuel French, 1858. 
Listed among the members of the original cast at Burton's in the role of "Orlando Furioso Brown, of the Staff."
Brougham, John. The Red Mask: or, The Wolf of Lithuania. A Melo-Drama, in Three Acts. To which are Added, a Description of the Costume---Cast of the Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage Business. New York: Samuel French, 1856. 
Played the role of "Marok" in the original cast.
Brown, T. Allston. " 3 Vols." A History of the New York Stage from the First Performance in 1732 to 1901. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co., 1903. 
Brown notes his appearance as O'Callaghan in His Last Legs Oct. 4,1842, in which his wife (?) Emma Williams made her debut as Lady Teazle. 
Brougham played both New York and Philadelphia in the same night.He was also the main attraction in the revival of Polkamania in 1844.Brougham may have appeared in F. (Fitz-James?) O'Brien's A Gentleman from Ireland on Dec.11, 1854.
Brougham was manager of the Bowery Theatre when it reopened June 30, 1856 (the theatre closed June 17th).Macbeth was playing with his company, Nov. 13,1856.
 [pages:i. 59,134,179,477,480,481,484, iii.320]
C. B. S. [Seymour, Charles Bailey]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 14 Nov. 1865: 216-217. 
C.B.S. discusses Brougham's performance at the Winter Garden in Playing with Fire (217).
 [pages:217]
C. B. S. [Seymour, Charles Bailey]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 23 Dec. 1865: 328-329. 
C.B.S. refers to him as "Brougham the indefatigable" and mentions that he is currently performing in the dramatic version of Dickens's Our Mutual Friend (329).
 [pages:329]
C. B. S. [Seymour, Charles Bailey]. "Dramatic and Musical Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 11 Nov. 1865: 232-233. 
C.B.S. mentions that Brougham has had to leave New York "hastily" (233).
 [pages:233]
Clare, Ada. "Madame Bishop at Palace Garden." New York Saturday Press. 17 Sep. 1859: 2. 
"The audience on Saturday night consisted of the queerest admixture of nationalities, such as John Brougham, Stephen Masset, Henry Drayton, etc., with a perfect shoal of old-fashioned, well-bred concert lovers."
 [pages:2]
Clare, Ada. "Thoughts and Things." New-York Saturday Press. 17 Apr. 1860: 2. 
Clare mentions Brougham's role in Poor Young Man as one of the two that were superior to the French version of the play (2).
 [pages:2]
Clare, Ada. "Thoughts and Things." New York Saturday Press. 17 Jan. 1860: 2. 
Clare discusses Brougham's performance in Everybody's Friend at Wallack's and praises his personal qualities and assets (2). She writes, "Mr. Brougham can neither look nor act the ill-bred man. That handsome, manly face, that rich, sweet voice, that fine figure, ere given to him with a different view. He is the most influential man on the stage in New York, and his is the power to exalt and refine his art. Then why waste himself in farces and jigs?" (2).
 [pages:2]
Derby, J.C. Fifty Years among Authors, Books and Publishers. New York: G. W. Carleton and Co., 1884. 
Derby mentions Brougham's "The Lantern" (then edited by Brougham, also an actor) as one of the "humorous papers and periodicals of the day" to which George W. Carleton (later a publisher and bookseller) submitted and had published several illustrations that he did in in leisure time (236).
 [pages:236]
Dodo [O'Brien, Fitz-James]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." Saturday Press. 23 Oct. 1858: 2-3. 
Dodo mentions Brougham's "amusing burlesque" of "Neptune's defeat" (3).
 [pages:3]
Donaldson, Thomas. Walt Whitman the Man. New York; F.P. Harper, 1896. 276 p. 
[pages:208]
Eaton, Walter Prichard. "John Brougham." Dictionary of American Biography. Base Set. American Council of Learned Societies, 1928-1936. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale, 2006. http://www.galenet.com/servlet/BioRC.
Figaro [Clapp, Henry Jr.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 26 May 1866: 4, 5. 
[pages:4]
Fitz-Gerald, S. J. Adair. Dickens and the Drama. London: Chapman & Hall, 1910. 
