The Widow Jones is a musical comedy created by the writer John J. McNally as a star vehicle for the actress and singer May Irwin.[1] The musical used song material by a variety of song writers which used a "Negro dialect".[2][1] Premiering at the Boston Museum theatre and backed by the Boston producers Rich & Harris, the play toured in cities through the United States in 1895-1896; including two separate runs at Broadway's Bijou Theatre. The work is best remembered today for its Act 1 kiss scene which was re-created by Irwin with her co-star John C. Rice as a short film in Thomas Edison's The Kiss in 1896.
| The Widow Jones | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Music | Various |
| Lyrics | Various |
| Book | John J. McNally |
| Productions | 1895 Broadway 1901 Broadway |
Plot
editSetting: Maine
Irwin portrays Beatrice Byke an un-married "fat-fair-and-forty" woman who has run away to Maine and assumed the false identity of a widow going by the surname Jones in order to avoid her many ardent suitors.[2][1] Over the course of the play she is forced to pay the bills of her false husband, a man who allegedly died from drowning, only to eventually come face to face with the supposedly drowned man.[1]
Performances and Edison film
editThe Widow Jones premiered at the Boston Museum on September 2, 1895, and then went on tour for performances in cities throughout the United States.[2] Part of this tour included performances at Broadway's Bijou Theatre where it began its run on September 16, 1895.[1] The production left New York City to perform on tour, but ultimately returned for more performances at the Bijou Theatre beginning on March 16, 1896.[3] On April 21, 1896 at the Bijou Theatre the show's producer's, Rich & Harris of Boston, presented Irwin with a custom made silver perfume bottle and a plaque to celebrate the production's 300th performance given during the production's run (not all on Broadway, but collectively).[4]
Thomas Edison hired the play's stars, May Irwin and John Rice, to recreate the kiss seen in act 1 of the play for the 1896 short film, The Kiss, made in Edison's Kinetoscope process. The film was acquired by the Film Library of the Museum of Modern Art in 1935.[5]
Songs
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c d e Gerald Martin Bordman, Richard Norton (2010). American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle. Oxford University Press. p. 161. ISBN 9780199729708.
- ^ a b c d e "BOSTON'S NEW PRODUCTIONS.; " The Widow Jones," "The Globe Trotter," and "Burmah."". The New York Times. September 3, 1895. p. 3.
- ^ "May Irwin Returns to Town with" The Widow Jones."". The New York Times. March 17, 1896. p. 5.
- ^ "A SOUVENIR FOR MAY IRWIN.; Surprise Given to the Actress at the Bijou Last Night". The New York Times. April 22, 1896. p. 13.
- ^ "MUSEUM ACQUIRES 50-FOOT FILM KISS; Scene From 'The Widow Jones,' 1896 Vintage, Stars May Irwin in Romantic Vein". The New York Times. July 11, 1935. p. 23.
- ^ as indicated on cover of sheet music.
External links
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