Diamond Donner
Encyclopedia
Diamond Donner was a supporting actress in Broadway
and vaudeville entertainment in the early 20th century.
She accompanied Irene Bentley and a large company of actors who appeared at the Madison Square Theatre, Broadway (Manhattan) and 24th Street, in December 1903. The troupe staged a production of The Girl from Dixie.
In September 1903 she appeared in The Prince of Pilsen at the Tremont Theatre in Boston.
Donner acted the part of Janet Gramercy, fiancee of Algy de Peyster, in the musical The Man From China. Its New York City
debut came on May 2, 1904 at the Majestic Theatre. The play featured Charles A. Bigelow as Peter Pudge, a wandering musician and John A. Armstrong as Algy. There were twenty-seven musical numbers divided equally between two acts.
Klaw & Erlanger
opened the New Amsterdam Aerial Theatre and Gardens with a local review, Lifting the Lid, on Monday, June 5, 1905. The entertainment was produced by John J. McNally and featured Fay Templeton
, Donner, Louis Harrison, Virginia Earle, and others. The venue was
a successful attraction the previous summer and had been improved with new decorations and alterations.
Donner was a cast member of Klaw & Erlanger's revival of Humpty Dumpty
when it was staged at the New York Theatre
in March 1906. Earlier the play was presented at Drury Lane
and at the New Amsterdam Theatre the previous summer. Frank Moulan continued in the role of Little Mary as did William C. Schrode, who depicted the Clown.
In April 1906 Donner appeared in The District Leader
at Wallack's Theatre
at 254 West 42nd Street. The two-act musical comedy drama was written by Joseph E. Howard. Its plot was traditional, involving district politics.
In September 1906 Donner applied to the Greenwich, Connecticut
Probate Court to have her mother, Louella Donner, committed to a sanitarium. The probate court requested the appointment of two doctors to inquire as to the mental condition of her mother. Donner said she had awakened a few weeks before to find her mother was insane. Louella Donner was sent out west for a time before being brought to Greenwich in August. She escaped from Ardendale Sanitarium at Cos Cob, near the residence of Clyde Fitch
, after jumping out of a second-floor window. She had employed a corset
steel to pick the lock on the window. Donner came to Greenwich when her mother was returned to the sanitarium superintendent by the police, and it was discovered she had not been committed.
The Maestro's Masterpiece by Edward Locke
was produced by Arthur Hammerstein
at the Columbia Theatre in Washington, D.C.
, in February 1911. Donner was in this play of grand opera life in English. She sang the part of Micaela in Carmen
with the Boston Opera Company
in January 1913. Previously she debuted as Mimi, which proved to be one of the most significant triumphs of the season.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and vaudeville entertainment in the early 20th century.
She accompanied Irene Bentley and a large company of actors who appeared at the Madison Square Theatre, Broadway (Manhattan) and 24th Street, in December 1903. The troupe staged a production of The Girl from Dixie.
In September 1903 she appeared in The Prince of Pilsen at the Tremont Theatre in Boston.
Donner acted the part of Janet Gramercy, fiancee of Algy de Peyster, in the musical The Man From China. Its New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
debut came on May 2, 1904 at the Majestic Theatre. The play featured Charles A. Bigelow as Peter Pudge, a wandering musician and John A. Armstrong as Algy. There were twenty-seven musical numbers divided equally between two acts.
Klaw & Erlanger
Klaw & Erlanger
Klaw & Erlanger was the New York City based theatrical production partnership of entrepreneur A.L. Erlanger and lawyer Marcus Klaw. The two began as a theatrical booking agency in 1886 before expanding into producing plays. In 1896, Klaw & Erlanger joined with Al Hayman, Charles Frohman, Samuel F...
opened the New Amsterdam Aerial Theatre and Gardens with a local review, Lifting the Lid, on Monday, June 5, 1905. The entertainment was produced by John J. McNally and featured Fay Templeton
Fay Templeton
Fay Templeton was an American stage actress.Her parents were actors/vaudevillians and she followed in their footsteps, making her Broadway debut in 1900. She continued to appear there until 1934...
, Donner, Louis Harrison, Virginia Earle, and others. The venue was
a successful attraction the previous summer and had been improved with new decorations and alterations.
Donner was a cast member of Klaw & Erlanger's revival of Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English language nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. He is typically portrayed as an egg and has appeared or been referred to in a large number of works of literature and popular culture...
when it was staged at the New York Theatre
New York Theatre
Several theatres in New York City have been called New York Theatre at various times during the building's life. They include the following:*Bowery Theatre*Olympia Theatre *Church of the Messiah...
in March 1906. Earlier the play was presented at Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
and at the New Amsterdam Theatre the previous summer. Frank Moulan continued in the role of Little Mary as did William C. Schrode, who depicted the Clown.
In April 1906 Donner appeared in The District Leader
The District Leader
The District Leader is a musical that premiered in New York City on April 30, 1906, at Wallack's Theatre and closed on May 5, 1906 after 8 performances. Music, lyrics, and book were by Joseph E...
at Wallack's Theatre
Wallack's Theatre
Wallack’s Theatre , located on 254 West 42nd Street in New York, United States, was opened on December 5, 1904 by Oscar Hammerstein I. Wallack’s was Hammerstein’s 8th production theatre and was originally known as the "Lew Fields'", a name that Hammerstein gave it in recognition of his favourite...
at 254 West 42nd Street. The two-act musical comedy drama was written by Joseph E. Howard. Its plot was traditional, involving district politics.
In September 1906 Donner applied to the Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
Probate Court to have her mother, Louella Donner, committed to a sanitarium. The probate court requested the appointment of two doctors to inquire as to the mental condition of her mother. Donner said she had awakened a few weeks before to find her mother was insane. Louella Donner was sent out west for a time before being brought to Greenwich in August. She escaped from Ardendale Sanitarium at Cos Cob, near the residence of Clyde Fitch
Clyde Fitch
Clyde Fitch was an American dramatist.-Biography:Born William Clyde Fitch at Elmira, New York, he wrote over 60 plays, 36 of them original, which varied from social comedies and farces to melodrama and historical dramas.As the only child to live to adulthood, his father, Captain William G...
, after jumping out of a second-floor window. She had employed a corset
Corset
A corset is a garment worn to hold and shape the torso into a desired shape for aesthetic or medical purposes...
steel to pick the lock on the window. Donner came to Greenwich when her mother was returned to the sanitarium superintendent by the police, and it was discovered she had not been committed.
The Maestro's Masterpiece by Edward Locke
Edward Locke
Edward Locke was an American playwright born in England.He became a theatre and vaudeville actor while still in teens. He wrote some vaudeville sketches and plays, the most successful of which was The Climax, which has been filmed twice, though one bore little resemblance to the play...
was produced by Arthur Hammerstein
Arthur Hammerstein
Arthur Hammerstein , was the son of Oscar Hammerstein I and uncle of Oscar Hammerstein II, was an opera producer and one of the writers of the song "Because of You," a major hit for Tony Bennett in 1951. Hammerstein wrote the song in 1940. It was used in the film I Was an American Spy...
at the Columbia Theatre in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in February 1911. Donner was in this play of grand opera life in English. She sang the part of Micaela in Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
with the Boston Opera Company
Boston Opera Company
The Boston Opera Company was an American opera company located in Boston, Massachusetts that was active from 1909 to 1915.-History:The company was founded in 1908 by Bostonian millionaire Eben Dyer Jordan, Jr. and impresario Henry Russell...
in January 1913. Previously she debuted as Mimi, which proved to be one of the most significant triumphs of the season.