"At the Opera Comique, in 1884, another dramatisation [of The Old Curiosity Shop] was done, of which Charles Dickens the younger wrote: 'An adaptation of my own, which was produced at the Opera Comique in January 12th, 1884, was deprived of any merit it may have possessed by the interpolation by the American lady [Lotta Crabtree] for whom I wrote the piece (she doubled Nell and the Marchioness) of a preposterous act from a ridiculous version by Mr. John Brougham, which she had been accustomed to play in the States'" (148). 
Brougham wrote his own adaptation of a drama Dickens wrote in collaboration with Wilkie Collins, A Message from the Sea: A Drama in Three Acts. "It was in four acts and was first performed in America in 1860, and in London at the Britannia Theatre in 1861, and I fancy it has often been revived at various outlying theatres, though I have no exact data to go upon. There are thirteen characters in John Brougham's production [as opposed to the nine of Dickens's and Collins's original], and as many scenes [as opposed to the three of the original]. It reads well. At the Britannia the players were Messrs. F. Wilton, F. Marchant, J. Reynolds, T. G. Drummond, S. Sidney, W. Crawford, M. Smythson, and D. Stewart; Mrs. W. Newham, Miss E. Clayton, and Mrs. E. Yarnold" (218-19). 
"John Brougham provided a four-act drama called 'Dombey and Son' for Burton's Theatre, New York, in 1848, as soon as the work was issued in its completed form, and undertook the part of Major Bagstock and Jack Bunsby himself, while his wife played Susan Nipper. Mr. W.E. Burton, the proprietor of the theatre, was the Captain Cuttle, and Mrs. Burton, Florence Dombey. Joseph Jefferson, in his 'Autobiography', says: 'The production at Burton's Theatre of 'Dombey and Son', by Mr. Brougham, was a curious combination of failure and success. Much was expected of Burton's Captain Cuttle, and to the surprise of the expectant critics and of Burton himself he did nothing with it'. . . . [Burton] went to work to study the part properly and made a magnificent hit, and according to Jefferson he was 'perfect' in a new version which he and Brougham concocted together. This version, published by French, soon got to London, and was acted 'everywhere'. Then Brougham set to work and made another play which was called 'Captain Cuttle', a comic drama in one act, being more scenes from the novel of 'Dombey and Son'. This went into the bills of Burton's Theatre, New York, January 14th, 1850, and was a complete success. Different scenes were relied upon, and the whole of the MacStinger family were introduced. W. E. Burton was, of course, Captain Cuttle; John Brougham, Jack Bunsby; Mrs. Vernon, Mrs. MacStinger; Mrs. Brougham, The Nipper; and Oliver Raymond in his creation of Toots. The late Sir Henry Irving played Mr. Dombey in this drama when it was first presented in Manchester in 1867" (226-27). 
"The eldest son of Charles Dickens wrote a few years since: 'Of stage versions of '[David] Copperfield' there appear to have been only two of any importance; one by the customary John Brougham, which was played in America, and one by Andrew Halliday" (233). "John Brougham's adaptation [of David Copperfield] was presented at his own Lyceum Theatre, New York, January 6th, 1851, with a comprehensive American cast. It was called 'David Copperfield', and Mr. Brougham played Micawber" (237).
 [pages:148,218-19,226-27,233,237]
Gladding, W.J. A Group of Theatrical Caricatures. Ill. W. J. Gladding. New York: Dunlap Society, 1897. 
[pages:2(.ill)]
Gunn, Thomas Butler. Diaries, Vol. 1. Missouri History Museum, 1849. 
[pages:42, 44]
Gunn, Thomas Butler. Diaries, Vol. 2. Missouri History Museum, 1850. 
[pages:100]
Gunn, Thomas Butler. Diaries, Vol. 3. Missouri History Museum, 1851. 
[pages:13, 49]
Gunn, Thomas Butler. Diaries, Vol. 4. Missouri History Museum, 1852. 
[pages:12, 21, 27, 33, 38, 45, 50, 53, 55, 60, 66, 76, 79-86, 90, 95-96, 101, 112, 121, 126, 173]
Gunn, Thomas Butler. Diaries, Vol. 5. Missouri History Museum, 1852. 
[pages:19, 25, 27-28, 40, 42-44, 53-54, 60, 63, 67, 76-77, 79, 85, 93, 95, 99, 102-103, 108, 145, 163, 166, 169, 179-180, 191, 208]
Gunn, Thomas Butler. Diaries, Vol. 6. Missouri History Museum, 1853. 
