Hoyt, Charles Hale

(1860-1900)

   The popular and prolific author of light farces was born in Concord, New Hampshire, and began his writing career on the staff of the Boston Post. As drama critic, he discovered his proclivity for theatre and wrote approximately one play every season from 1881 to 1899. Having traveled widely and observed people in various social milieux, Hoyt had a strong sense of both how to portray and how to entertain Americans. His comedies are thinly plotted excuses for exposure of social foibles and interpolation of occasional songs. After the success of A Bunch of Keys (1883), A Rag Baby (1884), and A Parlor Match (1884), The Maid and the Moonshiner (1886) failed; thus the superstitious Hoyt henceforth began all his play titles with A, not The. His most successful play, A Trip to Chinatown (1891), ran a record-breaking 650 performances and included three perennially popular songs: "The Bowery," "After the Ball," and "Reuben, Reuben, I've Been Thinking." Among his other successes were A Midnight Bell (1889), A Texas Steer (1890), and A Milk White Flag (1894).