One of our great pleasures, which brings us so much enjoyment and happy memories, is live entertainment – be it a rock concert, a classical orchestra or a theatre play or musical. In fact, live performances have entertained the populations throughout history, from the Greek tragedies and comedies, to the Roman plays and even their gladiatorial extravaganzas down to Shakespeare and his Globe theatre and, of course, Broadway’s great shows. Today the choice of live entertainment right here in Quinte covers the full spectrum, but it might be interesting to consider what type of entertainment did our grandparents enjoy?
In the late Victorian period, local audiences would gather at the large and elaborately decorated opera houses which presented a fascinating menu of musical and theatrical performances with large touring troops. The first opera house, located at the corner of Pinnacle and Campbell Streets, seated 1000 enclosed in colourful Victorian decoration featuring an elegant curving staircase leading to sumptuous private boxes and special seating. This opera house opened in March 1877 and one could imagine the elite of the town of Belleville, population about 9,000, heading out in the late winter chill, wrapped in their rich furs and finery; possibly beginning with dinner at the Hotel Quinte and then the short walk up the street to the opera house.
Opening night featured the Barnabee Concert Company of Boston with a variety show of singers and musicians. This was followed one week later by the Shaghram Company from the Montreal Academy of Music with 30 artists which presented a military drama, supported on stage by the local 15th Battalion of the Argyll Light Infantry. The opera house brought to Belleville an amazing range of performances on a weekly basis from high opera to Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. Tragically, this magnificent opera house burned to the ground in 1880, just three years after its triumphant opening.
The second opera house, opened in 1884 as the Belleville Opera House, later the Carman Opera House, then the Griffin Opera House and the Griffin Theatre was the epitome of mid-Victorian elegance and extravagance. Located at Church and Bridge Streets, it was built into the hill which allowed for a sloped seating area, providing excellent views from the 1300 seats. The interior was richly decorated with elaborate frescoes covering the walls and ceiling, colourful woodwork, lavish draperies and extravagant stage background scenery. This rich setting, when the stage was alive with vibrant singing and orchestras or dynamic acting troupes would provide a totally captivating atmosphere for the audiences.
Many of the productions brought classical plays, including The Three Musketeers and The Merchant of Venice; however, it appears the audiences favoured comedy as several plays were described as “comic opera” or “comedy farce”. In 1905, the New York Lyric Theatre bought a comedy play “Wang” with 70 actors. For lovers of classical music, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra entertained with 53 musicians.
A very different form of entertainment, reflecting the mood of the era, was a military play by the 15th Battalion, Argyll Light Infantry, which brought “thrilling dramatic situations, grand scenic effects …interspersed with rich humor” as described in the newspaper report. It opened with a scene depicting recruiting for India, followed by the embarkation of the troops, and fighting scenes with the Sepoys, including bayonet exercises.
One of the most popular spectacles, that was repeated almost annually at the Griffin, was the world-famous Haverly’s Minstrels. This company toured the U.S. and Canada for several years and always announced their arrival through boisterous parades through the town before their performances, led by a brass band, animals and the actors. The Haverly troop and other Minstrel shows brought the music and stories of the black American community; however, the actors were most often white men with their faces blackened. They were referred to as burnt cork minstrels as that was the means of blackening their faces. Later, some genuine black actors and musicians were included. Their 1891 performance was entitled, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” which portrayed the life of slaves on the plantation in dancing, skits and music. These shows presented very negative stereotypes of the lives of slaves and the character of the black people and fell out of favour in the early 1900s.
In June, 1913 the Opera House announced a change of policy to focus on vaudeville acts with comedy skits, singing and dancing, along with that new form of entertainment, the moving picture. The following year the Opera House, now owned by the Griffin Amusement Company which had a chain of 21 theatres, announced that they had a contract for a series of moving pictures featuring “The King of Comedians, Charlie Chaplain [sic]” in his Keystone Comedies. Also, at this time, a second moving picture house, the Palace Theatre, opened on Front Street. Moving pictures were immediate successes with sold out audiences enthralled by giant stars like “America’s Sweetheart” Mary Pickford (born in Toronto), and her husband Douglas Fairbanks. In 1917 Marie Dressler, (born Cobourg) teamed up with Charlie Chaplin to entertain and amaze local audiences.
Through the 1920s the community became increasingly enamoured by the famous Hollywood stars and the flood of silent movies. In 1924 the Belle Theatre opened on Front Street, followed in 1926 by the Capitol Theatre. The shift in entertainment taste through the 1920s led to the Griffin Theatre losing the large audiences required to stage the major theatrical shows concurrent with the expanded competition for movies. The aging Griffin Theatre closed and was demolished in 1933. In 1937, Dr. James Forrester built his residence and practice on the site, currently O’Flynn Weese law offices. In 1938, J.C. McCarthy built a super modern theatre on Front Street featuring the latest invention – high fidelity sound! The new era had replaced the grand old opera house.
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