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85-633: The Garden Theatre was a major theater on Madison Avenue and 27th Street in Manhattan , New York City . The theatre opened on September 27, 1890, and closed in 1925. Part of the second Madison Square Garden complex, the theatre presented Broadway plays for two decades and then, as high-end theatres moved uptown to the Times Square area, became a facility for German and Yiddish theatre , motion pictures, lectures, and meetings of trade and political groups. The Garden Theatre has been erroneously referred to as

170-576: A farce of his own, The Doctor in Love , Molière was granted the use of salle du Petit-Bourbon near the Louvre, a spacious room appointed for theatrical performances. Later, he was granted the use of the theatre in the Palais-Royal . In both locations, Molière found success among Parisians with plays such as The Affected Ladies , The School for Husbands , and The School for Wives . This royal favour brought

255-489: A tragédie et ballet , Psyché , written in collaboration with Pierre Corneille and Philippe Quinault . In 1672, Madeleine Béjart died, and Molière suffered from this loss and from the worsening of his own illness. Nevertheless, he wrote a successful Les Fourberies de Scapin ("Scapin's Deceits"), a farce and a comedy in five acts. His following play, La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas , is considered one of his lesser works. Les Femmes savantes ( The Learned Ladies ) of 1672

340-512: A backdrop for the AMC television drama Mad Men , which focuses on industry activities during the 1960s. In recent decades, many agencies have left Madison Avenue, with some moving further downtown and others moving west. The continued presence of large agencies in the city made New York the third-largest job market per capita in the U.S. in 2016, according to a study by marketing recruitment firm MarketPro. Today, several agencies are still located in

425-637: A false floor and Macy's department store donated oriental rugs, stuffed chairs and couches. And ashtrays—smoking was banned in the big arena but allowed in "Macy's Convention Club", so the theatre became the " smoke-filled room " for the record 103-ballot convention. These are among the actors who performed in three or more plays at the Garden Theatre (mainly in the theatre's top years, 1890–1910) and were, or later became, widely known for their work in theatre or in motion pictures. (List excludes those named above.) Following are examples of plays that appeared at

510-466: A play and a ballet in the honor of Louis XIV and found that he did not have a big enough cast to meet these demands. Molière therefore decided to combine the ballet and the play so that his goal could be met while the performers catch their breath and change costume. The risky move paid off and Molière was asked to produce twelve more comédies-ballets before his death. During the comédies-ballets , Molière collaborated with Pierre Beauchamp . who codified

595-426: A position as one of the king's favourites and enjoyed his protection from the attacks of the court. The king allegedly suggested that Molière suspend performances of Tartuffe , and the author rapidly wrote Dom Juan ou le Festin de Pierre to replace it. It was a strange work, derived from a work by Tirso de Molina and rendered in a prose that still seems modern today. It describes the story of an atheist who becomes

680-508: A reference to the infant's large nose. Molière was called "Le Nez" by his family from that time. He lost his mother when he was 10, and he does not seem to have been particularly close to his father. After his mother's death, he lived with his father above the Pavillon des Singes on the rue Saint-Honoré , an affluent area of Paris. It is likely that his education commenced with studies at a Parisian elementary school, followed by his enrollment in

765-411: A religious hypocrite and, for this, is punished by God. This work too was quickly suspended. The king, demonstrating his protection once again, became the new official sponsor of Molière's troupe. With music by Lully , Molière presented L'Amour médecin ( Love Doctor or Medical Love ). Subtitles on this occasion reported that the work was given "par ordre du Roi" (by order of the king) and this work

850-588: A royal pension to his troupe and the title Troupe du Roi ("The King's Troupe"). Molière continued as the official author of court entertainments. Despite the adulation of the court and Parisians, Molière's satires attracted criticism from other circles. For Tartuffe 's impiety, the Catholic Church in France denounced this study of religious hypocrisy , which was followed by a ban by the Parlement , while Dom Juan

935-448: A satire against the official sciences. This was a success despite a moral treatise by the Prince of Conti, criticizing the theatre in general and Molière in particular. In several of his plays, Molière depicted the physicians of his day as pompous individuals who speak (poor) Latin to impress others with false erudition, and know only clysters and bleedings as (ineffective) remedies. After

