American theatrical critic, playwright and producer. He belonged to an old New York family and attended Columbia University, where he proved an excellent athlete, graduating in 1891 as the class president and academic head of his class. Mapes became a journalist, and the next year spent time in Paris, France, where he studied drama at the Sorbonne. He lived in Paris from 1892 to 1896. In May 1895 his play La Comtesse de Lisne was staged at the Theatre Mondaine. He was Paris correspondent for The New York Sun. After returning to the US Mapes became stage manager at the Lyceum Theatre in New York for Daniel Frohman in 1897. Later that year he resigned to become drama critic for the New York World. He wrote under the pseudonym of "Sidney Sharp". When his first American play, A Flower of Yeddo, was produced Mapes resigned from the New York World. His play A Flower of Yeddo was staged at the Empire Theater of New York in 1898. His play The Tory's Guest was produced at the same theater in 1900. While writing plays, Mapes became general stage director of Daly's Theater in New York, and in 1904 became manager at the Globe Theater in Boston. In 1906 he became director of the New Theater in Chicago, which opened in October that year. The theater was founded by a group of leading Chicago citizens with the aim of producing worthwhile plays for limited runs without elaborate scenery or costumes, and without promoting stars. The high-minded formula was not successful and Mapes resigned at the end of 1906. Mapes's best known works are The Boomerang (1915), and two plays written in collaboration, The New Henrietta (1913) and The Hottentot (1920). The Boomerang, produced by David Belasco and starring Arthur Byron and Martha Hedman, ran at the Belasco Theatre for 522 performances. It has been called a "sunny, youthful, spirited play", with excellent performances by the leader actors. Boomerang was written in collaboration with Winchell Smith, The farce Hottentot was written in collaboration with William Collier Sr. In 1928 he and his wife retired to Cannes, France where they lived until his death in 1943. Mapes died of heart failure at Clinique Beausoleil in Cannes. He was survived by his wife, Anna Louis Hoeke Mapes. He was preceded in death by his only child, a son, also buried in Cannes, and a brother Charles Halstead Mapes, who graduated from Columbia two years ahead of Victor.
American theatrical critic, playwright and producer. He belonged to an old New York family and attended Columbia University, where he proved an excellent athlete, graduating in 1891 as the class president and academic head of his class. Mapes became a journalist, and the next year spent time in Paris, France, where he studied drama at the Sorbonne. He lived in Paris from 1892 to 1896. In May 1895 his play La Comtesse de Lisne was staged at the Theatre Mondaine. He was Paris correspondent for The New York Sun. After returning to the US Mapes became stage manager at the Lyceum Theatre in New York for Daniel Frohman in 1897. Later that year he resigned to become drama critic for the New York World. He wrote under the pseudonym of "Sidney Sharp". When his first American play, A Flower of Yeddo, was produced Mapes resigned from the New York World. His play A Flower of Yeddo was staged at the Empire Theater of New York in 1898. His play The Tory's Guest was produced at the same theater in 1900. While writing plays, Mapes became general stage director of Daly's Theater in New York, and in 1904 became manager at the Globe Theater in Boston. In 1906 he became director of the New Theater in Chicago, which opened in October that year. The theater was founded by a group of leading Chicago citizens with the aim of producing worthwhile plays for limited runs without elaborate scenery or costumes, and without promoting stars. The high-minded formula was not successful and Mapes resigned at the end of 1906. Mapes's best known works are The Boomerang (1915), and two plays written in collaboration, The New Henrietta (1913) and The Hottentot (1920). The Boomerang, produced by David Belasco and starring Arthur Byron and Martha Hedman, ran at the Belasco Theatre for 522 performances. It has been called a "sunny, youthful, spirited play", with excellent performances by the leader actors. Boomerang was written in collaboration with Winchell Smith, The farce Hottentot was written in collaboration with William Collier Sr. In 1928 he and his wife retired to Cannes, France where they lived until his death in 1943. Mapes died of heart failure at Clinique Beausoleil in Cannes. He was survived by his wife, Anna Louis Hoeke Mapes. He was preceded in death by his only child, a son, also buried in Cannes, and a brother Charles Halstead Mapes, who graduated from Columbia two years ahead of Victor.
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