Shakespeare A to Z | Astor Place Riot
Aperformance of Macbeth at the Astor Place Opera House in New York City in 1849 led to a riot in which 23 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded. The riot had its origins in a rivalry between the English actor William Charles Macready and the American actor Edwin Forrest. Macready was unpopular in the United States because of his superior attitude toward Americans. Forrest, by contrast, had many supporters in the United States as well as numerous admirers abroad. When Forrest toured England in 1846, however, he received a poor reception from British audiences, which he...
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