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''The Seven Sisters'' was an 1860 musical burlesque extravaganza produced at Laura Keene's Theatre in New York which ran for 253 consecutive performances, making it a tremendous success for its time. The play debuted on November 26, 1860, and ran through August 10, 1861. Though considered "rubbish" by critics,〔Winter, William. (Brief Chronicles, Part I ), p. 180 (1889)〕 it was an important precursor to 1866's ''The Black Crook''. ==Background== The piece was a gamble by Keene, in the hope that the elaborate and expensive scenery of the show, as well as the singing actresses and many dancers, would draw crowds. The ''New York Clipper'' noted that the women wore "shocking low-necked dresses" and "tight-fitting clothes".〔Ashby, LeRoy. (With Amusement for All: A History of American Popular Culture Since 1830 ), pp. 109-10 (2006)〕 The loose storyline was from an adaptation by Thomas B. DeWalden of a German piece called ''The Seven Daughters of Satan''; probably ''Die Töchter Luzifers'' ("The Daughters of Lucifer") by Wilhelm Friedrich.〔Gale, Robert L. ''A Cultural Encyclopedia of the 1850s in America'', p. 216 (1993)〕 The plot concerned the "activities of mortal and immortal characters traveling about the lower regions of New York City."〔Curry, Jane Kathleen. (Nineteenth-century American Women Theatre Managers ), pp. 70-72 (1994)〕 Music was contributed by Thomas Baker, who would also later write the music for ''The Black Crook''. The 1897 biography of Keene by John Creahan describes the United States in November 1860 as "busy in President-making, and politics had commanded the attention of almost everybody." Thus, the theatrical season had been a poor one. "As well played comedies and dramas has failed to attract, Miss Keene at once determined to give spectacular trash, the result being that on the 26th of November, the 'Seven Sisters' was produced in magnificent style, its final scene, by (designer James Roberts from Covent Garden in London ), being the first of the grand transformation scenes which have since been made so popular by 'The Black Crook', 'The White Fawn,' and plays of a similar character." The transformation scene was titled "The Birth of the Butterfly in the Bower of Ferns." The features of the play were altered during its run, and roles and actors were changed from time to time. Creahan called the production first "decidedly Southern in character", but after the American Civil War began, some "speeches were considerably modified, but still the theatre was an attractive resort for the secession elements in New York."〔Creahan, John. (The Life of Laura Keene ), pp.23 (1887)〕 In February of 1861, a section called "The Dream of the Secessionist" was added (and/or "Uncle Sam's Magic Lantern"), with "virgin damsels" representing each state and showing their disagreements. The ''New York Clipper'' joked of the changes, "We shouldn't wonder if the ''Seven Sisters'' should be transformed into the tragedy of ''Macbeth'' before Miss Keene is done with it."〔Allen, Robert Clyde. (Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture ), pp. 105-06 (1991)〕 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「The Seven Sisters (play)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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