[pages:218]
Gunn, Thomas Butler. Diaries, Vol. 7. Missouri History Museum, 1855. 
[pages:154]
Hawes, David S. John Brougham as American Playwright and Man of the Theatre. Ph.D. diss., Stanford University, 1954. 
Hawes, David S. "John Brougham as Playwright." Educational Theatre Journal. 9(1957): 184-93. 
Hawes, David S. "Much Ado about John Brougham and Jim Fisk." Midcontinent American Studies Journal. 8.1 (1967): 73-89. 
Hutton, Laurence. Plays and Players. New York: Hurd, 1875. 
Jones, Eugene H. Native Americans as Shown on the Stage, 1753-1916. Metuchen: Scarecrow, 1988. 
Kellogg, Clara Louise. Memoirs of an American Prima Donna. New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1913. 
[pages:15]
Lalor, Eugene. "Whitman among the New York Literary Bohemians: 1859–1862." Walt Whitman Review. 25(1979): 131-145. 
Lalor desribes him as one of the "brightest lights" of the New York Boehmians (131).
 [pages:131]
Lalor, Eugene T. The Literary Bohemians of New York City in the Mid-Nineteenth Century. Ph.D. Dissertation, St. John's University, 1977. 
[pages:5,11,20,24,25]
Lause, Mark A. The Antebellum Crisis and America's First Bohemians. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2009. 
John Brougham is mentioned as "the Irish-American editor of the Lantern, whose pen danced from editorials to plays and beyond" (59). 
 [pages:59, 61]
Lukens, Henry Clay. "American Literary Comedians." Harper's New Monthly Magazine. 01 Apr. 1890: 783-797. 
[pages:793]
Matthews, Charles James, et. al. Why Did You Die? A Petite Comedy in One Act. London, 1837. 
Brougham played the role of Joseph in the original 1837 production of this play.
Meserve, Walter J. American Drama to 1900: A Guide to Information Sources. Detroit: Gale, 1980. 
[pages:98-101]
Miller, Tice L. Bohemians and Critics: American Theatre Criticism in the Nineteenth Century. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1981. 
"John Brougham--actor, manager, and publisher of a comic paper, The Lantern--gave a weekly dinner at Edward Windust's Restaurant (near the old Park Theatre) in 1852-1853 for the staff of his paper" (15).This get-together occurred around the same time that the Pfaffians began to congregate.
Brougham, along with Ned Wilkins, Henry Clapp, Fitz-James O'Brien, and Mark Smith, formed an artistic club called "The Bees" in 1856 (44).
Broughman was included in Frank Bellew's 1856 Picayune cartoon "depicting playwrights registering their dramatic works before the first copyright law went into effect (52).
 [pages:15, 36, 44, 52, 76, 108]
O'Brien, Fitz-James. A Gentleman from Ireland. A Comedy, in Two Acts. To Which Are Added a Description of the Costume---Cast of Characters---Entrances and Exits---Relative Positions of the Performers on the Stage, and the Whole of the Stage Business. As Performed at Wallack's. New York: Samuel French, 1858. 
Played the role of "General Fitzmaurice" in the original cast.
O'Brien, Fitz-James. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 18 Dec. 1858: 2, 3. 
O'Brien notes that Brougham was given the "comparatively insignificant" role of Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice.O'Brien writes that Brougham "was the good-natured, meddling, babbling, brainless, talkative bore to the life" (2).
 [pages:2]
O'Brien, Fitz-James. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 25 Dec. 1858: 3. 
O'Brien writes that he, Brougham, Goodrich are currently working on a three act play titled "The Dark Hour Before Dawn" to be performed by amateurs for a Dramatic Fund Association benefit in the chief cities of the Union (3).
 [pages:3]
O'Brien, Fitz-James. "Dramatic Feuilleton." Saturday Press. 16 Nov. 1858: 3. 
O'Brien points out the errors in either the play writing or Brougham's performance in Wheat and Chaff.O'Brien notes that some of Brougham's "impromptu witticisms" during the performance were successful (3).
 [pages:3]
O'Brien, Fitz-James. "Dramatic Feuilleton." Saturday Press. 20 Nov. 1858: 3. 
O'Brien reviews his performance in Going to the Bad (3).
