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Piedra Buena, Smyley Y El Teatro Bowery En Nueva York

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Piedra Buena, Smyley Y El Teatro Bowery En Nueva York BCN 833 183 Old Bowery Theatre, New York. (ROBERT N. DENNIS COLLECTION OF PIEDRA BUENA, SMYLEY STEREOSCOPIC VIEWS WIKIMEDIA.ORG/WIKI/FILE:OLD_BOWERY_ THEATRE,_BOWERY,_N.Y,_FROM_ROBERT_ Y EL TEATRO BOWERY EN NUEVA YORK N._DENNIS_COLLECTION_OF_ STEREOSCOPIC_VIEWS.PNG) Claudio Antonini El Teniente de Navío (R) Claudio Antonini es egresado de la ESNM (Promoción 103). Cursó estudios en ingeniería electrónica (ITBA, Argentina) y nuclear (MIT, Estados as actividades de Luis Piedra Buena en los Estados Unidos Unidos). Es Doctor en Ingeniería. entre 1855 y 1856 son prácticamente desconocidas. Co- Participó en actividades en el menzamos esta investigación asumiendo que durante este SENID y CNEA. Una vez retirado, trabajó en Sudáfrica en diseño período habría seguido muy de cerca a su jefe, mentor y ami- de sistemas de control, guiado, y go, el Capitán William HortonL Smyley (1), y que se podría encontrar algún detalle de la vida navegación para misiles y drones. de Piedra Buena al analizar las actividades emprendidas por Smyley en esos años. Dados Actualmente se encuentra en los Estados Unidos, trabajando en los datos contradictorios que se encuentran en fuentes secundarias, tomamos todos los ingeniería financiera. detalles de la vida de Smyley —de por sí interesantes— directamente de fuentes primarias locales hasta ahora no referenciadas, sobre todo, de archivos gubernamentales y académi- (1) cos, y periódicos de la época. Como resultado, encontramos una referencia muy probable Utilizamos los nombres de ambos de Piedra Buena (tal vez de su puño y letra) en los archivos de Nueva York. personajes según ellos firmaban. Boletín del Centro Naval La historia oficial Número 833 MAY / AGO 2012 Varias referencias (la mayoría derivadas de los Apuntes Bibliográficos, de 1883, del Capi- 184 PIEDRA BUENA, SMYLEY Y EL TEATRO BOWERY EN NUEVA YORK tán Eyroa [1]) indican que Piedra Buena trabajó con Smyley en un teatro. Eyroa dijo en esa publicación, textualmente: “A mediados del año 56 el Cónsul Smiley hace construir en Nueva York, un teatro, cuya maquinaria pone después bajo la dirección de su protegido.” La realidad fue ligeramente diferente. No fue en 1856, sino en 1855, que Smyley compró títu- lo e interés de un teatro que ya había estado funcionando. Y a mediados de 1856, en lugar de construir un teatro, partió de Nueva York rumbo hacia las Malvinas en la goleta Nancy. (2) El Bowery El nombre de Bowery deriva de ´granja´ –Bouwerij, en neerlandés– ya que por esa calle se iba a las Hemos sido afortunados en encontrar la escritura (indenture) del 21 de mayo de 1855 que granjas fuera de la ciudad. documenta que Smyley compró la mitad de un octavo (es decir, un dieciseisavo) del título (3) e interés del teatro Bowery, de Nueva York, a un antiguo amigo suyo, Isaac P. Waldron. El Sus direcciones fueron publicadas teatro se puede ver en las figuras, y la escritura está reproducida en el Apéndice. [2] en diversas fuentes como 44, 46, 46-50, o 46-48 Bowery Street. Construido por un grupo de inversores neoyorquinos encabezados por Henry Astor, el teatro (4) fue diseñado por Ithiel Town y John Trimble con una fachada neoclásica que fue cambiando Según otras referencias, 3.500 con los años cada vez que fue reconstruida. [3] Inaugurado el 23 de octubre de 1826, el o 4.000. establecimiento cambió su nombre varias veces (Bull’s Head Theatre, New York Theatre, (5) Brougham’s Bowery Theatre, Old Bowery Theatre, American Theatre, Thalia Theatre) du- Antes de 1855, fue quemado el rante una larga vida de más de un siglo. [4] Sin embargo, siempre fue conocido como el Tea- 26 de mayo de 1828, 21/22 (2) de septiembre de 1836, 18 de tro Bowery o, simplemente, el Bowery. Tomó ese nombre de la calle sobre la que estaba febrero de 1838 y 25 de abril ubicada la entrada (3). Según se puede observar en la escritura, el teatro ocupaba desde de 1845. Reconstruido y abierto Bowery St. (en el este) a Elizabeth St. (por el oeste), y dividía en dos a la manzana, que es- el 20 de agosto de 1828, 2 de enero de 1837, 6 de mayo de taba también bordeada por Canal St. (por el norte) y Bayard St. (por el sur). 