Much Ado About A Merchant of Venice opened at the Brougham's Theatre, New York on March 8, 1869 with John Brougham in the title role. One of the most popular burlesquers of the mid-19th Century, John Brougham's Shakespearean take off Americanized the story with interpolation references and American songs. Actor, playwright and theatre producer, John Brougham was a prolific playwright having written over 120 plays, burlesques comedies, and musical extravaganzas earning him the nickname "The American Aristophanes" from critics of the time.