 [pages:3]
O'Brien, Fitz-James. "Dramatic Feuilleton: The Veteran." New-York Saturday Press. 22 Jan. 1859: 2. 
Brougham is mentioned as a member of the cast of The Veteran, or France and Algeria (2).
 [pages:2]
Odell, George C.D. Annals of the New York Stage: Volume VIII (1865-1870). New York:Columbia University Press, 1936. 
In the 1865-66 season, Brougham starred in his own comedy, Playing with Fire, previously seen in 1861-62 at Wallack's during a Winter Garden Revival.This play was followed by Brougham's Game of Love now called Flies in the Web (19).
Brougham was busy at the Winter Garden early in the 1865-66 season.He began the summer season of 1866 with Playing with Fire and Flies in the Web.The summer season closed Sept. 1, "apparently in the height of a success perhaps the greatest he ever had as a start; his long absence from New York had increased the desire to see his genial, rollicking art" (23).Brougham returned for nine nights on Sept. 6, 1866.Odell states, "The genial Brougham, in whose bright lexicon of eternal youth there was apparently no such work as fail (Odell italicizes)..." (143).
Brougham appeared in the 1866-67 season at the Olympic.His play, The Christian Martyrs under Contstantine and Maxentius played at Barnum's Feb. 4, 1867, and included "a 'grand triumphal procession' which eployed all of Van Amburgh's menagerie" (180).HE also played at The Academy of Music, Brooklyn, in the 1866-67 season.
Brougham played"in his own 'satire upon the vices, follies, and sensations of the present times'" called The Lottery of Life in 1868 at Wallack's(277).This show played to an average nightly receipt of $1,344 in its first week and dropped to an average of $296.86 2/3 in its fourth week, but improved later (278).
Brougham also took part in several benefits in the 1867-68 season. Odell claims Playing wtih Fire, Metamora and Dombey and Son were "points of departure" during these shows (379).
Brougham sub-let a small theater on January 25, 1869 - originally a small theater in 24th Street behind the Fifth Avenue Hotel.The theater was formerly a minstrel hall that had openedautumn 1867 as a home of a burlesque that ended around New Year's, 1868 because of the murder of Thomas Sharpe by Edwin Kelly, the minstrel.In June, 1868, James Fisk, Jr. acquired control of the Grand Opera House and leased the deserted building on 24th St.Fisk entirely reconstructed the building's interior and sub-let it to Brougham at an annual rent of $2,700 with Broughm receiving a $250/week salary with 25% of net profits after expenses including the rent (428).Odell isn't sure how much Brougham actually received according to his pay and contract.The theater would later come under the direction of Augustin Daly and become quite famous.Odell reprints a description of the theater from the Times.
The building opened as Brougham's Theatre on Jan. 25,1869, with a new and original two-act comedy by Brougham called Better Late than Never.Brougham made a few remarks after the show that night and then stagd The Dramatic Review for 1868 beginning with "an allegorical picture representing Manhatta, Brooklyna (the oldest of Manhatta's family, and a remarkably forward young lady, proud, pious, and independent, holding but ferry little intercourse with her Ma, and that she means to abridge), New Jersia, North Rivero ('a fluent individual'), East Rivero, Mlle. Fashion, Public Opinion, Melpomene ('an old and meloncholy muse, who has seen better days'), Captain Jinks" (430)."The illustrations included skits on The Emerald Ring, Barbee Bleue, After Dark, The Fox's Nest (Humpty Dumpty), Boufee a la Mode, The Lancashire Lass, THe Man at the Wheel (Ixion), Pike's Grand Palace, etc." (430).The Opening show lasted two weeks, followed by a combination of The Dramatic Review and Brougham's "new effervescence" An Irish Stew, or, the Mysterious Widow of Long Branch (according to Allston Brown) derived from the same source as A Bull in a China Shop.Odell observes that Brougham most likely "reached the end of his resources" by March.
On March 8,1869, Brougham produced Much Ado about a Merchant of Venice "'from the orignal text -- a long way.' This 'entirely new, free and independent Shakespearean contribution' to the general revivals was produced 'at an enormous outlay of mental tribulation," with an interesting cast (430).Bad reviews from the Times followed that remarked on the heaviness of the play and the actors' inabilities to sing (431).
