Bird Cage Theatre

Bird Cage Theatre

The Bird Cage Theatre originally opened as The Elite Theatre on December 25, 1881, during the height of the silver boom in Tombstone, Arizona. Consisting of the theater, a saloon, a gambling parlour, and a brothel, it operated continuously – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – for the next 8 years. It gained a reputation as one of the wildest places in Tombstone, prompting The New York Times to report in 1882 that "the Bird Cage Theatre is the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast". The numerous bullet holes in the building lend credence to this claim.

Many famous entertainers of the day performed here over the years, including Eddy Foy, Lotta Crabtree, Lily Langtree, and Lola Montez. It is reported that the popular song, "She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage" was written after a conversation occurred between Eddie Foy and songwriter Arthur Lamb concerning the ladies at the Elite who performed in 14 cages suspended from the ceiling in the main hall. Shortly thereafter, the owner changed the name to The Bird Cage.

The basement poker room is said to be the site of the longest-running poker game in history. Played continuously 24 hours a day for eight years, five months, and three days, legend has it that as much as 10 million dollars changed hands during the marathon game, with the house retaining 10 percent. Some of the participants were Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Diamond Jim Brady, and George Randolph Hearst. When ground water began seeping into the mines in the late 1880s the town went bust, the Bird Cage Theatre along with it. The poker game ended and the building was sealed up in 1889.

The building was not opened again until it was purchased in 1934, and the new owners were delighted to find that almost nothing had been disturbed in all those years. It has been a tourist attraction ever since, and is open to the general public year-round, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm daily. The theater is said to be haunted. [ [http://www.ghost-trackers.org/birdcage.htm Bird Cage Theater In Haunted Tombstone, Arizona ] ] [ [http://www.scifi.com/ghosthunters/episodes/episodes.php?seas=3&ep=0301&act=1 Ghost Hunters, Season 3, Episode 1, "Tombstone"] ]

Image gallery

References

External links

*http://www.cityoftombstone.com/ Official website
* [http://www.tombstonechamber.com/ Official Chamber of Commerce website]
* [http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=88&ResourceType=District Tombstone Historic District] from a National Park Service website
* [http://www.tombstoneweb.com/ Tombstone business directory]
* [http://www.black-brothers.com/songs/52.htm|"She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage"] words to the song


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • theatre — /thee euh teuhr, theeeu /, n. theater. * * * I Building or space in which performances are given before an audience. It contains an auditorium and stage. In ancient Greece, where Western theatre began (5th century BC), theatres were constructed… …   Universalium

  • List of compositions by John Cage — This is a list of compositions by John Cage (1912 ndash;1992), arranged in chronological order by year of composition. List of works Apprenticeship period (1932 ndash;1936)* Greek Ode , for voice and piano (1932) * First Chapter of Ecclesiastes ( …   Wikipedia

  • La Cage aux Folles (film) — Infobox Film name = La Cage aux Folles image size = 150px caption = French poster director = Édouard Molinaro starring = Ugo Tognazzi Michel Serrault released = France 25 October, 1978 USA 30 March, 1979 Australia 1 March, 1980 runtime = 110 mins …   Wikipedia

  • Berkeley Community Theatre — The Berkeley Community Theatre is a theatre located in Berkeley, California on the campus of Berkeley High School. The theater has 3,500 seats, including a balcony section. A large stage is extended by an orchestra pit that can be raised or… …   Wikipedia

  • An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump — Infobox Painting title=An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump artist=Joseph Wright of Derby year=1768 type=Oil on canvas height=183 width=244 height inch=72 width inch =94½ museum = National Gallery city = London, England An Experiment on a Bird …   Wikipedia

  • An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump — Demande de traduction An Expe …   Wikipédia en Français

  • The Bird in a Cage — The Bird in a Cage, or The Beauties is a Caroline era comedy written by James Shirley, first published in 1633. The play is notable, even among Shirley s plays, for its lushness mdash; what one critic has called gay romanticism run mad. [Nason, p …   Wikipedia

  • Nicolas Cage — Cage at the at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con International …   Wikipedia

  • Critics' Circle Theatre Award — For other uses, see Critics Circle (disambiguation). The Critics Circle Theatre Awards, originally called Drama Theatre Awards prior to 1989,[1] are British theatrical awards presented annually for the closing year s theatrical achievements. The… …   Wikipedia

  • Rough for Theatre II — [ framed|right|B in the Beckett on Film adaptation] Rough for Theatre II (also known simply as Theatre II ) is a short play by Samuel Beckett. “Although this discarded piece of theatre is dated ‘circa 1960’ in End and Odds , a manuscript from two …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”