The day after what was already being called "The Massacre Place" riots, people in New York City were mad as hell and nervous as hell. City elites and authorities convened juries and extracted verdicts with lightning speed. It seemed like civil war would break out in Manhattan. All this, plus: Mary does some great imitations, while Andy does a cringe-tastic take on Butt-Head. Join us as we do the aftermath of the deadly Astor Place Theatre Riot of 1849.

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Theme Music: Kelly Dwyer. Logo Design: Mary Birdsong. Producer/Editor: Joshua Dudley.

Talked into continuing his run of the Scottish Play by kid-gloved New Yorkers, William Charles Macready and his fellow thespians manage a remarkable rendering of Shakespeare—sometimes in mime—as rowdies loyal to Ned Forrest try to shut the whole damn thing down. Things get ugly. Then they get uglier. Then the army decides it's time to enter the fray. When has this ever worked out well?

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Theme Music: Kelly Dwyer. Logo Design: Mary Birdsong. Producer/Editor: Joshua Dudley.

British actor William Charles Macready inks a deal to do Macbeth at the Astor Place Opera House. It gets off to a rocky, smelly start. He's not sure what to do. Meanwhile, a buncha Bowery B'Hoys try to lay their mitts on some muskets, while Washington Irving undertakes verily to crush "the mob." And gee, book titles were so very loooooooooooong back then.

To sign up for Andrew L. Erdman's newsletter, nERDism, click here.

For a list of sources click here.

Theme Music: Kelly Dwyer. Logo Design: Mary Birdsong. Producer/Editor: Joshua Dudley.