Alfred E. Aarons

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Alfred E. Aarons (also AE Aarons; born November 16, 1865 in Philadelphia , † November 16, 1936 in New York City ) was an American composer and theater producer , theater director , songwriter and musical director on Broadway .

Life

Parents, childhood and first years of employment, 1865 to 1892

Alfred E. Aarons parents were the cloth merchant Aaron Aarons and his wife Elizabeth. He attended public schools in Philadelphia. At fifteen he started working at the Central Theater box office . After various other occupations in the theater, he founded an artist agency for theater and vaudeville in Philadelphia. In 1890 he went to New York and opened an office there too. In the same year he married Ella M. Aarons. His son Alexander A. Aarons also became a well-known theater producer and worked with George Gershwin . After the fire on April 27, 1892, in which the Grand Central Theater in Philadelphia was destroyed by fire during a performance , Alfred E. Aarons organized a benefit event on May 7, 1892.

Period from 1892 to 1899

From 1892 Aarons worked for Oscar Hammerstein and became his agent in Europe. In this role he went to Europe every year to hire artists for vaudeville shows. After Aarons had already taken over the management of Hermann's Theater, he opened the Alhambra Music Hall in New York with 1,000 seats as manager in 1894 . On September 2, 1895 he opened the former Herrmann's Theater under the name Gaiety Theater with the vaudeville show The White Crook. In the following months he organized international vaudeville here . In June 1897 he became manager of Koster & Bial's Music Hall in New York. On September 24, 1897, The Sun reported that Alfred E. Aarons, director of Koster & Bial's Music Hall, was on trial for selling liquor and bail was set at $ 500. In 1897 he began working with Mark Klaw and Abraham Erlanger of the Theatrical Syndicate . In an interview with the New York Tribune , Aarons stated that he had just been on his annual hunt for attractions in Europe, and he listed a number of the new engagements: Miss Cissie Loftus, an imitation artist - the Marianis, two Italian dancers - the Merkel sisters , Hand balancing artists - Blanche Deliere - The Avolos, musicians - the five Sennetts, grotesque acrobats and many others. In the course of the year, Aarons organized a vaudeville syndicate in opposition to an association of other theater directors called the Hopson-Carson Circuit in order to have the most popular artists from Europe perform for its theaters. This was what the newspapers called the Vaudeville Syndicate War . In 1899 he was divorced from his wife Ella. He received custody of his son Alexander. The collaboration with Koster & Bial's also ended this month .

Period from 1899 to 1927

He then founded the Alfred E. Aarons Amusement Company. As a new project, he rented Krause's Music Hall on 35th Street and renamed it the Savoy Theater. He now also composed songs that were inserted into Broadway musicals , such as Ragtime Liz in the musical Mam'selle 'Awkins, the first which he produced in 1900. Soon he was composing musicals that he produced himself. So 1900 Mam'selle 'Awkins and The Military Maid. His wife Josefine Hall played the main role in both. In The Military Maid , for example, she sang the popular hit Sister Mary has the measles. The next productions were not very successful. In 1901 he produced The Ladies' Paradise by Ivan Caryll as the first ever musical at the Metropolitan Opera House . It was not until 1906 that he achieved some success again with His Honor the Mayor . Aarons organized the International Theater Managers Association for Klaw and Erlanger , which was active in the USA and Canada . After his wife Josefine Hall died, Aarons married actress Leila Hughes in 1915. Their daughter, Ruth Hughes Aarons, was the only American table tennis world champion to date . They also had a son named Lisle. Through his collaboration with the Theatrical Syndicate, he gained a powerful position within Broadway structures.

In 1919, Aarons planned another musical entitled La, La, Lucille , which Victor Herbert would compose. But his son Alex introduced him to George Gershwin. Both were so impressed with him that they commissioned him to compose the musical. It became Gershwin's first Broadway musical, which he composed entirely himself. His son Alex, who had previously owned a fashion boutique, produced it as his first musical together with George B. Seitz . Gershwin was also to compose the next project. However, this suggested Victor Youmans and his own brother Ira Gershwin , who still worked under the pseudonym Arthur Francis. Two Little Girls in Blue was written in 1921 , the first complete score of both for the theater. Before production began, Erlanger took over production from the Aarons. This was followed with the next productions trips to the spoken theater - 1922 Yama and the Drums of Jeopardy and 1923 Magnolia by Booth Tarkington . In 1925, both Aarons had a failure with A Night Out . In 1925 Alfred E. Aarons produced Gershwin's Tell me more . The production had some success with 100 performances in New York, which was far surpassed by the production of his son Alex in London with 263 performances.

