Background
Abbey was born on June 27, 1846 in Akron, Ohio, United States. He was the son of Elizabeth (Smith) Abbey and Henry Stephen Abbey, a Connecticut clockmaker, who migrated in 1835 to Akron, Ohio, then only a small village.
Abbey was born on June 27, 1846 in Akron, Ohio, United States. He was the son of Elizabeth (Smith) Abbey and Henry Stephen Abbey, a Connecticut clockmaker, who migrated in 1835 to Akron, Ohio, then only a small village.
Abbey graduated from the Akron High School with honors.
After graduation the Akron High School, Abbey's father tried to interest him in his jewelry business, but the younger Abbey's thoughts were turned toward the popular amusement field. Beginning as ticketseller for the local opera house, of which, after two years, he became lessee, in 1869 he brought, from the Cleveland Academy of Music, John Ellsler's company, then playing London Assurance with Clara Morris as ingenue. The next year he took out his first "road company"--the Susan Galton Opera Troupe. In succeeding years Abbey brought to many of the smaller cities a better class of performances than they had customarily seen. Under his management Lotta, Adams, and Raymond made extended tours.
In 1876 he left Akron, formed a partnership with John B. Schoeffel, and acquired the Academy of Music at Buffalo, New York. After a year's trial the partners decided that New York City was to be their field of operations and undertook the management of the Park Theatre. That was the initial effort in a series of theatrical and operatic enterprises, some brilliantly successful and others disheartening failures, covering a period of twenty years. It was Abbey who brought together the actors William H. Crane and Stuart Robson, who starred successfully for many seasons. In New York the elder Sothern played a long engagement in The Crushed Tragedian under Abbey's management.
After managing several theatres in New York for three or four seasons, Abbey went to Europe in 1880 and made a contract with Sarah Bernhardt, then at the apex of her career, to give performances in the United States. It was a bold venture, but proved successful. Bernhardt played 164 times for $100, 000 as her share of the proceeds, while Abbey, Schoeffel & Grau received an equivalent amount. This engagement gave Abbey his national reputation as a manager.
Within three years he was in control of the Metropolitan Opera House, just opened in New York. The first two seasons of opera showed a loss of $250, 000, which was quickly repaid to the creditors of the lessees; but Colonel Mapleson's attempt to offer New York a rival program of grand opera made the success of either venture impossible.
In 1889-1890 Abbey managed the American tours of Adelina Patti and the London Gaiety. Among the popular players who appeared under his management were Barrett, Sothern, Henry Irving, Coquelin, and Jane Hading.
For one season, in the earlier part of his career, he had Booth's Theatre and presented Edwin Booth himself in a Shakespearian repertoire. In 1891-1892 he brought to the Metropolitan stage Jean and Edouard De Reszke and Emma Eames. The same year he secured Italian opera. The next year he introduced Calve to America.
He opened Abbey's Theatre in 1893, retaining the management of various other amusement places. In the season of 1895-1896 he brought over a remarkable group of European opera singers, but financially the enterprise ended in failure. Before his death, however, a settlement had been obtained with the creditors of Abbey, Schoeffel & Grau.
Abbey was one of the first theatrical managers to present costly entertainments before audiences outside the largest cities and he was remarkably successful in capturing the best European talent, both histrionic and operatic, even when the financial investment seemed to make the undertaking hopeless.
Abbey was twice married, in 1876 to Catherine R Kingsley, who bore him two children and died in 1883, and in 1886 to Florence Gerard.
