ABSTRACT
The first indication of Alice’s arrival in the United States of America was a small news item in the March 10, 1883, issue of the New York Dramatic Mirror which announced that “Alice May, a London actress of ability, is in the city. She has made her greatest successes in light opera and burlesque.” Most New York theatregoers would have been little the wiser for the information. Only those with access to British theatrical journals such as the Era were likely to have recognized her name. A week later, the Mirror’s London correspondent went into greater detail:
I hope Alice May, who is now in New York, will find a niche worthy of her distinguished musical talents. Apart from her vocal gifts, she is an admirable actress, and if once she is properly placed in your city I feel confident she will secure an immense success. When she appeared in The Sorcerer, Arthur Sullivan said she perfectly realised his notion of how the character should be interpreted and, like his collaborator, Gilbert, he is by no means easy to please.
