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Nast’s theatrical “set piece” of the June 1, 1872 issue introduces
presidential nominee Greeley as “The Modern Mazeppa” in “What I Know about the
Road from Cincinnati to___.” It is a travesty of the venerable theatrical
war-horse, “Mazeppa” (or “The Wild Horse of Tartary”), dating from 1830 and
itself based on a swashbuckling 1819 poem by Lord Byron. The play originally
depended for its limited appeal on a hair-raising final scene in which a young
Polish nobleman is stripped of his clothing by a villainous count, tied to the
back of a spirited stallion, and the two, in tandem, gallop across the stage on
an elevated runway. An 1861 production starring the seductive actress Adah
Isaacs Mencken became an overnight sensation when it was offered in New York
City and Albany. |
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