Edwin Booth, as Hamlet, in Sandusky

A reporter wrote in the April 1, 1928 issue of the Sandusky Register that Edwin Booth, brother of John Wilkes Booth, was “the greatest tragedian of his generation.” A crowded house attended the one night performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet on the evening of March 11, 1882.

Prices to see Hamlet ranged from $1.00 to $1.50. The play took place at Biemiller’s Opera House which was located at the southwest corner of Water and Jackson Streets. Later the Biemiller’s Opera House was known as the Nielsen Opera House and the Sandusky Opera House. The building was razed in 1955.

An article from the New York Times of April 25, 1880 praised Edwin Booth for his portrayal of Hamlet.