<P> The earliest known production in North America was an amateur one: on 23 March 1730, a physician named Joachimus Bertrand placed an advertisement in the Gazette newspaper in New York, promoting a production in which he would play the apothecary . The first professional performances of the play in North America were those of the Hallam Company . </P> <P> Garrick's altered version of the play was very popular, and ran for nearly a century . Not until 1845 did Shakespeare's original return to the stage in the United States with the sisters Susan and Charlotte Cushman as Juliet and Romeo, respectively, and then in 1847 in Britain with Samuel Phelps at Sadler's Wells Theatre . Cushman adhered to Shakespeare's version, beginning a string of eighty - four performances . Her portrayal of Romeo was considered genius by many . The Times wrote: "For a long time Romeo has been a convention . Miss Cushman's Romeo is a creative, a living, breathing, animated, ardent human being ." Queen Victoria wrote in her journal that "no - one would ever have imagined she was a woman". Cushman's success broke the Garrick tradition and paved the way for later performances to return to the original storyline . </P> <P> Professional performances of Shakespeare in the mid-19th century had two particular features: firstly, they were generally star vehicles, with supporting roles cut or marginalised to give greater prominence to the central characters . Secondly, they were "pictorial", placing the action on spectacular and elaborate sets (requiring lengthy pauses for scene changes) and with the frequent use of tableaux . Henry Irving's 1882 production at the Lyceum Theatre (with himself as Romeo and Ellen Terry as Juliet) is considered an archetype of the pictorial style . In 1895, Sir Johnston Forbes - Robertson took over from Irving and laid the groundwork for a more natural portrayal of Shakespeare that remains popular today . Forbes - Robertson avoided the showiness of Irving and instead portrayed a down - to - earth Romeo, expressing the poetic dialogue as realistic prose and avoiding melodramatic flourish . </P> <P> American actors began to rival their British counterparts . Edwin Booth (brother to John Wilkes Booth) and Mary McVicker (soon to be Edwin's wife) opened as Romeo and Juliet at the sumptuous Booth's Theatre (with its European - style stage machinery, and an air conditioning system unique in New York) on 3 February 1869 . Some reports said it was one of the most elaborate productions of Romeo and Juliet ever seen in America; it was certainly the most popular, running for over six weeks and earning over $60,000 (equivalent to $1,103,000 in 2017). The programme noted that: "The tragedy will be produced in strict accordance with historical propriety, in every respect, following closely the text of Shakespeare ." </P>

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