Gaiety Museum/Teatro Italiano

—138 Bowery —

In 1903, this site housed Drammatico Nazionale, one of several Italian theatres established on the Bowery by the great Antonio Maiori. Though Mozart's librettist Lorenzo DaPonte had staged Italian opera in NYC as early as 1808, and opened a short-lived Italian opera house in 1833, it was through Maiori on the Bowery that Italian theatre was established there.
Maiori's 1902 appearance as Cellini at the Bowery's Windsor Theatre had made him the darling on NY society's elite 400, who would travel there in slumming parties to see what Mrs. Havemeyer had proclaimed "the greatest tragedian in the world."
In addition to the Drammatico Nazionale, Maiori established Maiori's Variety Theatre at 235 Bowery and Maiori's Royal Theatre at 175-167 Bowery. Actor/producer/director Maiori also co-founded the Italian Actors Union.
From 1890 to 1902, this address was home to the Gaiety, one of the Bowery's most flamboyant dime museums. In addition to trained lions and boxing exhibitions, one could see Jo-Jo the Dog Face Boy, tramp juggler W.C. Fields and contortionist Zamora - "the Triple-jointed Wonder" - an escape artist who predated Houdini.
- David Milkins, Historian/Educator

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