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1020-470: A third arrived too late. The superstition that green brings bad luck to actors is said to originate from the colour of the clothing he was wearing at the time of his death. Under French law at the time, actors were not allowed to be buried in the sacred ground of a cemetery. However, Molière's widow, Armande, asked the King if her spouse could be granted a normal funeral at night. The King agreed and Molière's body

1105-478: A tribute both to Commedia dell'arte and to his teacher. Its theme of marital relationships dramatizes Molière's pessimistic views on the falsity inherent in human relationships. This view is also evident in his later works and was a source of inspiration for many later authors, including (with different effect), 20th century Nobel Prize winner Luigi Pirandello . It describes a kind of round dance where two couples believe that each of their partners has been betrayed by

1190-506: A vehicle other than a bus in the bus lane on Madison Avenue to turn right during the restricted hours specified by sign between 42nd Street and 59th Street is prohibited, then permitted at 60th Street, but a taxicab carrying a passenger may use the bus lane to turn right at 46th Street. Bikes are excluded from this prohibition. In July 1987, then- New York City Mayor Edward Koch proposed banning bicycling on Fifth, Park and Madison Avenues during weekdays, but many bicyclists protested and had

1275-520: Is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City , United States , that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street ) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Street , passing through Midtown , the Upper East Side (including Carnegie Hill ), East Harlem , and Harlem . It is named after and arises from Madison Square, which

1360-580: Is bordered on the west by Fifth Avenue and Broadway as they cross. The park was named for James Madison , fourth President of the United States . Madison Square Garden took its name from the location of the first building of that name , located on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue at 26th Street, across from the Park. The first Garden was a former railroad terminal for the Park Avenue main line , which

1445-492: Is considered another of Molière's masterpieces. It was born from the termination of the legal use of music in theatre, since Lully had patented the opera in France (and taken most of the best available singers for his own performances), so Molière had to go back to his traditional genre. It was a great success, and it led to his last work, which is still held in high esteem. In his 14 years in Paris, Molière single-handedly wrote 31 of

1530-637: Is considered the creator of modern French comedy. Many words or phrases introduced in Molière's plays are still used in current French: Molière plays a small part in Alexandre Dumas 's novel The Vicomte of Bragelonne , in which he is seen taking inspiration from the musketeer Porthos for his central character in Le Bourgeois gentilhomme . Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov wrote a semi-fictitious biography-tribute to Molière, titled Life of Mr. de Molière . It

1615-508: Is itself named after James Madison , the fourth President of the United States . Madison Avenue was not part of the original Manhattan street grid established in the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 , and was carved between Park Avenue (formerly Fourth) and Fifth Avenue in 1836, due to the effort of lawyer and real estate developer Samuel B. Ruggles , who had previously purchased and developed New York's Gramercy Park in 1831, and convinced

1700-545: Is played by Tchéky Karyo , shows his collaborations with Jean-Baptiste Lully , as well as his illness and on-stage death. The 2007 French film Molière was more loosely based on the life of Molière, starring Romain Duris , Fabrice Luchini and Ludivine Sagnier . David Hirson 's play La Bête , written in the style of Molière, includes the character Elomire as an anagrammatic parody of him. The 2023 musical Molière, l'Opéra Urbain , directed by Bruno Berberes and staged at

1785-553: Is served by the following routes uptown. All crosstown service is eastbound unless specified below. Downtown service runs along 5th Avenue: Although no New York City Subway stations are named after Madison Avenue, the Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station on the E and ​ M trains has an entrance on Madison Avenue. Pursuant to Section 4-12(m) of the New York City Traffic Rules, driving

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1870-506: The Compagnie de Saint Sacrement . In Lyon , Mademoiselle Du Parc , known as Marquise, joined the company. Marquise was courted, in vain, by Pierre Corneille and later became the lover of Jean Racine . Racine offered Molière his tragedy Théagène et Chariclée (one of the early works he wrote after he had abandoned his theology studies), but Molière would not perform it, though he encouraged Racine to pursue his artistic career. Molière

