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Charles Atkinson with his Jollities theatre
troupes produced plays that are noted below. Their
performances overlapped to a degree Atkinson's Peck Bad
Boy productions.
Here are two posters advertising an unknown play produced
by the Jollities which starred Lillie Bate and Eugene
Millard. Both actors were in many plays in the era when
Atkinson's Jollities were most active. The posters are 27"
x 17".
The Jollities put on "The Electric Doll" in America and
Europe. This was written by Clinton G. Parrefield with
music by J. Adalim. It appears the play premiered in
December 1879. It ran for a number of years thereafter.
This 7" x 5.5" flyer is a superb advertising piece for the
Jollities Electric Doll production. Several of the
actors/actresses are pictured on the card: Stanley Felch,
Kate Chester, Lillian Brown, Frank A. Daniels, and Alex.
Bell.
The exact date of this item is unknown. Felch and Chester
left Atkinson's Jollities in October, 1882.
Norombega Hall was located in Bangor, Maine. It was
destroyed in the "Great Fire of 1911". See: http://bangordailynews.com/2009/01/18/living/gaiety-theater-was-once-toast-of-bangor/
This trade card advertises the "Electric Doll" performance
at the Gaiety Theatre in Boston.
The Crosby Opera House was located in Chicago.
The Electric Spark was a comic opera written by Charles
Pidgin and composed by Charles D. Blake. Atkinson's
Jollities performed it thousands of times in the 1880's in
America and Europe.
This sheet music for the Electric Spark lists 18 songs on
the front cover. The actual song inside is #21 "A Trip to
Fairyland".
The Jollities also put on a play "The Toymakers". The play
was based on the 1907 book of the same name written by
Charles Pidgin. Of course, Pidgin and Atkinson
collaborated on the Peck's Bad Boy productions.
It appears that by 1907 Atkinson and James Thatcher were
directing the Jollities in The Toymakers and were working
together to produce other plays some of which were written
by Charles Pidgin (Quincy Adams Sawyer. Blennerhassett),
others not (Black Beauty, Miss Petticoats, Hope Hathaway).
Below is a trade bill for The Toymakers. The Venue is the
Farman Theatre in Warsaw, New York.
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