Later in March "were announced 'the last nights' of Brougham, 'previous to his departure for California'" (431).Odell claims Brougham didn't get along with Fisk and was most likely frozen out of the theater - Odell surmises from "his admission in a farewell speech to the audience on April 3 [1869] that he was as much suprised as any one at the speedy close of his season" (431).Fisk resumed control of the theater on April 5, 1869.
A benefit to raise money for Brougham was held May 19, 1869, by his friends.The benefit included an afternoon show at Niblo's Garden and an evening show at the Theatre Francais.The Niblo show ran The School for Scandal starring Brougham as Sir Oliver, with a strong cast-largely from Wallack's, but with two members of the Thompson Troupe (Odell thinks this is odd, but recalls a connection to Wallack's that would have made this cast possible).The receipts for this show were $3,467, with "tickets selling at a premium" (445).The evening show appears to have been a variety of recitations, plays, song, sketches, and remarks by Brougham himself (461).
Brougham was seen on stage in May, in some of his own plays and sometimes in others' plays.A "poor thriller by himself" (in which he appears) "founded on Robinson's story of Annie Judge, full of madness and excitement, and entitled The Red Light, or, the Signal of Danger" opened the summer season of 1869-70 (563-4).Brougham produced another of his own plays during this summer season Minnie's Luck, or, Ups and Downs of City Life.This show was produced "for the exploitation of a young actress, Leona Cavender" -- the play had been moderately successful at Mrs. Conway's Park Theatre but had done a bad two weeks at Wallack's (564).
 [pages:19,22-3,24,143, 144,145,180,244,277-8,379,383,428-31, 430(ill),445,461,528,563-4,662]
Odell, George Clinton. Annals of the New York Stage: Volume VI (1850-1857). New York: Columbia University Press, 1931. 
The chief writer and "suggester" for Burton 1848-50 (48).Brougham is described as "clever, gifted, jovial, popular." 
Odell mentions his Lyceum and his theater.Odell discusses the "splendor" of Brougham's Lyceum at Broadway and Broom Street, which opened December 23, 1850.Brougham had spent the two previous years as the cheif suggestor and writer at Burton's theater and thought he would succeed with his own theater.This theater, which he had inherited from Mitchell(?), passed into other hands within two years and became Wallack's Theatre.Brougham's Lyceum is said to have had lush decorations and Odell claims that Brougham had the best help in preparing the Lyceum. The first performace was given by a troupe of actors called Brougham and Co.Brougham also performed in the show and his wife was also a member of the company.
Odell includes reviews of several of Brougham's performances as well as provides much detail about the shows at the Lyceum.Odell makes mention of "things running low" in December, 1851, when Brougham quits a production of A Christmas Carol. Odell also makes note of the changing of hands of the Lyceum.
Odell also mentions Brougham's performances as a Broadway actor and discusses Brougham's absences from the stage in 1850.
Brougham seems to have, at one point, begun to do shows in the mode of Barnum that produced by Niblo - he is recorded as appearing in a show with Siamese Twins and other features.
The important theaters/producers at this time appear to have been Burton, Wallack, Niblo. 
Brougham left Wallack's to manage the failing Bowery in 1856.Odell observes that no one knew why Brougham always starrred in others' theaters and failed in his own. 
The Bowery is described as one of the most "democratic" theaters vs. Wallack's aristocratic status.Brougham invited many actors from the Broadway and several with non-traditional methods to join the company at the Bowery.Odell estimates that Brougham gathered his best company ever in 1856.
In 1857, while running the Bowery, Brougham appeared for the first time in seven years at Burton's . At this time, Brougham was also on stage at Wallack's.
Odell discusses Brougham's "feat" of performing in both New York and Philadelphia in one day. It seems that the quality of plays at the Bowery in 1856-57 was decreasing somewhat or was uneven. Brougham's Hippodramatic spectacle was his last show before leaving the Bowery on May 1, 1857.
A benefit for him was held at Niblo's for in 1857 - one of many for "manager-failures." 
Additional page numbers: 48-53,55,56,68,91, 101-102,148-150150 (ill), 151, 153, 164, 190, 194, 214, 226, 242, 243, 272, 295, 359, 390, 396, 431, 435, 441 150 (ill), 151, 153, 164, 190, 194, 214, 226, 242, 243, 272, 295, 359, 390, 396, 431, 435, 441, 461-462, 463, 476, 477, 517, 523-524, 536-537, 546-547, 548-549, 554,559, 564-565, 570, 574 
 [pages: 8,10,16, 20,48-53,55,56,68,91, 101-102,148-150150 (ill), 151, 153, 164, 190, 194, 214, 226, 242, 243, 272, 295, 359, 390, 396, 431, 435, 441]
Odell, George Clinton. Annals of the New York Stage: Volume VII (1857-1865). New York: Columbia University Press, 1931. 