1955-560: The Duke of Modena .) The same year, he premiered L'École des femmes ( The School for Wives ), subsequently regarded as a masterpiece. It poked fun at the limited education that was given to daughters of rich families and reflected Molière's own marriage. Both this work and his marriage attracted much criticism. The play sparked the protest called the "Quarrel of L'École des femmes". On the artistic side he responded with two lesser-known works: La Critique de "L'École des femmes" , in which he imagined

2040-596: The Harlem River Drive . There are numerous structures designated as New York City Landmarks (NYCL), National Historic Landmarks (NHL), and National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on Madison Avenue. From south to north (in increasing address order), they include: The term "Madison Avenue" is often used metonymically to stand for the American advertising industry. Madison Avenue became identified with advertising after that sector's explosive growth in this area in

2125-528: The Mélicerte and the Pastorale comique , he tried again to perform a revised Tartuffe in 1667, this time with the name of Panulphe or L'Imposteur . As soon as the King left Paris for a tour, Lamoignon and the archbishop banned the play. The King finally imposed respect for Tartuffe a few years later, after he had gained more power over the clergy. Molière, now ill, wrote less. Le Sicilien ou L'Amour peintre

2210-520: The Palace of Versailles . Tartuffe , ou L'Imposteur was also performed at Versailles, in 1664, and created the greatest scandal of Molière's artistic career. Its depiction of the hypocrisy of the dominant classes was taken as an outrage and violently contested. It also aroused the wrath of the Jansenists and the play was banned. Molière was always careful not to attack the institution of monarchy. He earned

2295-432: The gags of contemporary Italian troupes, were successful as part of Madeleine Béjart and Molière's plans to win aristocratic patronage and, ultimately, move the troupe to a position in a Paris theater-venue. Later Molière concentrated on writing musical comedies, in which the drama is interrupted by songs and/or dances, but for years the fundamentals of numerous comedy-traditions would remain strong, especially Italian (e.g.

2380-550: The "gimmicky, slick use of the communications media to play on emotions." Madison Avenue carries one-way traffic uptown (northbound) from East 23rd Street to East 135th Street , with the changeover from two-way traffic taking place on January 14, 1966, at which time Fifth Avenue was changed to one-way downtown (southbound). This changeover was accelerated by seven weeks due to the transit strike which began on January 1. Between East 135th Street and East 142nd Street, Madison Avenue carries southbound traffic only and runs parallel to

2465-685: The 1920s. According to "The Emergence of Advertising in America", by the year 1861, there were 20 advertising agencies in New York City, and the New York City Association of Advertising Agencies was founded in 1911, predating the establishment of the American Association of Advertising Agencies by several years. Among various depictions in popular culture, the portion of the advertising industry which centers on Madison Avenue serves as

2550-423: The 85 plays performed on his stage. In 1661, Molière introduced the comédies-ballets in conjunction with Les Fâcheux . These ballets were a transitional form of dance performance between the court ballets of Louis XIV and the art of professional theatre which was developing in the advent of the use of the proscenium stage . The comédies-ballets developed accidentally when Molière was enlisted to mount both

2635-506: The Garden Theatre for at least 48 performances, or six weeks, between 1890 and the mid-1910s. Does not include dozens of benefits, concerts, lectures, amateur and student productions, short-stay touring performances, and revivals of these plays in subsequent months. (WP=World premiere, AP=American premiere.) Garden Theatre at the Internet Broadway Database Madison Avenue Madison Avenue

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2720-490: The Illustre Théâtre, Molière became famous for his farces, which were generally in one act and performed after the tragedy. Some of these farces were only partly written, and were played in the style of Commedia dell'arte with improvisation over a canovaccio (a vague plot outline). He began to write full, five-act comedies in verse ( L'Étourdi (Lyon, 1654) and Le dépit amoureux (Béziers, 1656)), which although immersed in

2805-502: The Italian improvisational Commedia dell'arte , and displayed his talent for mockery. In the course of his travels he met Armand, Prince of Conti , the governor of Languedoc , who became his patron, and named his company after him. This friendship later ended when Armand, having contracted syphilis from a courtesan, turned toward religion and joined Molière's enemies in the Parti des Dévots and

