HYLAND
It was one of the first times that people had experienced
a ventilation system that attempted to cool the air
specifically for their comfort. More to the point, this was
one of the first times that such a system really and truly
worked. And it was a sensation.
The Madison Square Theatre instantly became a
must-see attraction for New York natives as well as
tourists. As to Hazel Kirke, it was able to ignore the
thermometer and run straight through the summer,
shattering Broadway attendance records in the process.
But the exact reason for the show's popularity escaped
no one. One man told a reporter that he was seeing
the play for the twelfth time: "Certainly I like the play
Immediately on entering, we felt as though we had left
the hot world to scorch and dry up outside, while we
were enjoying a soft summer breeze within. Where did
it come from? The house was crowded—there was not
standing-room for a broomstick; but the air was as cool
and refreshing as though it had blown over a bank of
spring violets.
As men stopped mopping their faces and women
put away their fans, they looked around in confusion.
A theater in summer weather wasn't supposed to be
endurable, let alone comfortable. But a note in the
program explained it in a single line:
COOLED WITH ICE
