|
|
| Home |
|
|
Genealogy Connections:
Cornelius Devan "Neal" McGiehan
GGrandfather from Bayonne, New Jersey
|
Cornelius Devan McGiehan was a stage machinist at "the old" Metropolitan Opera House in the 1890's, as well as co-manager of a show by Annie Oakley, the famous woman sharp-shooter. He was the son of a well-known boat designer and as late as the 1920 census, his occupation was still listed as theatre carpenter. "At the NY Hippodrome, Neal did huge stage design work. He called the play the "Hippodrome" and the set was a lake scene with a waterfall effect using girls in flower-shaped dresses. They came down the stairs first by 2s, then by 4s, 8s, 16s, etc and went into the waist-deep water, turned to the sides and back behind the curtain to come down the stairs in a continuous flow. It was good because only few girls needed to give the effect of thousands. As the girls came down the steps, the petals of the flower opened to reveal their (low-cut dresses.) "At the 'Academy of Music' in Jersey City, Neal did the stage work for a large scene in 'The White Fawn.'" |
|
|
|