2890-435: The King's amusements) because it was performed during a series of parties that Nicolas Fouquet gave in honor of the sovereign. These entertainments led Jean-Baptiste Colbert to demand the arrest of Fouquet for wasting public money, and he was condemned to life imprisonment. On 20 February 1662, Molière married Armande Béjart , whom he believed to be the sister of Madeleine. (She may have been her illegitimate daughter with

2975-627: The Madison Square Garden Theatre. It was not related to a theater three blocks south (at Madison Avenue and 24th Street) that was called the Madison Square Theatre from 1879 to 1891 and later called Hoyt's Theatre. The Garden Theatre was architecturally and structurally part of, but managed separately from, the Madison Square Garden (1890) complex designed by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White , that replaced

3060-660: The New York theatre record set by Edwin Booth's "100 Nights of Hamlet" at the Winter Garden in 1864–65. John Barrymore overlooked Kellerd's achievement and thought he had set a record with 101 consecutive performances in 1922–23 at the Booth Theatre ; John Gielgud set (and still holds) the record in 1937 with 132 at the St. James Theatre . Later in 1913, new manager William R. Coleman bowed to

3145-515: The Petit-Bourbon on 18 November 1659. Les Précieuses Ridicules was the first of Molière's many attempts to satirize certain societal mannerisms and affectations then common in France. It is widely accepted that the plot was based on Samuel Chappuzeau 's Le Cercle des Femmes of 1656. He primarily mocks the Académie Française , a group created by Richelieu under a royal patent to establish

3230-407: The action of the play and the style of continuity distinctly separated these performances from the court ballets of the time; additionally, the comédies-ballets demanded that both the dancers and the actors play an important role in advancing the story. Similar to the court ballets, both professionally trained dancers and courtiers socialized together at the comédies-ballets - Louis XIV even played

3315-423: The authorities to create Lexington Avenue and Irving Place between Fourth Avenue (now Park Avenue South) and Third Avenue in order to service it. The street's name has been metonymous with the American advertising industry since the 1920s. Thus, the term "Madison Avenue" refers specifically to the agencies and methodology of advertising. "Madison Avenue techniques" refers, according to William Safire , to

3400-451: The ban overturned. When the trial was started on Monday, August 24, 1987, for 90 days to ban bicyclists from these three avenues from 31st Street to 59th Street between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, mopeds would not be banned. Moliere Born into a prosperous family and having studied at the Collège de Clermont (now Lycée Louis-le-Grand ), Molière was well suited to begin a life in

3485-446: The company of Charles Dufresne, and subsequently created a company of his own, which had sufficient success and obtained the patronage of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans . Few plays survive from this period. The most noteworthy are L'Étourdi ou les Contretemps (The Bungler) and Le Docteur Amoureux (The Doctor in Love) ; with these two plays, Molière moved away from the heavy influence of

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3570-673: The first complete version in English, by Baker and Miller in 1739, remained "influential" and was long reprinted. The first to offer full translations of Molière's verse plays such as Tartuffe into English verse was Curtis Hidden Page , who produced blank verse versions of three of the plays in his 1908 translation. Since then, notable translations have been made by Richard Wilbur , Donald M. Frame , and many others. In his memoir A Terrible Liar , actor Hume Cronyn writes that, in 1962, celebrated actor Laurence Olivier criticized Molière. According to Cronyn, he mentioned to Olivier that he (Cronyn)

3655-561: The five balletic positions of the feet and arms and was partly responsible for the creation of the Beauchamp-Feuillet dance notation . Molière also collaborated with Jean-Baptiste Lully. Lully was a dancer, choreographer, and composer, whose dominant reign at the Paris Opéra lasted 15 years. Under his command, ballet and opera rightly became professional arts unto themselves. The comédies-ballets closely integrated dance with music and

3740-782: The general title Plays for a Negro Theater , were Simon the Cyrenian, The Rider of Dreams , and Granny Maumee . They were written by Ridgely Torrence and directed ("staged", in the parlance of the day) by Robert E. Jones. In 1919 the Yiddish Art Theatre came to the Garden Theatre, first featuring and managed by Reicher and then by Maurice Schwartz , performing works by playwrights including Leonid Andreyev , S. Ansky , Sholem Aleichem , Maxim Gorky , Gerhart Hauptmann , Peretz Hirschbein , David Pinski , Arthur Schnitzler , George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde . The Yiddish Art Theatre remained, on and off, for six years, frequently dropping

