Performances at the Myar
At the Myar Opera House, a lot of stage plays and operas were performed there. There is not a ton of information on the internet about the Myar, so here is a summary of which performances were popular.
The Count of Monte Cristo (Stage Play)
The first opera to be performed at the Myar Opera House was called "The Count of Monte Cristo". On the opening night of the Myar, at exactly 7pm on Dec. 15, 1887, the doors opened to a tremendous crowd ready to see Alexandre Dumas's stage play with star characters James O'Neill and Sarah Bernhardt.
"The Count of Monte Cristo" is about a 19 year old boy named Edmond Dantès that has everything that he has ever wanted right in front of him; a fiancee named Mercédès, an up coming job as a captain of his own ship, and almost everyone he knows likes him. That is almost everyone. His so-called friends get jealous of all his luck and fortune so they frame him for treason and Edmond ends up getting framed for treason and tossed into jail for life by his enemies, and when he escaped the prison, he gets raw revenge on all of the people who stole 14 years of his life. This romantic, action packed stage performance really did set the bar for the Myar on opening night. The overture for “The Count of Monte Cristo” was played by The 16th Infantry Band. "The Count of Monte Cristo" was originally a book, but evolved into a stage play. |
Julius Cesare (Stage Play)
Another performance that did wonders for the Myar Opera House was “Julius Cesar”. This Shakespearean play was one of the well known shows put on at the Myar.
“Julius Cesar” took place 44 B.C. in Rome. This stage play was about two men named Brutus and Cassius, who are good friends of Julius Cesar, but they notice that the people want Cesar to be king. They treat him like a "God" even though both Brutus and Cassius know that he is no better than any other man. Though, their other friend, Antony, had offered him place as a king and holds Cesar above life itself. One day Brutus, Cassius and other jealous people decide that Cesar's fame has come far enough, and at a meeting, they all stab him to death. All of the men are overjoyed with their accomplishment, but Antony, who had later found out about the bloody murder, vows to avenge Cesar's death. This was a show about deception, power, and war, between these famous fiction characters incorporated in a real story, brought in a full house. |
Lucia de Lammermor (Opera)
“Lucia di Lammermoor” is an opera about a girl named Lucia Ashton who is in love with a man, Edgardo of Ravenswood, that is a rival to Lord Henry Ashton of Lammermoor, or Enrico, Lucia's brother.
In the time of this opera, Edgardo has to go to France for sometime, and they vow to keep their forbidden love a secret, but exchange rings so that they will get married when he returns. While he is gone, Lucia is forced to marry Arturo, Lord Arthur Bucklaw, because her brother’s fortune has started to fade and he selfishly wants to sacrifice her sister’s happiness to keep his fortune by tying the rich families together. In the midst of things that happen, the love between main characters, Lucia and her forbidden lover Edgardo, never fade. This story about everlasting love, murder, and family secrets was the last recorded opera put on at the Myar Opera House before it came to its flaming end. |