5. The Astor Place Shakespeare Riot

To say that the Astor Place Riots were dramatic would be an understatement. The violent events that followed the May 10, 1849 performance of Macbeth left 20 dead and 120 injured. Tension grew from the very inception of the opera house Astor Place. Between the working class arts center of the Bowery and the upper-class arts center of Broadway, the formal opera house was a contested space.

This came to a head when celebrity actor and Shakespearean expert, William Charles McCready performed Macbeth. To the lower-class Americans, this British actor was everything the Anglophile upper-class New Yorkers represented. But this wasn’t a case of Shakespeare or no Shakespeare. They were championing Edwin Forrest, an American actor who specialized in Shakespeare.

Jeers were shouted from the audience during McCready’s run and sides were taken to an official level. The Mayor supported the upper-class point of view, while Tammany politicians supported the lower classes. Everything came to a head during the March 10th performance, when 10,000 people flooded the streets around the opera house. It was the first time state militia was called on citizens. They shot into the crowd with most casualties in the lower classes. McCready escaped unharmed and in disguise through a back entrance of the theater.