3825-572: The honorific for the king's brother Philippe I, Duke of Orléans ). With the help of Monsieur, his company was allowed to share the theatre in the large hall of the Petit-Bourbon with the Italian Commedia dell'arte company of Tiberio Fiorillo , famous for the character of Scaramouche . (The two companies performed in the theatre on different nights.) The premiere of Molière's Les Précieuses Ridicules ( The Affected Young Ladies ) took place at

3910-507: The king expressed support for the Moliere, granting him a pension and agreeing to be the godfather of Molière's first son. Boileau also supported him through statements that he included in his Art poétique . Molière's friendship with Jean-Baptiste Lully influenced him towards writing his Le Mariage forcé and La Princesse d'Élide (subtitled as Comédie galante mêlée de musique et d'entrées de ballet ), written for royal " divertissements " at

3995-442: The last play he had written, which had lavish ballets performed to the music of Marc-Antoine Charpentier and which ironically was titled Le Malade imaginaire ( The Imaginary Invalid ). Molière insisted on completing his performance. Afterwards he collapsed again with another, larger haemorrhage before being taken home, where he died a few hours later, without receiving the last rites because two priests refused to visit him while

4080-616: The name "Garden" entirely from newspaper ads. In 1925, in the face of plans to tear down the Madison Square Garden complex, the Yiddish Art Theatre moved temporarily to the Nora Bayes Theatre and then to their own newly constructed theatre at Second Ave. and 12th St. When the 1924 Democratic National Convention was held at Madison Square Garden, the Garden Theatre became a delegate's lounge area. Seats were covered with

4165-400: The old business cluster on Madison Avenue, including StrawberryFrog, TBWA Worldwide , Organic, Inc. , and DDB Worldwide . However, the term is still used to describe the agency business as a whole and large, New York–based agencies in particular. Madison Square Park is a 6.2-acre (2.5-hectare) public park which runs along Madison Avenue from East 26th Street to East 23rd Street . It

4250-426: The original Madison Square Garden (1879) at the same site. Unlike most theatres of the day, patrons entered from street level and it was described as "fireproof", in an era when theatre fires were not uncommon. The auditorium had eight boxes, a gallery and a balcony, with 1,200 seats plus room for 400 standees. The building was 117 feet long and 70 feet wide, and the stage was 39 feet deep and 70 feet wide. The Garden

4335-467: The other's and is the first in Molière's "Jealousy series", which includes Dom Garcie de Navarre , L'École des maris and L'École des femmes . In 1660, the Petit-Bourbon was demolished to make way for the eastern expansion of the Louvre, but Molière's company was allowed to move into the abandoned theatre in the east wing of the Palais-Royal . After a period of refurbishment they opened there on 20 January 1661. In order to please his patron, Monsieur, who

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4420-445: The part of an Egyptian in Molière's Le Mariage forcé (1664) and also appeared as Neptune and Apollo in his retirement performance of Les Amants magnifiques (1670). Molière suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, possibly contracted when he was imprisoned for debt as a young man. The circumstances of Molière's death, on 17 February 1673, became legend. He collapsed on stage in a fit of coughing and haemorrhaging while performing in

4505-405: The performance but collapsed again and died a few hours later. Molière was born in Paris shortly before his christening as Jean Poquelin on 15 January 1622. Known as Jean-Baptiste, he was the first son of Jean Poquelin and Marie Cressé, who had married on 27 April 1621. His mother was the daughter of a prosperous bourgeois family. Upon seeing him for the first time, a maid exclaimed, "Le nez!",

4590-534: The pressure of the new theatre economy by lowering prices in order to fight competition from movies, intensifying the Garden's fall from the top echelon of New York theatres. German actor-manager Emanuel Reicher leased the theatre in 1915 to run plays in the style of his Modern Stage group, along with a new group called the "American People's Theatre" that provided reduced-price tickets to working-class people who could not otherwise afford them. His daughter Hedwiga Reicher

