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Double Take: The Story of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres . By Hilary Russell. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1989. Pp. 158 + illus. $59.95; $29.95.

In Saint John, Preston attempted to build on the reputation he had earned by his Fredericton performances but he now lacked influential support in the newspapers. He therefore decided to attempt a sensation by reviving The Provincial Association. Mullaly speculates that he may not have known that Hill's play satirized prominent Saint John businessmen. He may, on the other hand, have been banking on the popularity of controversy. Controversy there certainly was, indeed a riot. In his subsequent efforts to sustain his Saint John Theatre, Preston imported stars, the first an American actress named McBride, who faded fast, the second an English actor known as 'The Kean of the East End', Charles Freer. Freer had come to New York in 1839, apparently hoping to rescue a career that had foundered when he attempted management in London. Mullaly tells us that his New York debut, as Richard III at the Park Theatre 'caused not a ripple of excitement' and he continued to decline. Surprisingly, he then retreated briefly to Saint John, where he acted for Preston during his first venture into management there. Freer eventually got back to New York for the 1844-5 season, but when it ended once more found himself 'at liberty'. His need for employment and Preston's for a male star now coincided. For Freer, Mullaly says, this was 'the opportunity to act before an appreciative public the masculine classics of the mid-1800s: Tell, The Hunchback, Viiginius, Pizano and, for a note of culture, Othello, Macbeth, and A New Way to Pay Old Debts. The local press hailed his performances, and Preston returned in triumph with Freer to Fredericton to close out the summer season. Thomas Hill reviewed his performances in the Loyalist, concluding that his greatest achievement was Richard HI: