Courted Into Court

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Courted Into Court
Clifford and Huth in John J. McNally's funniest farce comedy, Courted into court LCCN2014637303.jpg
Date premieredDecember 29, 1896
Place premiered Bijou Theatre
Original languageEnglish
GenrePlay
The cover of sheet music featuring Irwin's coon songs used in this play. All coons look alike to me (NYPL Hades-1929688-1990770).jpg
The cover of sheet music featuring Irwin's coon songs used in this play.

Courted Into Court is a 1896 play by John J. McNally. It was produced by Charles T. Rich and William Harris for a 140 performance run at the Bijou Theatre on Broadway starting on December 29, 1896. [1] [2]

Contents

Prior to its Broadway debut, it played first on any stage in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 4, 1896, [3] [4] [5] and then moved to Kansas City. [6] and Chicago. [7]

Star May Irwin sang and helped popularize (the now notorious example) coon song "All Coons Look Alike to Me" by Ernest Hogan in the play, which had an all-white cast. [8] She also sang the coon song, "Mr. Johnson, Turn Me Loose" in the play, a song later remembered in all of Irwin's major obituaries. [9]

Cast

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References

  1. The Best Plays of 1894-99, p. 189 (1955)
  2. (30 December 1896). Mary Irwin in a New Farcical Vaudeville Play, The Sun
  3. (30 November 1896). Amusements, Omaha Daily Bee
  4. Amusements, Omaha Daily Bee
  5. (6 December 1896). Amusements, Omaha Daily Bee (review of play)
  6. (12 December 1896). Music and the Drama, Kansas City Daily Journal
  7. (30 December 1896). Notes of the Stage, Indianapolis Journal
  8. Lee, Mauren D. Sissieretta Jones: "The Greatest Singer of Her Race," 1868-1933, p. 158 (2012)
  9. Ammen, Sharon. May Irwin: Singing, Shouting, and the Shadow of Minstrelsy, p. 100 (2017)
  10. (6 February 1897). "Courted Into Court", The Illustrated American , p. 204