Ramsey County History – Fall 1968: “Theater in Old St. Paul—Extravaganzas, Melodramas”

Theater in Old St. Paul—Extravaganzas, Melodramas
Author: Frank M. Whiting

Vignettes from early theater in St. Paul, beginning with an amateur production at Fort Snelling in the winter of 1821–22, through an “Around The World In 80 Days” extravaganza in 1890. Professional theater began in 1851, and traveling shows dominated the early decades. The first Grand Opera House went up in 1867, providing a suitable venue for national and international stars as well as burlesque entertainments. Many women’s productions were tried—“Female Minstrels,” “Living Art Statues,” “Frisky French Favorites,” some to acclaim. Storms, fires, disputes, and mishaps enlivened the cavalcade. “We may smile at the old Nineteenth Century theater of spectacle, thrills, laughter and tears, but it had its merits.”
PDF of Whiting article