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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
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Will it play in Poughkeepsie?

I see there's been a little past discussion here of the expression "play in Peoria," but I didn't find any mention of Poughkeepsie. My understanding has always been that the expression refers to actual test runs of Broadway-bound shows in the Poughkeepsie opera houses (Dutchess/Playhouse/Starlight, Collingwood/Bardavon, and I think there were a couple others, possibly including Vassar Brothers) before they were mounted in the City. Was there a similar relationship between Peoria and Chicago theatres?
A quick Google search suggests the "Peoria" version is about 50 times more popular but does that have to do with the origin of the expression, some specific popularizing use, or just the difficulty of spelling "Poughkeepsie"?
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[/nq] How many hits do you find for "Podunk" in that phrase?... r

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  • [/nq] How many hits do you find for "Podunk" in that phrase?...
  • r
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2 Answers
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Glenn Knickerbocker filted:
[nq:1]A quick Google search suggests the "Peoria" version is about 50 times more popular but does that have to do with the origin of the expression, some specific popularizing use, or just the difficulty of spelling "Poughkeepsie"?[/nq]
How many hits do you find for "Podunk" in that phrase?...

I wonder if the "Peoria" version gained strength from the ol
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[nq:1]I see there's been a little past discussion here of the expression "play in Peoria," but I didn't find any ... Collingwood/Bardavon, and I think there were a couple others, possibly including Vassar Brothers) before they were mounted in the City.[/nq]
San Francisco?
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