Italian-American Immigrant Theatre of New York City

Italian-American theatre sprang to life in New York City shortly after waves of Italian immigrants poured into this country in the 1870s. The mass migration brought both the performers and the audiences necessary for theatrical entertainment. Hungry for recognition support and social exchange the men and women from Italy formed amateur theatrical clubs as one way of satisfying emotional needs. By 1900 the community had produced the major forces that created the Italian-American theatre of the ensuing decades. In The Italian-American Immigrant Theatre of New York City author Emelise Aleandri regenerates the excitement of the stage through striking photographs programs and other memorabilia generously loaned by families of the theatre community. She follows the fortunes of the earliest nineteenth-century companies and introduces those that arose in the twentieth-century. Within these pages are scenes of comedy tragedy vaudeville and radio featuring stars such as Mimi Cecchini Guglielmo Ricciardi Concetta Arcamone Antonio Maiori Rita Berti Farfariello and Olga Barbato.