1492 Up To Date


1492 Up To Date or Very Near It is a burlesque extravaganza created in observance of the quadricentennial of Columbus's finding the New World. The libretto is by R. A. Barnet, with music by Carl Pflueger. Its Broadway production was presented by Edward E. Rice's "Surprise Party." The plot centers on Columbus, but in burlesque style, it has little to do with his historical story.
The show has been described as "a musical, historical, mellow drama that threw together bits of opera comique, comic opera, stereopticon projections, extravaganza, farce-comedy, vaudeville, local comedy, burlesque, and even minstrelsy."

Productions

It was originally written for and presented by the Boston Independent Corps of Cadets in February 1892. The show opened in New York City on May 15, 1893, at Palmer's Theatre, to a sold-out and overflowing audience, produced by Rice's Surprise Party. The New York Times called the show "wild nonsense" that provoked "wholesome laughter" with "manifest intelligence and abundant humor" and noted that, by the end, the audience was calling for half a dozen encores of each song. It ran over two seasons, and in two different houses, for 452 performances. After this, it was performed in revival and toured for several years, with alterations and additional characters. During an 1895 revival, Queen Isabella was portrayed by Marie Dressler.

Plot

's treasurer complains that the kingdom is short of funds. The king has been out having too much fun all night. Queen Isabella and Columbus arrive, and both go mad. Soon Columbus is in front of the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York amidst a crowd of colorful New York types, such as newsboys, chorus girls, vagabonds and vendors. Columbus and his entourage of Old World Spaniards are amazed at the behavior of the New Yorkers. When Columbus returns to Spain, the royal family is living in poverty, doing their own washing. The royal family is amazed and amused by the explorers' stories of the New World. All ends happily.

Characters and original cast

;Act 1
;Act 2
;Act 3
Many of the original performance materials are housed in the library of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.