4675-490: The prestigious Jesuit Collège de Clermont , where he completed his studies in a strict academic environment and got a first taste of life on the stage. In 1631, his father Jean Poquelin purchased from the court of Louis XIII the posts of " valet de chambre ordinaire et tapissier du Roi " ("valet of the King's chamber and keeper of carpets and upholstery"). His son assumed the same posts in 1641. The title required only three months' work and an initial cost of 1,200 livres;

4760-579: The public. Other playwrights and companies began to emulate his dramatic style in England and in France. Molière's works continued to garner positive feedback in 18th-century England, but they were not so warmly welcomed in France at this time. However, during the French Restoration of the 19th century, Molière's comedies became popular with both the French public and the critics. Romanticists admired his plays for

4845-430: The purpose of filling out his lines. All these things are occasionally true, but they are trifles in comparison to the wealth of character he portrayed, to his brilliancy of wit, and to the resourcefulness of his technique. He was wary of sensibility or pathos; but in place of pathos he had "melancholy — a puissant and searching melancholy, which strangely sustains his inexhaustible mirth and his triumphant gaiety". Molière

4930-509: The rising "Broadway" theatres in the Times Square area. For the theatre's last 15 years it was used for many purposes in addition to plays and operas, including motion picture exhibition, lectures, trade shows, political rallies and other civic meetings, and even church services. Most notably, a succession of German and Yiddish theatre groups presented plays at the theatre. German theatrical manager and impresario Gustav Amberg took possession of

5015-424: The rules of the fledgling French theatre. The Académie preached unity of time, action, and styles of verse. Molière is often associated with the claim that comedy castigat ridendo mores or "criticises customs through humour" (a phrase in fact coined by his contemporary Jean de Santeuil and sometimes mistaken for a classical Latin proverb ). Despite his own preference for tragedy, which he had tried to further with

5100-508: The same name in the Midi near Le Vigan . It was likely that he changed his name to spare his father the shame of having an actor in the family (actors, although no longer vilified by the state under Louis XIV, were still not allowed to be buried in sacred ground). After his imprisonment, he and Madeleine began a theatrical circuit of the provinces with a new theatre troupe ; this life was to last about twelve years, during which he initially played in

5185-517: The semi-improvisatory style that in the 1750s writers started calling commedia dell'arte ), Spanish, and French plays, all also drawing on classical models (e.g. Plautus and Terence), especially the trope of the clever slave/servant. Les précieuses ridicules won Molière the attention and the criticism of many, but it was not a popular success. He then asked Fiorillo to teach him the techniques of Commedia dell'arte. His 1660 play Sganarelle, ou Le Cocu imaginaire ( The Imaginary Cuckold ) seems to be

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5270-655: The site by the New York Life Building . The Garden Theatre presented a wide variety of dramas, musical comedies, and operas, both new plays and revivals, from 1890 to the approximately 1910, by which time it was increasingly used for extended, often lower-cost runs of plays first presented at other theatres. The theatre was managed by T. Henry French from its opening until October 1893 when A.M. Palmer took over. Three years later Charles Frohman became manager. In addition to productions ranging from one to over 100 performances, examples of which are below, in its heyday

5355-486: The spectators of his previous work attending it. The piece mocks the people who had criticised L'École des femmes by showing them at dinner after watching the play; it addresses all the criticism raised about the piece by presenting the critics' arguments and then dismissing them. This was the so-called Guerre comique ( War of Comedy ), in which the opposite side was taken by writers like Donneau de Visé , Edmé Boursault , and Montfleury . However, more serious opposition

5440-757: The theatre early in 1911, moving his stock theatre company from the Irving Place Theatre . Amberg's "Neues Deutsches Theatre" presented Ernst Von Possart in Erekmann Chatrian's Freund (Friend) Fritz and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing 's Nathan the Wise , and also presented plays such as By the King's Command , Moliere 's The Learned Women , Bjornstjerne Bjornson 's Das Fallissement (The Failure) , Adolf Wilbrandt 's The Daughter of Fabricus , and Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice . John E. Kellerd played Hamlet for 102 performances in 1912–13, arguably breaking