Period from 1927 to 1936

In 1927, Aarons produced the operetta My princess by Sigmund Romberg . Unfortunately, the premiere night on October 6, 1927 coincided with the premiere of the first sound film The Jazz Singer . The next productions were also largely unsuccessful, such as the police drama Headquarters in 1929 , The Girl Outside in 1932 and $ 25 an Hour in 1933 . Aarons continued to direct New York's major theaters such as The New Amsterdam , The Broadhurst , The National and The Vanderbilt at the onset of the Great Depression . He chaired the Special Committee on Theater on the New York Mayor's Unemployment Assistance Committee. Aarons died on November 16, 1936 after surgery at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center . The funeral services took place on November 18, 1936 in the Episcopal Church of all Angels . He was buried in the Kensico Cemetary .

Works and productions (selection)

The IBDB lists fourteen pieces composed by Alfred E. Aarons or produced on Broadway.

Musicals

Mam'selle 'Awkins

The musical in three acts was produced at the Victoria Theater by Alfred E. Aarons. The world premiere took place on February 26, 1900. It had been performed thirty-five times by the time it was last performed on March 31, 1900. It takes place in a hotel in Eastbourne , England. The music comes from Herman Perlot and Alfred E. Aarons, who contributed ten songs. The book and the text are by Richard Carle. Frank Gabriel was the musical director and Frank Smithson directed. The title role was played by Josefine Hall, Alfred E. Aaron's wife.

Songs
  • Dolly
  • Drink and let's be gay, convivial song OCLC 497019525
  • Ragtime Liz

The military maid

The musical in two acts was produced at the Savoy Theater by Alfred E. Aarons. The world premiere took place on October 8, 1900. It had been performed eight times by the time it was last performed on October 13, 1900. It takes place in the Chateau d'Norville and in the barracks of the Madagascar Musketeers . The music is by Alfred E. Aarons and David Henderson. The book in the French original, the translation and the text of the musical are by George V. Hobart.

The Ladies Paradise

The musical in two acts was produced at the Metropolitan Opera House by Alfred E. Aarons. It was the first musical ever to be produced at the Met. The first performance took place on September 16, 1901. It had been performed fourteen times by the time it was last performed on September 28, 1901. It takes place in Versailles and Paris . The music is by Ivan Caryll. Alfred E. Aarons produced it and composed four songs. Book and text are by George Dance. It also included songs by Richard Carle and Templer Saxe.

The Knickerbocker Girl

The musical in two acts was produced at the Herald Square Theater by John Howe junior. The first performance took place on June 15, 1903. It had been performed fourteen times by the time it was last performed on June 27, 1903. It plays at Westchester Golf Club in New York and in the city of Danero in South America. The music comes from Alfred E. Aarons. Book and text are by George Totten Smith. Anton Heindl was the musical director. It also included a song by ME Rourke.

Songs

  • Brother Bill

A china doll

The two-act musical was produced at Whitney FC's Majestic Theater. The premiere took place on November 19, 1904. It had been performed eighteen times by the time it was last performed on December 3, 1904. It's set in Hong Kong. The music comes from Alfred E. Aarons. The book is by Harry B. Smith. The text is by Robert B. Smith and Harry B. Smith. Alfred E. Aarons was the musical director.

Songs: Apple Mary Maguire ; The Butterfly and the Clover ; Cafe Chantant ; The Dew on the Heather [The dew on the heather;]; How to Be happy though married ; Little China Doll ; Mistakes Are Apt to Happen ; One Umbrella Would Be Big Enough for Two [One umbrella would be big enough for two]

His Honor the Mayor

The musical in two acts was initially produced by Alfred E. Aarons at the New York Theater. The premiere took place on May 28, 1906. Production started on July 30th at Wallack's Theater. By the time it was last performed there on August 25, 1906, it had been performed one hundred four times. It takes place in the courtyard of the Hotel La Carte in Paris, on Margaret Island and an ice palace in Budapest . The music comes from Julian Edwards and Alfred E. Aarons, who contributed four songs. Book and text are by Charles J. Campbell and Ralph M. Skinner. Between September 17 and 29, 1906, it was performed sixteen more times at Wallack's Theater. Between June 3 and June 15, 1907, there were another sixteen and between November 25 and December 7, 1907 another seventeen performances.

