{"id":145238,"date":"2026-02-25T20:43:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T20:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/145238\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T20:43:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T20:43:12","slug":"worlds-first-hot-dog-brings-coney-island-history-to-the-stage-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/145238\/","title":{"rendered":"World\u2019s First Hot Dog\u2019 brings Coney Island history to the stage \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long before the bright lights of Nathan\u2019s Famous became synonymous with Coney Island, there was another name that defined the boardwalk: Feltman\u2019s.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Now, Coney Island native Michael Quinn is bringing that forgotten story back to New York audiences in his one-man play, \u201cFeltman: World\u2019s First Hot Dog<\/a>,\u201d running at 36th Street Theatre from March 18 through June 14.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 70-minute solo show premiered at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival to packed houses and glowing reviews<\/a>. Now, Quinn is back on home turf \u2014 telling a story rooted in Brooklyn history, immigration and resilience.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the sidewalk to the stage\n<\/p>\n

Quinn\u2019s journey back to the stage is deeply personal.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

He worked as an actor in the 1990s and studied\u00a0at H.B. Studio and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, but stepped away from performing after losing his younger brother in the September 11 attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost my little brother on 9\/11,\u201d Quinn told Brooklyn Paper. \u201cHe was my biggest fan. I couldn\u2019t go back to the stage after that.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

What followed was a 25-year absence from performing. Quinn became a high school English teacher, led tours of Coney Island and immersed himself in the borough\u2019s civic life. But something lingered.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Feltman's\"After leaving the spotlight 25 years ago, Quinn brought \u201cFeltman\u201d to Edinburgh. It received glowing reviews.Photo courtesy of Michael Quinn<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was something inside of me that felt unfulfilled,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt like my brother died and then I gave up acting. It\u2019s like I felt like I had to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 50, Quinn returned to the stage for the first time at the Edinburgh Fringe. He lived in a dorm for the month-long festival, rewriting and refining the show as he went.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely an emotional journey,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of doubt. I hadn\u2019t been on stage in 25 years. And then it just went really well. It got better after each performance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The original \u2018top dog\u2019 of Coney Island\n<\/p>\n

The first half of \u201cFeltman: World\u2019s First Hot Dog,\u201d transports audiences to 1867, when German immigrant Charles Feltman first placed a sausage in a bun on the sands of Coney Island.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Quinn insists the story is bigger than the classic American food.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cFeltman\u2019s was more than just hot dogs,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was the largest restaurant in the world.\u201d
\n\"Feltman'sQuinn brought Feltman\u2019s back to Coney Island in 2015.File photo by Georgine Benvenuto\n<\/p>\n

At its height, Feltman\u2019s stretched two city blocks, employed 2,000 workers and could seat 10,000 guests at once \u2014 \u201cthe population of Battery Park City,\u201d Quinn noted. The sprawling complex included nine restaurants, a hotel, rides, live entertainment and even what became the largest outdoor movie theater on the beach.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t just the hot dog stand,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cIt was basically a resort.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

He believes the brand faded from memory<\/a> largely because of time \u2014 and because Nathan\u2019s eventually eclipsed it in popular imagination. Few realize that Nathan Handwerker once worked for Feltman before launching his own stand.<\/p>\n

Parallel struggles, centuries apart\n<\/p>\n

The play\u2019s second half turns inward, drawing direct parallels between Feltman\u2019s 19th-century entrepreneurial struggles and Quinn\u2019s own modern-day experience reviving<\/a> the Feltman\u2019s brand before eventually selling it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the struggles he faces in the play \u2014 my struggles parallel his,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cHe was trying to come up with something to survive. He built a business from nothing. I had this recipe that was passed down to me, and I started with nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In recent years, Quinn said he has also dealt with challenges and canceled projects and thousands of AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating him. In response, he chose to take creative control.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Feltman'sQuinn told Brooklyn Paper he sees parallels between Feltman and his own journey reviving the brand.Brooklyn Paper file photo<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to write it myself. I\u2019m going to produce it myself,\u201d he said. \u201cPretty much everything except direct it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The minimalist production reflects that independence: just Quinn, a beach chair and an umbrella, embodying every character.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to tell the story and perform the story,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s totally from my perspective.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

A quintessential New York delicacy\n<\/p>\n

Though the hot dog is often framed as an American icon, Quinn sees it as distinctly New York.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cNot only is it American \u2014 it\u2019s very New York,\u201d he said. \u201cNew Yorkers, we\u2019re always running. Lunch for us is to grab a hot dog or a slice of pizza. We\u2019ve got to get to the next meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

He believes Feltman recognized that impulse as early as the 1860s, a portable and affordable meal that allowed customers to stroll the beach, ride a carousel or move on with their day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more than just the hot dog story,\u201d Quinn said of Feltman\u2019s invention. \u201cIt\u2019s really a comment on society \u2014 immigration, the state of capitalism, what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Persistence. There\u2019s a lot of pain in it. A lot of struggle. A lot of loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Brooklyn to Edinburgh \u2014 and back\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Taking such a Brooklyn-specific story overseas required adjustments. Quinn edited certain language and cultural references for U.K. audiences and hired a publicist to help introduce the story.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, European theatergoers were captivated.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were fascinated by it,\u201d he said. \u201cThey liked my Brooklyn accent. I made the decision to play Charles Feltman with a real working-class Brooklyn accent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Edinburgh Fringe, with nearly 3,000 shows running simultaneously, was \u201cbananas,\u201d Quinn said \u2014 but the response affirmed that the play\u2019s themes transcend geography.<\/p>\n

\"Feltman'sQuinn said he had to edit much of the content for the European audiences, something he never realized.Photo courtesy of Michael Quinn<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very human experience,\u201d he said. \u201cResilience. Survival. The human condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

When New York audiences leave the theater, Quinn hopes they walk away with more than a craving \u2014 though many do text him photos of hot dogs afterward.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want them to just think, \u2018I want a hot dog,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cI want them to feel something.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

In telling the story of Charles Feltman, Quinn is also reclaiming his own \u2014 returning to the stage, to New York, and to a borough whose history is woven into every bite.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeltman: World\u2019s First Hot Dog\u201d runs March 18\u201322, May 6\u201310 and June 10\u201314 at 36th Street Theatre (The Chain), 312 W. 36th St., 4th Floor. Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 5 p.m. Tickets are $40.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Long before the bright lights of Nathan\u2019s Famous became synonymous with Coney Island, there was another name that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145239,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2571,98,60882,119,60883,157,60884,60885,1070,60886,881,49012,60887,9,11,10,12,370,60888,905,904],"class_list":["post-145238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-arts-and-entertainment","tag-brooklyn","tag-charles-feltman","tag-coney-island","tag-edinburgh-fringe-festival","tag-entertainment","tag-feltmans-worlds-first-hot-dog","tag-feltmans","tag-food","tag-fringe-festival","tag-history","tag-hot-dogs","tag-michael-quinn","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-news","tag-newsletter","tag-the-chain-theater","tag-theater","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=145238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/145239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=145238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=145238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=145238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}