"When a city policeman turned U.S. congressman named Henry Clay Miner opened Miner’s Bowery Theatre in 1878, this small venue between Broome and Delancey Streets showcased a type of entertainment known as variety shows. 'Actors came on the stage to sing, dance, and do acrobatic acts and then unite to burlesque some current musical show,' wrote the New York Times in 1929. Even for the Bowery—legendary at the time for its raucous bars, theaters, flophouses, and music halls—Miner’s drew huge merciless crowds. Customers cheered, jeered, and stomped their feet in approval as each act did their number. ..."
Ephemeral New York
Henry C. Miner and the Origins of “The Hook”
NY Times: MINER'S BOWERY WAS A LANDMARK (Aug. 1929)
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