Sunday Feature

The Astor Place Riots

Sunday 15 May 2005 21:30-22:15 (Radio 3)

The curse of Macbeth, one of the most ill starred plays in theatrical history, took its greatest toll in the Astor Place riots in New York, one of the bloodiest riots ever to take place in the history of the United States.

On May 10th,1849, US militia killed 23 and wounded over 100 people. Was this just the unhappy climax of a longstanding feud between two actors? Not quite. Tim Pigott Smith traces the events on the streets of New York looking at and beyond this pivotal moment, examining the tensions between nations and the antagonisms between classes in a city ripe for reform.

Duration:

45 minutes

Sunday Feature

Episode and Playlist Information

• 3 July 2005
• 26 June 2005
• 19 June 2005
• 12 June 2005
• 29 May 2005
• 22 May 2005
• 15 May 2005
• 8 May 2005
• 24 April 2005
• 17 April 2005

Sunday Feature pages