Definition
An outbreak at the Astor Place Opera House in New York in 1849. The riot was the violent outcome of a rivalry between two leading Shakespearean actors of the time, the American Edwin Forrest and the English William Charles Macready. Forrest was the first native born American actor to qualify as a star in the 19th-century sense of the term. Macready, on the other hand, was the very model of a British gentleman: careful and cerebral.
During a performance on tour in England, Forrest received a slight which he attributed to Macready. As a result, when Macready returned for his third tour of the U.S., the fuse was lit. In May 1849, he arrived in New York to complete his tour. The popular penny press made the most of the quarrel between the two, but what really fueled the fire was the opportunity it offered certain local politicians who used the quarrel to solidify the power of the Nativist Party. The Nativists—later to emerge as the Know Nothing Movement—seized upon the feud to make it an "American" issue. They claimed that Macready was a symbol of English arrogance and snobbery.One of the ringleaders in this effort was E. Z. C. Judson, better known then, and now, as Ned Buntline, one of the originators of the dime novel and the creator of the legend of Buffalo Bill. Buntline and Tammany Hall politicians organized a demonstration to take place at the "aristocratic" Astor Place opera house recently constructed in a neighborhood made fashionable by the presence of John Jacob Astor's residence nearby.On the evening of May 10, some 10,000 to 15,000 people massed in front of the theater, while inside Macready was performing Macbeth. In an attempt to control the mob, the New York State Militia was called out. In the ensuing chaos, the soldiers were given orders to open fire. The results: approximately 22 killed and over 100 people wounded. Macready in disguise had to escape the theater and, later that evening, the city.The incident has formed the basis of Richard Nelson's drama Two Shakespearean Actors (1990) and played a major role in the theatrical superstition that Macbeth is an unlucky play.
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