Odell mentions he "brought out at the Bowery The Red Mask, or, the Wolf of Bohemia - verily a coincidence, if not an identity."
Brougham wrote The Miller of New Jersey, or, the Prison Hulk which played March 21, 1859. The play's big scene occurs when the miller releases the prisoners from the hulk, which explodes.
Brougham also wrote The Ruling Passion, a comedy that included an "all-star" cast.The play was written "expressly" for the opening of Wallack's 1859 season.Every character exemplified a "passion" for something that Brougham selected for them. Odell reports that it is thought that Brougham fitted the characters to the talents of the actors.
Brougham began his farewell engagement before his departure to Europe on July 2, 1860.His Playing with Fire, a comedy, opened Oct. 2, 1860, successfully and without and accompanying farce up to and including Nov. 16. Lady Audley's Secret was Brougham's adaptation of Braddon's popular novel; the play was later identified with Mrs. (Natalie) Cowell and was originially titled The Mystery of Audley Court. Odell mentions that Brougham also wrote The Birthday of Freedom, national drama, Neptune's Defeat, or, the Seizer of the Seas, andThe Vision of Columbus.
 [pages: 9,15,16,57, 58,119,120,121,138-139,156, 159, 203-204, 252, 257,262,263, 305-306, 333,378, 427, 553, 647]
"Old 'Barry Gray' Dead." The New York World. 12 Jun. 1886: 5. 
Brougham is mentioned as a "playwright" who "associated closely with the Bohemians" (5).
 [pages:5]
Parry, Albert. Garrets and Pretenders: A History of Bohemianism in America. New York: Covici, Friede, 1933. 
Brougham is listed as one of the Bohemians that "turned respectible" in light of attacks on Pfaff's and the Pfaffians in the press.According to Parry, Brougham (of teh Lantern tried to "forsake the old beer cellar" by holding weekly dinners elsewhere and left many of the Pfaffians off his guest list (59).As a an example of the prosperity of some of the former Pfaffians experienced in the 1870s and 1880s, Parry mentions that Brougham was associated with Dion Boucicault's "theatricals" and became rich as a result (61).
 [pages:59,61]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 11 Oct. 1859: 2. 
Personne reports that Brougham's Ruling Passion is leaving Wallack's soon (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 12 May 1860: 3. 
Personne reports what role Brougham will play in The Overland Route (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 17 Sep. 1859: 2. 
Personne reports that Wallack's is set to open with one of Brougham's comedies on Monday.Brougham is also mentioned as a member of the cast (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 21 Apr. 1860: 3. 
Personne discusses Brougham's work on the Dramtic Fund Benefit (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 26 Feb. 1859: 2. 
Personne mentions that Brougham has put Pater Patrice in a drama at the Bowery (2).Personne mentions that Brougham has worked on The Dark Hour Before the Dawn with F.B. Goodrich (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 28 Apr. 1860: 2-3. 
Personne writes that Brougham's benefit was on Monday and he played in "that fine old fossil," The Poor Gentleman and A Pretty Piece of Business (2).Personne also mentions Brougham's speech at the benefit and that he will not be performing at Wallack's after this season (2).Personne also discusses the dispute between Brougham and Barney Williams over their portrayals of Irish gentlemen (2-3).
 [pages:2-3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 10 Dec. 1859: 2-3. 
Personne reviews Brougham's performance in Everybody's Friend at Wallack's (2).Personne writes that Brougham will not be doing Rip Van Winkle for Wallack's, but an original piece titled The Winter King (3).
 [pages:2,3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 13 Dec. 1859: 3. 
Personne refers to the costumes in Brougham's Canton.Personne reports that Brougham will write the holiday piece for Wallack's, and the subject is rumored to be Rip Van Winkle (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 14 May 1859: 3. 
Personne mentions that he played King Charles at Wallack's and discusses his future roles at Wallack's.He is engaged at Conway's Theatre for the Summer season (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 15 Mar. 1859: 3. 
