A theatrical tidbit from The Daily Morning Astorian, June 5, 1888:

• There was an appreciative audience at the opera house last evening to see Jeffreys-Lewis and her company in the fascinating play of “La Belle Russe,” which was admirably presented. Tonight will be given the great drama of “East Lynne.” 

Note: Mary Jeffreys Lewis, known professionally as Jeffreys Lewis (occasionally spelled with a hyphen), was a British actress who had her Broadway debut in New York in 1873 as a member of the Lyceum Co., according to the Broadway Library. At the time, she was probably in her early 20s.

By 1875, she was a bona fide star on the East Coast and West Coast, and was touring Europe and Australia. She also teamed with other famous actors of the era, and in addition, was a manager. It was quite a coup for Astoria to have her, and her company, arrive for two performances.

“Her hits — ‘Diplomacy,’ ‘La Belle Russe,’ ‘Forget me Not’ — were sufficiently lustrous,” Broadway Library proclaimed, “to propel her career into the 20th century.”