The poor we have always with us

Peripatetic play comes to Scranton after 148 years

SCRANTON, PA — “The Poor of New York” was the first play ever to tour nationally, and it changed its title and settings to suit each city it visited. It was a hit of New York’s 1857, and it has finally come to Scranton just in time for the holiday season, courtesy of the Northeast Theatre.

The play’s history antedates even its 1847 New York debut; its first incarnation was as a French play, “Les Pauvres de Paris.” The English version “The Poor of London” was written by Dublin-born playwright Dion Boucicault. As well as being a writer, he was instrumental in the development of the current commercial theatre system of out-of-town tryouts, New York runs and national tours.

The play has a Dickensian cast of characters: an unscrupulous banker and his ambitious daughter; a Captain Fairweather and his family, impoverished by the banker; a formerly wealthy man-about-town who loves the banker’s daughter; a goodhearted rogue named Badger; and the Puffys—bakers who have fallen on hard times. The characters are tied together by interconnecting stories, enriched by a tapestry of music of the time performed by the cast and by accompanying cellist Joan Daniels.

“The Poor of Scranton” will be performed from November 16 through December 10 at the Jermyn, 326 Spruce Street, second floor. Performances are on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m., with the exception of Thanksgiving week. The Thanksgiving week schedule is Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 and 7:30 p.m.

Tickets cost $5 on Thursdays, $20 for other performances for general admission. Tickets for seniors over 65 cost $15, and for students under 25 cost $5.