Did John Wilkes Booth ever perform in Detroit?

[LincolnMan]

I think I remember reading somewhere that he did. Living here in Michigan near Detroit- it is of particular interest to me. Any information on this by Forum members is greatly appreciated. I would also desire to give credit on my Lincoln blog for the source(s).

[L Verge]

Terry Alford or Art Loux would be good sources for this. I'll see what I can find out.

[Donna McCreary]

There is a book titled Lust for Fame: The Stage Career of John Wilkes Booth which has a list of his performances. The book was written by Gorden Samples.

[RJNorton]

Stanley Kimmel's book has Edwin appearing there one time but no mention of John.

[BettyO]

As Laurie said -- this is a great question for Art Loux or Terry Alford....

[LincolnMan]

Hopefully an answer will come. Thanks for all your help everyone. Besides being from Detroit myself-it may be of interest to us what Northern venues Booth performed in.

[L Verge]

Here's the very detailed response from Art Loux, author of the limited edition John Wilkes Booth Day by Day:



1861

November 11, Monday. DETROIT.

-Booth played Julian St. Pierre in The Wife at Mrs. H. A. Perry's Metropolitan Theatre. Booth's friend, John Albaugh, was in the cast.1

November 12, Tuesday. DETROIT.

-"A highly appreciative audience was present . . . to witness Mr. J. W. Booth's rendition of Macbeth, and we doubt whether an audience ever went away more thoroughly satisfied . . . It [the play] has been played, it has been played at, and it has been murdered. The first is what may be said of Mr. Booth's representation. The closing scene, the combat, was probably never excelled, if even equaled, in this city."

November 13, Wednesday. DETROIT.

-Booth played Othello.

November 14, Thursday. DETROIT.

-"Notwithstanding the unfavorable portent of the weather last evening, there was a goodly assemblage at the theatre to witness Mr. Booth's impersonation of Othello. The play was a most decided success. Mr. Booth fully sustained all that has previously been said of his superior qualities as an actor. Mr. Albaugh won new laurels by his masterly rendition of Iago, also did Mrs. Perry . . ."

November 15, Friday. DETROIT.

-Booth, in his benefit, played Richard III and appeared as Romeo Jaffier Jenkins in the afterpiece, Too Much for Good Nature. Albaugh portrayed Richmond. "The piece was admirably produced . . . the sword combat in the last act between Richard and Richmond being decidedly the best and most thrilling scene that has ever been produced on the stage of the Metropolitan."

November 16, Saturday. DETROIT.

-"To-night Mr. Booth concludes a highly successful engagement. The announcement that it is his last performance will be sufficient to pack the house. An admirable bill is presented in Hamlet . . . Mr. Booth during his short appearance has won a host of friends who will heartily welcome him to the boards of the Metropolitan again."

November 17, Sunday. DETROIT.

November 18, Monday. DETROIT.

-Kate Bateman could not appear on the first night of her engagement and Booth substituted with Richard III.

November 19, Tuesday. DETROIT.

-Booth's Russell House hotel bill listed charges of $1.00 for `Segars', $5.50 bar and $1.00 for washing. Room charges for nine days totaled $14.38.2

November 20, Wednesday. DETROIT.

-Booth wrote an acrostic for a friend, "To Fanny, In the following initials you will

F ind a soul made up of truth,

A nd yet in mortal form.

N ot clouded by the vanities of youth

N or shaded by pride's fitful storm

Y es, she's one to serve, as instar omnium.

Yours with all respect. J. Wilkes Booth Detroit. Nov 20th/61"3



1. Detroit Free Press, November 13. Unless otherwise noted the sources of reviews and plays for this engagement are issues of the Detroit Free Press.



2. Account statement from Russell House in LASE 170.



3. Rhodehamel and Taper, eds., Right or Wrong, p. 74. JWB to Fanny, November 20, 1861.

[LincolnMan]

Laurie: thank you so much-and Mr. Loux too. Fascinating account. Booth was a hit in Detroit! Interesting that, at the time, the Civil War was in progress. Nice little ditty about Booth's acrostic for FANNY. He was ever the charmer, wasn't he! Whatever the Metropolitan Theater was- it is long gone. As far as the Russell House Hotel it is gone as well. Russell Street in Detroit is well known to me. My second-great maternal grandfather was a streetcar conductor on what was the "Russell Street Line" in the early 1900's. Russell Street is part of one of the oldest sections of Detroit now. I'm going to look into this further and see what else I might find about Mr. Booth's visit to Detroit. Good stuff!

---

Laurie: I went online to try and purchase the book but didn't find it!

[LincolnMan]

Donna: I just ordered the Lust For Fame book from Amazon. Thanks for the tip. I see that the Loux book is next to impossible to get

[BettyO]

I've been drooling for one of those for nearly 25-30 years!!! We're pushing Art.... HA!

[L Verge]

Art only published about a dozen copies of this great piece of detective work and gave them to a tight group of assassination researchers. The James O. Hall Research Center at Surratt House keeps its copy under tight security.

The museum has volunteered to help in getting it published again; however, the format in which it was done those many years ago is creating some problems. I also believe that Art wants to do some updating.

I can truthfully say that Art Loux is one of the unsung heroes in the field of Booth and Lincoln assassination research. He has been so helpful to so many of us and has never taken advantage of others or sought the limelight. He's part of that old world of gentlemen historians that Betty and I were so fortunate to be tutored by.

[LincolnMan]

Laurie: thanks for the background info. Hopefully it will see the light of day in a broader and even updated way!

[LincolnMan]

Okay, this stuff gets weird at times, doesn't it? According to the book Nineteenth-Century American Woman Theater Managers by Jane Kathleen Curry- Mrs. H.A. Perry of the Metropolitan Theater in Detroit married Junius Brutus Booth Jr.(in 1867). Prior to that, in 1865, she made her Broadway debut in Our American Cousin playing Florence Trenchard. So besides hosting John Wilkes Booth in her theater in Detroit in 1861- and marrying his brother in 1867-she took on a role as an actress so very associated with Booth and Lincoln. She was known as "Agnes Booth."

[Laurie Verge]

Welcome to the world of Six Degrees of Separation related to the Lincoln assassination. There are lots of "coincidental" things in our studies. We can tie the assassination to the Beatles: The church that sheltered John Surratt, Jr. in Liverpool was where Paul McCartney sang in the choir.

[LincolnMan]

Laurie: Now that is too cool! Should I mention "Happiness Is A Warm Gun?"