Personne reprints a letter about the Dramatic Fund Benefit for the attention of Brougham (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 15 Nov. 1859: 3. 
Personne mentions that Brougham helped Miss Walcot adapt Going it Blind (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 15 Oct. 1859: 2-3. 
Personne reports that Brougham and Walcot are performing in an adaptation of the French vaudeville Les Deux Aveugles [sp](3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 18 Jun. 1859: 2-3. 
Personne reports that Brougham's new play will debut at the Metropolitan on Monday and thanks him for something new (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 19 Apr. 1859: 2. 
Personne mentions Brougham's and Goodrich's five-act play, the dedication of the piece, and the authors' repeated claims to originality (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 19 Mar. 1859: 3. 
Personne writes that "society" has heard Brougham and Goodrich's The Dark Hour Before the Dawn read and has enjoyed it (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 19 Nov. 1859: 3. 
Personne reports that Brougham's Romance and Reality will open at Wallack's on Sunday (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 22 Oct. 1859: 2-3. 
Personne mentions the review of Brougham's dress in the play about the Earl of Rochester as "sublime" (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 23 Apr. 1859: 2. 
Personne mentions Brougham in his discussion of the events at Wallack's (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 24 Sep. 1859: 2. 
Personne reviews Brougham's The Ruling Pardon and his performance in the show (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 25 Jun. 1859: 3. 
Personne discusses Brougham's Art and Artifice (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 26 Nov. 1859: 3. 
Personne reports that Brougham's Romance and Reality has been "revived" at Wallack's.Personne also reports that there is a benefit for Brougham that evening (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 28 Jan. 1860: 3. 
Personne reviews Brougham's performance as "the man of medicine" in Wallack's The Romance of a Poor Young Man (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 28 May 1859: 3. 
Personne lightly disguise Brougham's name when he mentions that Brougham has dined at the Alms House at the Penitentiary with some Alderman and two convicted felons (3).
 [pages:3]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 29 Oct. 1859: 2. 
Personne mentions Brougham in passing in a discussion of theatrical writers at Wallack's (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 30 Apr. 1859: 2. 
Personne claims that the singer Piccolomini reminds him of Brougham in the "variety of her talents."Personne also mentions Brougham's new farce with Walcot, Box and Cox (2).
 [pages:2]
Personne [Wilkins, Edward G. P.]. "The Tug of War." New-York Saturday Press. 27 Aug. 1859: 2. 
[pages:2]
Planchè, J.R., et. al. Puss in Boots: An Original, Comical, Magical, Mew-Sical, Fairy Burletta in One Act. London, 1838. 
Brougham played the role of Killmany O'Gobble Killmore, a charater identified as "a great Irish O-gre," in the original 1837 production.
Quelqu'un [Winter, William]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 14 Jul. 1860: 3. 
Quelqu'un claims that the Feuilleton he lost discussed Brougham (3).Quelqu'un reports that Mr. W. J. Florence will star in Brougham's new Burlesque, The Great Eastern during his benefit at Wallack's (3).
 [pages:3]
Quelqu'un [Winter, William]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 16 Oct. 1860: 2-3. 
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).
 [pages:2]
Quelqu'un [Winter, William]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New-York Saturday Press. 30 Jun. 1860: 3. 
Quelqu'un cites Brougham as an example of an exception to his criticisms about the writers of Burlesques.Quelqu'un reports that the "very best" of his Burlesques, Pocohontas will be performed at Nixon's as part of Brougham's farewell engagement before he visits Ireland (3).
 [pages:3]
Quelqu'un [Winter, William]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 18 Oct. 1859: 2. 
Quelqu'un writes that Brougham "ruined his last comedy simply by putting too much sense in it" (2).
 [pages:2]
Quelqu'un [Winter, William]. "Dramatic Feuilleton." New York Saturday Press. 26 Mar. 1859: 2. 
Quelqu'un mentions having just seen Brougham and that he's the greatest"babbler" after Personne.Quelqu'un writes that they spoke about the Baron, Wallack, The Veteran, his benefit, and his new play at the Bowery, that Quelqu'un has seen and enjoyed.Quelqu'un also mentions Brougham's and Goodrich's The Dark Hour Before the Dawn (2).