5525-458: The theatre presented many repertory companies, with consistent casts offering rotating menus of plays, frequently for four-week engagements. Notable "rep companies" that appeared at the Garden: Examples of prominent actors and plays from this period are listed below. By 1910 the Garden's location and its relative paucity of hit productions led it to be considered marginal in comparison to

5610-469: The theatre. Thirteen years as an itinerant actor helped him polish his comedic abilities while he began writing, combining Commedia dell'arte elements with the more refined French comedy. Through the patronage of aristocrats including Philippe I, Duke of Orléans —the brother of Louis XIV —Molière procured a command performance before the King at the Louvre . Performing a classic play by Pierre Corneille and

5695-465: The title paid 300 livres a year and provided a number of lucrative contracts. Molière also studied as a provincial lawyer some time around 1642, probably in Orléans , but it is not documented that he ever qualified. So far he had followed his father's plans, which had served him well; he had mingled with nobility at the Collège de Clermont and seemed destined for a career in office. In June 1643, when Molière

5780-922: The tower of the sports arena. When it moved to a new building at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue in 1925 it kept its old name. Madison Square Garden is now located at Eighth Avenue between 31st and 33rd Street; however, it still retains the name. Retail brands with locations on Madison Avenue include: Burberry , Manrico Cashmere, Brooks Brothers , Alexander McQueen , Hermès , Tom Ford , Céline , Proenza Schouler , Lanvin , Valentino, Stuart Weitzman , Damiani, Emporio Armani , Prada , Chloé , Roberto Cavalli , Davidoff , Dolce & Gabbana , Gucci , Calvin Klein , Cartier , Christian Louboutin , La Perla , Jimmy Choo , Jacadi, Mulberry, Victoria's Secret , Barneys New York , Coach , Rolex , Giorgio Armani , Oliver Peoples , Vera Wang , Anne Fontaine , Baccarat, Carolina Herrera , Ralph Lauren and others. Madison Avenue

5865-415: The troupe had acquired large debts, mostly for the rent of the theatre (a court for jeu de paume ), for which they owed 2000 livres. Historians differ as to whether his father or the lover of a member of his troupe paid his debts; either way, after a 24-hour stint in prison he returned to the acting circuit. It was at this time that he began to use the pseudonym Molière, possibly inspired by a small village of

5950-445: The unconventional individualism they portrayed. 20th-century scholars have carried on this interest in Molière and his plays and have continued to study a wide array of issues relating to this playwright. Many critics now are shifting their attention from the philosophical, religious and moral implications in his comedies to the study of his comic technique. Molière's works were translated into English prose by John Ozell in 1714, but

6035-517: Was 21, he decided to abandon his social class and pursue a career on the stage. Taking leave of his father, he joined the actress Madeleine Béjart , with whom he had crossed paths before, and founded the Illustre Théâtre with 630 livres. They were later joined by Madeleine's brother and sister. The theatre troupe went bankrupt in 1645. Molière had become head of the troupe, due in part, perhaps, to his acting prowess and his legal training. However,

6120-479: Was about to play the title role in The Miser , and that Olivier then responded "Molière? Funny as a baby's open grave." Cronyn comments on the incident: "You may imagine how that made me feel. Fortunately, he was dead wrong." Author Martha Bellinger points out that: [Molière] has been accused of not having a consistent, organic style, of using faulty grammar, of mixing his metaphors, and of using unnecessary words for

6205-506: Was brewing, focusing on Molière's politics and his personal life. A so-called parti des Dévots arose in French high society, who protested against Molière's excessive " realism " and irreverence, which were causing some embarrassment. These people accused Molière of having married his daughter. The Prince of Conti, once Molière's friend, joined them. Molière had other enemies, too, among them the Jansenists and some traditional authors. However,

6290-419: Was buried in the part of the cemetery reserved for unbaptised infants. In 1792, his remains were brought to the museum of French monuments , and in 1817, transferred to Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, close to those of La Fontaine . Though conventional thinkers, religious leaders and medical professionals in Molière's time criticised his work, their ideas did not really diminish his widespread success with

