#niblo's

[shakespearenews]

Niblo’s Garden, Yiddish Broadway and the American Musical - New York Almanack

In cities with growing populations and increased prosperity during the 18th and 19th centuries, the demand for amusement venues rose dramatically.

In 1825, William Niblo transformed a square block on Broadway into a pleasure garden lit by hanging lanterns. Later renovations included a theater where in April 1850 he presented America’s premiere of Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth with the legendary Italian operatic soprano Antonio Bosio as Lady Macbeth.

Theatrical historians have pointed to Niblo’s Garden as the birthplace of the modern musical.