Kirke La Shelle
Kirke La Shelle (September 23, 1862 – May 16, 1905) was an American journalist, playwright and theatrical producer. He was known for his association with such successful productions as The Wizard of the Nile, The Princess Chic, Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush, Arizona, The Earl of Pawtucket,
Early life
Milton Kirk LaShells
In his early teens La Shelle began his newspaper career as a printer's apprentice with the Wyoming Post Herald.[2]
Newspaper years
While still in his teens La Shelle joined the printing department of the Chicago Telegraph and eventually rose to be a
Theatre
From 1892 to 1895 La Shelle served as general manager and director of the Bostonians, a theatrical troupe previously known as the
In 1895 La Shelle partnered with Arthur F. Clarke, the Bostonians’ former business manager and advance man, to back the
In 1899 La Shelle directed a touring company headed by Wilton Lackaye that presented a stage adaptation of the Charles Lever novel, Charles O'Malley, the Irish Dragoon.[17]
That same year La Shelle wrote the book and lyrics for The Princess Chic, a comic opera composed by Julian Edwards. The Princess Chic debuted at Boston's Columbia Theatre on January 16, 1900, with Minnie Methot in the title rôle,[18] before making its Broadway premier at the Casino Theatre some three weeks later.[19] After closing early in March 1900 The Princess Chic embarked on a road tour that, over the next several seasons, would see the Princess Chic of Normandy played by Christie MacDonald, who had assumed the rôle in Boston after Methot withdrew due to a nagging injury,[20] Marguerite Sylva, Maude Lillian Berrl and Vera Michelena.[21]
In 1899 La Shelle produced the successful Augustus Thomas drama Arizona and, in 1901, The Bonnie Brier Bush, a drama adapted by playwright James MacArthur from the novel Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush by Ian Maclaren. With Rupert Hughes, Joseph W. Herbert, and Paul West he co-authored the book to the 1902 musical Tommy Rot.[22] He produced Augustus Thomas' 1903 hit comedy The Earl of Pawtucket, and the following year he produced Checkers, a comedy by Henry Blossom.[23]
La Shelle produced and shared the writing credits with
Personal life
On June 15, 1893, La Shelle married, in Chicago, Mazie Elizabeth Nodine, an Illinois native. The couple had two children, Mazie Maria and Kirke, born between 1898 and 1901. In 1904 La Shelle's health began to decline and he was eventually diagnosed as
La Shelle was laid to rest at a small cemetery near his summer home in Bellport. Serving as his
Resources
- ^ sometimes spelled La Shells, Lashells or LaShell
- ^ a b c d e f g The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography, Vol. XII, 1904, p. 185 Retrieved June 11, 2014
- ^ a b James LaShells, 1870 US Census, Wyoming, Illinois, Ancestry.com
- ^ History of Stark County, Illinois, usgennet.org Retrieved June 9, 2014
- ^ Illinois Marriages to 1850 - James R. Lashells, Sarah M. Williams, Sept. 22, 1850, Ancestry.com
- ^ U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, Harriet Lashells, May 1850, Ancestry.com
- ^ U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, Sarah M. La Shells, December 1869, Ancestry.com
- ^ Current Opinion, Vol. 5, July–December, 1890, p. 171
- ^ With Dog An' Gun. Indianapolis Sun, November 19, 1890, p. 3
- ^ In A Common Kind O' Way. Rochester Daily Republican (Rochester, Indiana), April 26, 1892, p. 4
- ^ No heading (col. 5). Wyoming Post Herald, October 1, 1891, p. 4
- ^ Miller, T., Wilmeth, D. B., 1889, p.324, A Hundred Years of Music in America, Retrieved June 9, 2014
- ^ originally titled The Wizard
- ^ A New Comic Opera. New York Times, March 10, 1895, p. 3
- ^ New York Athletic Club Journal, June 1905, p. 29 Retrieved June 9, 2014
- ^ Barnet, R. A. 1901, 'Miss Simplicity: A Musical comedy by R. A Burnet Retrieved June 13, 2014
- ^ Masonic Temple (advertisement). Fort Wayne Journal, April 20, 1899, p. 4
- ^ Drama and Music. Boston Daily Globe, January 16, 1900, p. 9
- ^ The Princess Chic Internet Broadway Database Retrieved June 17, 2014
- ^ Columbia Theatre. Boston Sunday Post, February 4, 1900, p. 16
- ^ At the Theatre. Los Angeles Herald, November 18, 1900, Part two, p. 1 - Old Friends Are Greeted at the Columbia Theater. The San Francisco Call, January 21, 1902, p. 3 – Achievement of Comic Opera Star Still Remains Fresh in Mind of Patriot. San Francisco Call, February 16, 1902, p. 22
- ISBN 9781538168943.
- ^ a b Kirke La Shelle, Internet Broadway Database Retrieved June 19, 2014
- ^ Kirke La Shelle Dead as Result of Accident. New York Times, May 17, 1905, p. 9
- ^ Kirke La Shelle's Funeral. New York Times, May 19, 1905, p. 9
- ^ The Trow (formerly Wilson's) Copartnership and Corporation Directory of New York, 1906, p. 405 Retrieved June 19, 2014
- ^ Good faith (law) - The New York Supplement, 1917, p. 1211 Retrieved June 20, 2014
- ^ Mrs. Kirke La Shelle to Wed. New York Times, May 21, 1908, p. 7
External links
Media related to Kirke La Shelle at Wikimedia Commons