Charles M. Barras (1826 – March 31, 1873) was an American actor and playwright best known for writing the book inspiring the hit musical play The Black Crook.
Early in his life, Barras trained as a carpenter and served for three years in the US Navy.[1] In 1860, he married danseuse and soubrette Sallie St. Clair.[2] In 1861, he was manager of Pike's Opera House in Cincinnati, Ohio, when he earned acclaim for his performance of the title character in an adaptation of Molière's The Imaginary Invalid.[2][3]
Barras wrote The Black Crook (1866) as a standard melodrama, but the piece was transformed by producers Jarrett & Palmer, under an agreement with theatre manager William Wheatley, into a musical extravaganza. The spectacular success of The Black Crook earned Barras a fortune of some $250,000 (about $5,000,000 today).[2][4]
Barras built a country house on the Mianus River in Cos Cob, Connecticut, near its railroad station and was a weekly train passenger. On March 31, 1873, while the train was stopped on a trestle bridge, Barras jumped from the train, but instead of landing on the bridge, he fell through it to the rocks below and died.[1][4]
References
- ^ a b "The Black Crook Fortune". New York Sun. May 6, 1873. p. 2.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Charles M. Barras, Actor". The New York Times. 1 Apr 1873. p. 5.
- ^ Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1891). "Barras, Charles M." Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
- ^ a b "Obituary: Charles M. Barras". New York Daily Herald. 1 April 1873. p. 9.
External links
Media related to Charles M. Barras at Wikimedia Commons
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