Beware the ides of March, in November…All three Booth brothers performed in a performance of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to benefit the placement of a statue of the bard in New York’s Gramercy Park. The performance, which took place in the famous Winter Garden Theater on November 25th, 1864 was a sold out, one night show. As the soon to be assassin had his moment in the footlights, Confederate sympathizers attempted to burn down New York City by setting fire to a building next door to the Winter Garden.
The Booth’s performance was interrupted when someone overheard a whispered warning of the encroaching fire, and a stampede nearly ensued. A police inspector in the audience, believe it or not, yelled at the crowd to keep their seats saying that the man raising the warning was drunk.
They did, and saw one of the last performances by all three Booths on the same stage.