Songs
  • A little girl like me

The deacon and the lady

The musical in two acts was initially produced by Alfred E. Aarons and Louis F. Werba at the Henry Miller's Theater. The premiere took place on October 4, 1910. It had been performed sixteen times by the time it was last performed on October 15, 1910. It is set in Floodville, Vermont, as well as in New York City. The music comes from Alfred E. Aarons. Book and text are by George Totten Smith.

La, La, Lucille

The musical in three acts, the first musical composed entirely by George Gershwin, was initially produced by Alfred E. Aarons and George B. Seitz at the New York Theater. The first performance took place on May 26, 1919. Production started on August 9th at the Criterion Theater. There were no performances between August 19 and September 8, 1919 due to the Actors' Equity Association strike . It had been performed one hundred and four times by the time it was last performed on October 11, 1919. The musical takes place between five in the afternoon and two in the morning in New York City. The book is by Fred Jackson and the text by Arthur J. Jackson and BG De Sylva .

Other productions

The Drums of Jeopardy

The play in five scenes was produced by Alfred E. Aarons at the Gaiety Theater. It premiered on May 29, 1922 and had eight performances. It's set in New York City. The text is by Howard Herrick and Harold MacGrath.

Magnolia

The play in three acts by Booth Tarkington was produced by Alfred E. Aarons at the Liberty Theater. It premiered on August 27, 1923 and had forty performances by October of the same year. The play is set on a pier in Magnolia, Mississippi , in 1841 .

My princess

The operetta in two acts by Sigmund Romberg was produced by Alfred E. Aarons at the Shubert Theater. It premiered on October 6, 1927 and was performed twenty times by the time it was last performed on October 22, 1927. The operetta is based on the play The Proud Princess, a modern fairy-tale in four acts from 1923 by Edward Sheldon and Dorothy Donnelly, who also wrote the libretto for the operetta. It plays on Long Island and in New York.

Headquarters

The play in three acts by Hugh Stanislaus Stange was produced by Sidney Wilmer, Walter Vincent and Alfred E. Aarons at the Forrest Theater. The premiere took place on December 4, 1929 and was performed fifteen times.

The Girl Outside

The play in five scenes by John King Hodges and Samuel Merwin was produced by Alfred E. Aarons at the Little Theater. The premiere took place on October 24, 1932 and was performed eight times.

Twenty-five dollars an hour

The play in three acts by Gladys Unger and Leyla Georgie based on a design by Erno Balogh was produced by Alfred E. Aarons at the Theater Masque. The first performance took place on May 10, 1933 and was performed twenty-two times.

literature

  • Aarons, Alfred E. In: Gerald Bordman, Thomas S. Hischak: The Oxford Companion to American Theater. Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0-19516-986-7
  • Aarons, Alexander A. 1891-1943 and Aarons Alfred E. 1865-1936. In: Don B. Wilmeth, Tice L. Miller: The Cambridge Guide to American Theater, 1996. ISBN 978-0-52156-444-1
  • James Ross Moore: AARONS, Alfred E. .. In: John A. Garraty, Mark C. Carnes: American National Biography . Oxford University Press

Web links

Digital copies

  1. ^ Dolly as a digitized version in The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection
  2. ^ Ragtime Liz as a digitized version in The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection
  3. ^ Ragtime Liz as a digitized version in The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection
  4. ^ Brother Bill as a digitized copy in the Digital Gallery of Bowling Green State University
  5. ^ Brother Bill as a digitized copy in the Washington University Digital Gateway
  6. ↑ A China Doll, piano reduction as digitized version in the Sibley Music Library
  7. ^ His Honor the Mayor, piano reduction as digitized version in the Sibley Music Library
  8. ↑ A little Girl like me as a digital copy in The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection
  9. ↑ A little Girl like me as a digitized version in the Library of Congress

