The Poor of New York

The Poor of New York, also known as The Streets of New York, is a melodrama in five acts written by Dion Boucicault, adapted from the French play, Les Pauvres de Paris[1] which was written by Edouard-Louis-Alexandre Brisbarre and Eugene Nus.[2] It premiered at Wallack's Lyceum Theatre, of which Boucicault was the General Director, on December 8, 1857.[2]

The piece revolves around the efforts of a middle-class family, newly impoverished by the financial panic of 1857, to survive against a villainous banker. It was an immediate success and Boucicault went on to present it throughout Europe, changing locations and the title to reflect the locales it was playing.[3][4] The play has been adapted multiple times into films and musicals under the name The Streets of New York.[5]

  1. ^ Bordman, Gerald, and Hischak, Thomas S., Editors (1987). The Oxford Companion to American Theatre, Third Edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195169867. Retrieved 1 May 2013. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b The Poor of New York on the Internet Broadway Database
  3. ^ Bryer, Jackson R., and Hartig, Mary C., Editors (2010). The Facts On File Companion to American Drama, Second Edition. Facts on File, Inc. ISBN 9781438129662. Retrieved 1 May 2013. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ McConachie, Bruce (31 March 2010). Theatre Histories, an introduction. Routledge. ISBN 9780203879177. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  5. ^ Goble, p. 969