 [pages:2]
Quelqu'un [Winter, William]. "Dramatic Feuilleton [To the General Public]." New-York Saturday Press. 17 Jul. 1860: 3. 
Brougham's Pocahontas is mentioned as one of the "Burlesques" the "General" maintains a "fondness" for (3).
 [pages:3]
Ryan, Pat M. "Columbus El Filibustro: John Brougham's Mirror of Discovery." Gramma: Journal of Theory and Criticism. 2(1994): 149-57. 
Ryan, Pat M. "John Brougham: The Gentle Satirist." Bulletin of the New York Public Library. 63(1959): 629-40. 
Ryan, Pat M. "The Hibernian Experience: John Brougham's Irish-American Plays." MELUS. 10.2 (1983): 33-47. 
Sollors, Werner. Beyond Ethnicity: Consent and Descent in American Culture. New York: Oxford, 1986. 
Stylus. "Our New York Letter." The Literary World: A Monthly Review of Current Literature. 20 Feb. 1886: 64-65. 
Mentioned in reference to the Bohemian Club, which may be a post-Pfaff's group of journalists, even though they are described here as frequenting "Pfaaf's" [sic]. See Thomas Dunn English's "That Club at Pfaaf's [sic]."
 [pages:64]
Upton, G. P. "Life and Works of John Brougham." Dial. 01 Apr. 1881: 260-261. 
[pages:260-261]
Whitman, Walt. Complete Writings of Walt Whitman. Eds. Richard Maurice Bucke, Thomas B. Harned, and Horace L. Traubel. New York: Putnam, 1902. 
Whitman records in his journal on August 16 that he met with Charles Pfaff for an excellent breakfast at his restaurant on 24th Street. "Our host himself, an old friend of mine, quickly appear'd on the scene to welcome me and bring up the news, and, first opening a big fat bottle of the best wine in the cellar, talk about ante-bellum times, '59 and '60, and the jovial suppers at his then Broadway place, near Bleecker street. Ah, the friends and names and frequenters, those times, that place. Most are dead—Ada Clare, Wilkins, Daisy Sheppard, O'Brien, Henry Clapp, Stnaley, Mullin, Wood, Brougham, Arnold—all gone. And there Pfaff and I, sitting opposite each other at the little table, gave rememberance to them in a style they would have themselves fully confirm'd, namely, big, brimming, fill'd-up champagne-glasses, drain'd in abstracted silence, very leisurely, to the last drop."
 [pages:5:21]
Wilson, James Grant and John Fiske, eds. Appletons' Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Volume I, Aaron-Crandall. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1888. 
Left New York for London in 1860 and did not return to America until 1865 in a piece preformed at the Winter Garden theater. 
 [pages:391]
Winter, William. Brief Chronicles. New York: The Dunlap Society, 1889. 
Lengthy reflections on Brougham's career and the respect that he won from his peers.
 [pages:28-45]
Winter, William. Old Friends; Being Literary Recollections of Other Days. New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1909. 
Winter refers to Brougham's recollections of Poe:"My old friend John Brougham, the comedian, who knew him well, told me that Poe could not swallow even a single glass of wine without losing his head.But what does it signify, and why should a reader be perpetually told of it, whether he drank wine or not?His writings remain, and they are an honor to our literature; and that is all we need to consider" (35).
Winter also refers to Brougham's recollections of O'Brien: "John Brougham, the comedian, expressed to me the opinion that O'Brien never cared much for any person with whom he did not quarrel, and as both of them were Irishmen that opinion, perhaps, is correct"(95).
Winter mentions that Brougham started "The Lantern" (76).
 [pages:35,76,95]
Winter, William. Other Days; Being Chronicles and Memories of the Stage. New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1908. 
[pages:104(ill.)]
Winter, William. The Wallet of Time; Containing Personal, Biographical, and Critical Reminiscence of the American Theatre. New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, 1913. 
Brougham lost a large amount of money while learning to play poker.
 [pages:137, 143-44]
Wolle, Francis. Fitz-James O'Brien: A Literary Bohemian of the Eighteen-Fifties. Boulder, Col.; University of Colorado, 1944. 
Edited The Lantern. O'Brien attended Brougham's weekly dinners at Windust's. Whitman mentions that he was a leader at Pfaff's.
 [pages:32,33, 64, 86-89, 92,114, 126, 131-132, 196]