The Bowery Theatre opened on 22 October 1826 under the name New York Theatre, with the comedy "The Road to Ruin," by Thomas Holcroft, under the management of Charles A. Gilfert. New York Mayor Philip Hone spoke at the opening ceremony, imploring the theatre's intended upper-class audience: "It is therefore incumbent upon those whose standing in society enables them to control the opinions and direct the judgment of others, to encourage, by their countenance and support, a well-regulated theatre." Its first few seasons were devoted to ballet, opera, and high drama. The theatre was by this time quite fashionable, and the northward expansion of Manhattan gave the theatre access to a large patronage. The theatre burnt down on the evening of May 26, 1828, but was rebuilt by the architect Joseph Sera and reopened under the name Bowery Theatre on August 20, 1828. Gilfert's understanding of advertising was keen, but in 1829 the owners fired him.