Niblo’s Garden Theatre

Niblo’s developed near Broadway and Houston streets in New York City from an outdoor suburban recreation park to a succession of theatres through the middle years of the 1800s. In later incarnations, a large stage allowed for extravaganzas, including The Black Crook, recognized as perhaps the first modern musical comedy.

In the poster below, the finale is shown as an army of attractive Amazons win the day. The Black Crook ran for sixteen months on the Niblo’s stage from 1866, drawing crowds for an unheard-of run length and helping invent the formula for the American musical.

P. T. Barnum is said to have staged his first show there early on, and in 1873, dime-novel author Ned Buntline staged his show Scouts of the Prairie at Niblo’s. He was also a cast member, displaying some dubious acting talents. Buntline’s play was legendarily bad, but because it actually featured the real Buffalo Bill Cody and the real Texas Jack Omohundro, it was a huge success.

The Actress Detective, or, The Invisible Hand was first released on September 25, 1889, in Beadle’s New York Dime Library. Pictured is a scene on the Niblo’s Garden stage when the Actress Detective, dressed in costume, has just knocked out an assailant.

And here is The Actress Detective in the brilliant new edition from Dark Lantern Tales — the same novel, set on the same stage, available now in trade paperback and on Kindle.