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d The Broadway League: Alfred E. Aarons - Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB. Retrieved August 17, 2017 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Gerald Bordman, Thomas S. Hischak: The Oxford Companion to American Theater . Oxford University Press, USA, 2004, ISBN 978-0-19-516986-7 ( google.de [accessed August 17, 2017]).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k James Ross Moore: Alfred E. Aarons. In: American National Biography. John A. Garraty, Mark C. Carnes, accessed August 17, 2017 .
  4. ^ To-morrow's Benefit . In: The Times . Philadelphia May 6, 1892, p. 1 (English, newspapers.com ).
  5. ^ A Music Hall for Harlem . In: The World . New York February 10, 1894, p. 3 (English, newspapers.com ).
  6. ^ New York tribune. (New York [NY]) 1866-1924, August 04, 1895, Image 8 . August 4, 1895, ISSN  1941-0646 ( loc.gov [accessed August 17, 2017]).
  7. ^ New York tribune. (New York [NY]) 1866-1924, August 18, 1895, Image 20 . August 18, 1895, ISSN  1941-0646 , p. 20 ( loc.gov [accessed August 17, 2017]).
  8. ^ Manager Mc Connell resigns . In: The New York Times . New York June 13, 1897, p. 5 (English, newspapers.com ).
  9. ^ The sun. (New York [NY]) 1833-1916, September 24, 1897, Image 7 . September 24, 1897, ISSN  1940-7831 , p. 7 ( loc.gov [accessed August 18, 2017]).
  10. ^ New York tribune. (New York [NY]) 1866-1924, August 21, 1898, Image 12 . August 21, 1898, ISSN  1941-0646 ( loc.gov [accessed August 18, 2017]).
  11. ^ Vaudeville Syndicate War . In: The New York Times . New York July 29, 1897, p. 7 (English, newspapers.com ).
  12. ↑ Theater Managers at War . In: The San Francisco Call . San Francisco November 6, 1897, p. 2 (English, newspapers.com ).
  13. ^ Alfred E. Aarons gets a divorce . In: The New York Times . New York June 8, 1899, p. 7 (English, newspapers.com ).
  14. ↑ Dramatic Notes . In: The Buffalo Times . Buffalo, New York October 18, 1899, p. 10 (English, newspapers.com ).
  15. ^ Another Music Hall . In: The New York Times . New York June 29, 1899, p. 7 (English, newspapers.com ).
  16. ^ Alfred E. Aarons seriously ill . In: The New York Times . New York August 1, 1899, p. 4 (English, newspapers.com ).
  17. ↑ Steven Suskin: Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers . Oxford University Press, USA, 2010, ISBN 978-0-19-531407-6 ( google.de [accessed September 25, 2017]).
  18. ^ Alfred E. Aarons - Broadway Theater Manager . In: Daily News . New York November 17, 1936, p. 626 (English, newspapers.com ).
  19. ^ New York tribune. (New York [NY]) 1866-1924, February 11, 1900, Image 28 . February 11, 1900, ISSN  1941-0646 , p. 8 ( loc.gov [accessed August 18, 2017]).
  20. ^ New York tribune. (New York [NY]) 1866-1924, May 13, 1900, Image 30 . May 13, 1900, ISSN  1941-0646 , p. 14 ( loc.gov [accessed August 18, 2017]).
  21. ↑ Mam'zelle'Awkins . In: The Portsmouth Herald . Portsmouth, New Hampshire February 13, 1900, p. 6 (English, newspapers.com ).
  22. ↑ Ken Bloom: A CHINA DOLL . In: American song: the complete musical theater companion . Facts on File Publications, New York, NY Oxford: 1985, ISBN 0-87196-961-0 , pp. 121 (English, archive.org [accessed September 26, 2017]).
  23. ↑ Donald J. Stubblebine: Early Broadway Sheet Music: A Comprehensive Listing of Published Music from Broadway and Other Stage Shows, 1843-1918 . McFarland, 2010, ISBN 978-1-4766-0560-9 ( google.de [accessed September 25, 2017]).
  24. ↑ Donald J. Stubblebine: Early Broadway Sheet Music: A Comprehensive Listing of Published Music from Broadway and Other Stage Shows, 1843-1918 . McFarland, 2010, ISBN 978-1-4766-0560-9 ( google.de [accessed September 25, 2017]).
  25. ↑ Steven Suskin: Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers . Oxford University Press, USA, 2010, ISBN 978-0-19-531407-6 ( google.de [accessed September 25, 2017]).
personal data
SURNAME Aarons, Alfred E.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Aarons, AE
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer, theater producer, theater director, songwriter and musical director on Broadway
DATE OF BIRTH November 16, 1865
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia
DATE OF DEATH November 16, 1936
Place of death New York City