Adah Menken, an actress "not known for her talent, but rather for her frenetic energy, her charismatic presence, and her willingness to expose herself," was born in a suburb of New Orleans (Richard
27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015
Personne opens the Feuilleton with a discussion of his disagreement with the critics at Courrier des Etats Unis over Diane de Lys. Personne mentions a variety of news and events, including Gayler's burlesque of Poor Young Man and the "outbreak of Hibernianism" in the theaters with two new Irish dramas from Dion Bourcicault and Barney Williams. Personne engages in a long discussion of Adah Menken, referred to here as "Mrs. Heenan," which ranges from the "Benicia Girl's" "alleged matrimonial connection with the Boy who has gone over to England with the laudable intention of punching the head of Mr. Thomas Sayers" to her acting style (3). Personne cites the March 5, 1859, edition of the Saturday Press and the Tribune for further remarks on Menken's acting.
Personne reviews Gayler's Poor Young Man, a bulesque of the Wallack play (3).
Personne refers to Menken here as "Mrs. Heenan" and discusses the "Benicia Girl's" "alleged matrimonial connection with the Boy who has gone over to England with the laudable intention of punching the head of Mr. Thomas Sayers" (3). Personne also mentions attempting to bribe someone else to see her perform at the Bowery this week (3).
Personne mentions the performance of the actor who played his role in Gayler's burlesque of Poor Young Man. Personne feels that the actor's performance reminded him more of Wallack's cousin, young James Wallack, than it did Lester Wallack (3).
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.
Adah Menken, an actress "not known for her talent, but rather for her frenetic energy, her charismatic presence, and her willingness to expose herself," was born in a suburb of New Orleans (Richard
27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015