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Charles Frohman (July 15, 1856 – May 7, 1915) was an American theatrical producer. Frohman was producing plays by 1889 and acquired his first Broadway theatre by 1892. He discovered and promoted many stars of the American theatre. In 1896, Frohman co-founded the Theatrical Syndicate, which grew to exert monopoly control over the U.S. theatre industry for nearly two decades. He also leased the Duke of York's Theatre in London, promoting such playwrights as J. M. Barrie, producing Barrie's ''Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'', which he debuted at the Duke of York's in December 1904 and opened in the U.S. in January 1905. The American opening starred a Frohman favorite, Maude Adams. He partnered with English producers, including Seymour Hicks, with whom he produced a string of London hits prior to 1910, including ''Quality Street'', ''The Admirable Crichton'', ''The Catch of the Season'', ''The Beauty of Bath'', and ''A Waltz Dream''. Many of his London successes also enjoyed runs in New York. Frohman produced over 700 shows. At the height of his career, he died in the 1915 sinking of the RMS ''Lusitania''. ==Life and career== Charles Frohman was born in Sandusky, Ohio, the youngest of three Frohman brothers, including Daniel and Gustave. The year of his birth date is generally erroneously reported as 1860, and his birthday is shown as July 16 on his tombstone, but the correct date is July 15, 1856.〔Certified Birth Certificate, Sandusky, Ohio; and the 1860 Federal Census for Sandusky, Ohio, which shows: "Charley", age 4〕 In 1864, Frohman's family moved to New York City. At the age of twelve, Frohman started to work at night in the office of the ''New York Tribune'', attending school by day. In 1874, he began work for the ''Daily Graphic'' and at night sold tickets at Hooley's Theatre, Brooklyn. In 1877, he took charge of the Chicago Comedy Co., with John Dillon as star in ''Our Boys''. He next joined Haverly's United Mastodon Minstrels as manager, touring the U.S. and Europe. Then for a time he was associated with his brothers Daniel and Gustave in managing the Madison Square Theatre, New York. He began to produce plays by 1886.〔Kenrick, John. ("Who's Who in Musicals: Additional Bios XI" ). Musicals101.com, 2004, accessed May 17, 2010〕 Frohman's first success as a producer was with Bronson Howard's play ''Shenandoah'' (1889). Frohman founded the Empire Theatre Stock Company to acquire his first Broadway theatre, the Empire, in 1892. The following year, he produced his first Broadway play, Clyde Fitch's ''Masked Ball''. In this piece, Maude Adams first played opposite John Drew, which led to many future successes. Soon Frohman acquired five other New York City theaters, including the Garrick and Criterion Theatres. Working with William Harris and Isaac B. Rich, he became part owner of their theatres in Boston (the Columbia Theatre, Park, Hollis Street, Colonial, Boston and Tremont). In 1895, he produced the New York premiere of ''The Importance of Being Earnest'', by Oscar Wilde. The same year, he produced ''The Shop Girl''.〔 Frohman was known for his ability to develop talent. His stars included William Gillette, John Drew, Jr., Ethel Barrymore, Billie Burke, E. H. Sothern, Julia Marlowe, Maude Adams, Paul Gilmore, Evelyn Millard, Henry Miller and Walter E. Perkins. In 1896, Frohman, Al Hayman, Abe Erlanger, Mark Klaw, Samuel F. Nixon, and Fred Zimmerman formed the Theatrical Syndicate. Their organization established systemized booking networks throughout the United States and created a monopoly that controlled every aspect of contracts and bookings until the late 1910s, when the Shubert brothers broke their stranglehold on the industry. In 1897, Frohman leased the Duke of York's Theatre in London, introducing plays there as well as in the United States. Clyde Fitch, J. M. Barrie and Edmond Rostand were among the playwrights he promoted. As a producer, among Frohman's most famous successes was Barrie's ''Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'', which he premiered at the Duke of York's in December 1904 starring Nina Boucicault, and produced in January 1905 in the U.S. starring Maude Adams. In the early years of the 20th century, Frohman also established a successful partnership with English actor-producer Seymour Hicks to produce musicals and other comedies in London, including ''Quality Street'' in 1902, ''The Admirable Crichton'' in 1903, ''The Catch of the Season'' in 1904, ''The Beauty of Bath'' in 1906, ''The Gay Gordons'' in 1907, and ''A Waltz Dream'' in 1908, among others. He also partnered with other London theatre managers. The system of exchange of successful plays between London and New York was effected largely as a result of his efforts. In 1910, Frohman attempted a repertory scheme of producing plays at the Duke of York's. He advertised a bill of plays by J. M. Barrie, John Galsworthy, Harley Granville Barker, and others. The venture began tentatively, and while it may have proved successful, Frohman canceled the scheme when London theatres closed at the death of King Edward VII in May 1910. Other Frohman hits included ''The Dollar Princess'' (1909), ''The Arcadians'' (1910), ''The Sunshine Girl'' (1913) and ''The Girl From Utah'' (1914).〔 By 1915, Frohman had produced more than 700 shows, employed an average of 10,000 people per season, 700 of them actors, and paid salaries totaling $35 million a year (the equivalent of more than $700 million in 2010 dollars).〔Zecher, p. 169.〕 Frohman controlled five theaters in London, six in New York City, and over two hundred throughout the rest of the United States. His longtime live-in companion, theatre critic Charles Dillingham (1868–1934), also became a well-known producer.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Charles Frohman」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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