6375-455: Was converted into an open-air circus venue by P. T. Barnum in 1871 and was renamed "Madison Square Garden" in 1879. (The New York Life Insurance Building now occupies that entire city block.) The original Garden was demolished in 1889 and replaced by a new indoor arena designed by Stanford White that opened the following year. The second Garden had a bronze statue of the Roman goddess Diana on

6460-463: Was decorated "in the style of Louis XVI", with views of Versailles on the main curtain. Besides the large arena itself, the Garden Theatre was one of three separately operated attractions in the Madison Square Garden complex, and the only one that met with any business success. The others were a concert hall and a restaurant. The theatre and the rest of the complex were razed in May 1925, and were replaced on

6545-488: Was forced to reach Paris in stages, staying outside for a few weeks in order to promote himself with society gentlemen and allow his reputation to feed in to Paris. Molière reached Paris in 1658 and performed in front of the King at the Louvre (then for rent as a theatre) in Corneille's tragedy Nicomède and in the farce Le Docteur Amoureux with some success. He was awarded the title of Troupe de Monsieur ( Monsieur being

6630-453: Was little appreciated, but success returned with L'Avare ( The Miser ), now very well known. With Lully, he again used music for Monsieur de Pourceaugnac , for Les Amants magnifiques , and finally for Le Bourgeois gentilhomme ( The Middle Class Gentleman ), another of his masterpieces. It is claimed to be particularly directed against Colbert, the minister who had condemned his old patron Fouquet. The collaboration with Lully ended with

6715-619: Was part of his stock company . Reicher's production of Gerhart Hauptmann 's The Weavers ran for 87 performances beginning in December 1915. Lina Coen conducted Carmen at the Garden Theatre in February 1917, reportedly becoming the first woman to conduct an opera in New York City. In April 1917, the Garden was the first major theatre to present an all-African American cast in a performance that "portrayed African American life seriously and sympathetically." The three one-act plays, presented under

6800-448: Was received much more warmly than its predecessors. In 1666, Le Misanthrope was produced. It is now widely regarded as Molière's most refined masterpiece, the one with the highest moral content, but it was little appreciated at the time. It caused the "conversion" of Donneau de Visé, who became fond of his theatre. But it was a commercial flop, forcing Molière to immediately write Le médecin malgré lui ( The Doctor Despite Himself ),

6885-465: Was so enthralled with entertainment and art that he was soon excluded from state affairs, Molière wrote and played Dom Garcie de Navarre ou Le Prince jaloux ( The Jealous Prince , 4 February 1661), a heroic comedy derived from a work of Cicognini. Two other comedies of the same year were the successful L'École des maris ( The School for Husbands ) and Les Fâcheux ( The Bores ), subtitled Comédie faite pour les divertissements du Roi (a comedy for

6970-414: Was the only New York theatre McKim, Mead & White designed, but they "provided an elegant interior...They introduced Beaux Arts classicism to playhouse design, inaugurating a new formalism and standard of decor that would influence theatre architecture for the next four decades. The coffered sounding board , the swag and lattice box fronts and proscenium are especially noteworthy." The interior

7055-402: Was withdrawn and never restaged by Molière. His hard work in so many theatrical capacities took its toll on his health and, by 1667, he was forced to take a break from the stage. In 1673, during a production of his final play, The Imaginary Invalid , Molière, who suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis, was seized by a coughing fit and a haemorrhage while playing the hypochondriac Argan; he finished

7140-402: Was written for festivities at the castle of Saint-Germain-en-Laye , and was followed in 1668 by Amphitryon , inspired both by Plautus ' work of the same name and Jean Rotrou's successful reconfiguration of the drama. With some conjecture, Molière's play can be seen to allude to the love affairs of Louis XIV, then king of France. George Dandin, ou Le mari confondu ( The Confounded Husband )

7225-510: Was written in 1932–1933 and first published 1962. The French 1978 film simply titled Molière directed by Ariane Mnouchkine and starring Philippe Caubère presents his complete biography. It was in competition for the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1978. He is portrayed among other writers in The Blasphemers' Banquet (1989). The 2000 film Le Roi Danse ( The King Dances ), in which Molière

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