1839 y 4 de agosto de 1845. respectivamente. Este establecimiento, muy conocido dentro del ambiente teatral neoyorquino, contaba con (4) (6) unas 3.000 butacas , era el más grande del país y uno de los más grandes del mundo, y Exactamente en 40° 42’ 56.65’’ también el primero en Nueva York en tener iluminación a gas. Una cronista británica lo des- N, 73° 59’ 47.87’’ E. cribió en 1832 “tan precioso como cualquier otro al que haya entrado, perfecto en tamaño (7) y proporción, elegantemente decorado, y el escenario y la maquinaria igual a cualquiera Este otro teatro había abierto en en Londres”. [4] En 1837 era uno de los nueve teatros existentes en esa ciudad y, en 1866, 1798 y tenía 2.000 butacas. Sufrió uno de los once. [5] Hasta la época en que llegaron Piedra Buena y Smyley a Nueva York, un incendio 1848 y fue demolido (5) dos años más tarde. [5, 14] el fuego ya lo había consumido en cuatro oportunidades y, en casi todos los casos, fue rápidamente reconstruido a los pocos meses. [6] Luego de haber hecho representaciones (8) para la comunidad alemana (alrededor de 1879), yidish (1891), italiana y china (1929), se Particularmente en la zona del Bowery, si no había un quemó por sexta y última vez el 5 de junio de 1929 y no fue reconstruido. [7, 8] Actualmente, sospechoso, la policía calificaba la ubicación que ocupaba el teatro corresponde al barrio de Chinatown. (6) como suicidio o accidente un cuerpo flotando en el río, y como muerte natural si se encontraba Durante los primeros años después de su fundación, el teatro presentó espectáculos de ballet, en la calle sin heridas de bala o ópera y drama de gran calidad. Sin embargo, con el correr del tiempo bajó el precio de las entra- puñaladas. [9, p. 64] das (en 1854 los palcos salían 25 centavos de dólar y 12,5 centavos la platea y galerías) [7, 3]) y (9) atrajo a una audiencia menos sofisticada que la que concurría a su competencia, el Park Thea- Más modernamente, la palabra tre, que cobraba el doble. (7) Para mediados de siglo, el público se comenzó a trasladar hacia el Bowery refleja las actividades centro de Manhattan, donde nuevos teatros habían comenzado a funcionar. que se practicaban en esa zona. El Bowery, como zona, es conocida como “[a rookery] where La programación del Bowery reflejaba el ambiente circundante. En la primera mitad del siglo, robbery and murder lurked in the diecinueve grandes contingentes de inmigrantes habían fijado residencia en Nueva York, narrow halls of filthy tenements... evil eminence... lurid night life... convirtiéndose así en la ciudad más grande del país, aunque el crecimiento desorganizado la mean[ing] beer and booze” [27] y, mostraba más como una “ciudad minera de tamaño desmesurado”. [9, p. 8] En particular, la zona como calle, “a street in New York cercana al teatro estaba rodeada por el puerto y barrios que comenzaron a ser más peligrosos City noted for its cheap hotels (8) and bars, frequented by vagrants con el correr del tiempo, donde se materializaba la animosidad de los americanos nativos and drunks”. [28]. hacia quienen inmigraban, y se desarrollaban actividades ilícitas de todo tipo. (9) [10] El más BCN 833 185 Vista interior del Teatro Bowery, publicada en la edición del 13 de septiembre de 1856 en Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. (HTTP://UPLOAD.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/ WIKIPEDIA/COMMONS/6/62/BOWERY- THEATRE-LESLIE-1856.JPEG Y HTTP://MEMORY.LOC.GOV/MASTER/ PNP/CPH/3A00000/3A06000/3A06100/ 3A06192U.TIF) conocido de esos barrios y ubicado a sólo dos cuadras del Bowery fue el de Five Points (10) [11] (10) que tomó al teatro como centro de entretenimiento. Evidenciando el cambio demográfico, el Lugar de donde salieron, muchos años más tarde, los gansters Al teatro empezó a ofrecer otro tipo de representaciones entre las que se contaban actos con Capone (1899-1947) y Charles animales (11), espectáculos cómicos y musicales con actores blancos con sus caras pintadas “Lucky” Luciano (1897-1962). Los de negro (blackface minstrel shows o minstrelsies) y melodrama. (12) [10] Alrededor de 1834, el títulos y subtítulos de algunos libros acerca de este barrio lo dicen todo: Bowery comenzó a ser conocido como “El Matadero” [8, 12] no solamente porque había mataderos Five Points: El barrio de Nueva York rodeando al teatro [9, p. 8] y por los espectáculos ofrecidos, sino porque la audiencia no era pasiva: del siglo diecinueve que inventó el participaba activamente premiando o penalizando la labor en escena, frecuentemente arrojando tap dance, robó elecciones, y llegó a ser el barrio bajo más notorio monedas al escenario e interrumpiendo las actuaciones (por ejemplo, por los jóvenes que se del mundo (Tyler Anbinder, 2002) avalanzaban a recogerlas). [10] En algunas oportunidades, el comportamiento de la audiencia era y Los Gangs de Nueva York: Una más interesante que el espectáculo presentado en el escenario.[5, 9, 13] Algunas de las actividades historia informal del bajo mundo que se desarrollaban en los pisos superiores de las galerías –adonde no concurría la policía que (Herbert Asbury, 2008). regularmente patrullaba el teatro– las dejaremos libradas a la imaginación de los lectores. [14] (11) Se representaba una conocida obra en la cual un perro salva a Los teatros, en la misma forma que los buques mercantes, eran oportunidades de inver- la víctima e identifica al villano.
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