As promised in my previous post, here are some examples of posters that advertised different shows at the Homestake Opera House in its early days.
In our image-enriched lives, we look at these posters and think they’re not much to look at. We’re used to explosive color and clever graphics to catch our attention and suck us in. These posters deserve a closer look, however. The descriptions of the productions are definitely worth a second glance. If I was a bored citizen of the early 1900s, I’d have been terribly excited.
Take the first poster up there, for example. It advertises a play called “Better Times.” To begin with, the play was presented by the “The Mammoth Home Talent Minstrel Show.” What a name! Does “Mammoth” refer to the city? To the size of the company? To the amount of talent? A clever choice of wording, regardless. And better yet, they boast that their show has “Catchy songs, the kind you can whistle,” and “Latest in clog and fancy dancing,” not to mention “Electical effects” and “Correct costumes.”
Next we have the play “Partners.” This original show was produced in 1916 and set in the Black Hills themselves. I must let the playbill speak for itself:
In those strange days, people coming from God knows where, joined forces in the Black Hills, and according to the custom of the camp, their very names were soon lost and unrecorded, and here they struggled, laughed, gambled, loved and worked out their strange destinies in a manner incredible to us of today. Of one thing only are we sure - THEY LIVED. You will find in the play of “PARTNERS” living, breathing scenes, and what can be accomplished in this glorious climate of THE BLACK HILLS. It’s a Howler - You Bet!
You bet! And I love the bit about “in a manner incredible to us of today.” 1916 doesn’t seem like it was that long after the gold rush days, though a little math helped me realize it was actually 40 years. Though I can imagine talking about the ’60s or ’70s that way, I bet my parents couldn’t. In any case, this “original comedy dramatic romance” was sure to be a hit.
And then we have Mr. Chaplin. Between live performances, the Opera House functioned as a movie theater. The original showing of this movie was in 1926, and it was reprised in the 1980s as Lead brought a little of the past back to the present.
And finally, I’m happy to announce that I have landed the staring role in the upcoming production of “Fiddle on the Roof.” Okay okay, not exactly the staring role, but I got a good part. You should all stop by and see! First two weekends in May. I’ll save you seats.
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