A French Star and the Frontier ~ D. K. Deters

On the American frontier, theater wasn’t some fancy Eastern luxury imported for elite tastes. It was a vital and popular form of entertainment. By the 1870s and early 1880s, most established towns like Dodge City, Tombstone, Deadwood, Virginia City, and Cheyenne boasted an opera house or theater.

Smaller towns made do with what they had. Touring companies often performed in saloons, lodges, or rooms converted into stages. Performances were lively, loud, and deeply social affairs. Audiences shouted, laughed, drank, flirted, and argued through the show. In many boomtowns, live theater was more than entertainment. It was proof they were becoming “civilized.”

Touring was the lifeblood of frontier theater. As railroads pushed west, 1881 became a golden year. Eastern and European stars traveled aggressively. One observer put it, “Touring companies followed mining booms and cattle trails like prospectors followed gold.”

Among the most celebrated stars of the 19^th century was Sarah Bernhardt. Born Henriette-Rosine Bernard in Paris in 1844.

Sarah Bernhardt 1844-1923

Mark Twain famously summed up her reputation: “There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses – and then there is Sarah Bernhardt.”

Bernhardt organized her own tours of England, the U.S., and Canada. She played Western venues for practical reasons. The money was good and the crowds enthusiastic.

In 1881, Bernhardt appeared to a full house at the Tootle Theatre (also referred to as the Tootle Opera House) in St. Joseph, Missouri. The Tootle Theatre was considered one of the finest theaters west of the Mississippi, with fifteen hundred seats, three balconies, and opulent boxes. Its stage hosted figures as varied as Buffalo Bill Cody, Edwin Booth, and Oscar Wilde.

The Tootle Theatre in St. Joseph, Missouri.

When Bernhardt played Camille in French, the editor of the Atchison Globe, Ed Howe, was in attendance. He recorded the moment with awe and bemusement: “At exactly 8:31 last night, Sarah Bernhardt made her appearance, walking down the centre as though she had but one joint in her body, and no knees. Her dress was of white and costly stuff and cut so low in front that we expected every moment that she would step one of her legs through it.”

Sarah Bernhardt

Many American audiences could not follow her French dialogue, but it didn’t matter. Critics wrote instead about her dramatic stage presence. Her performances became cultural events, bringing European theatrical prestige to towns and cities that rarely saw international stars.

This tour carried her to 157 performances in 51 cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and Atlanta. The top price for a ticket was $40, which is about $1,308 today. Box office receipts exceeded $3 million in the 1880s. Her success was such that she returned to the States nine times during her career. Bernhardt passed away in 1923, leaving behind a lifetime of accomplishments.