[citation needed] With backgrounds in music and dance, these performers turned producers dazzled New York City with theatrical wonders.

From folk dancing in Europe to directing and producing in the United States, the Kiralfys spent their lives astounding audiences with unseen visual phenomenon and were never afraid to push the boundaries earning them a special place in entertainment history.

The Kiralfy Brothers, Imre (1845–1919) and Bolossy (1848–1932), were the eldest of seven siblings born in the 1840s in Pest—(since 1873 incorporated with Buda and Óbuda into Budapest)—during the Hungarian Revolution, in which their father, Jacob Königsbaum, was ruined.

There the brothers first performed under the name "Kiralfy" instead of their family name of Königsbaum; the boys' father changed their name to prevent them from being recognized as the sons of a revolutionary.

[3] For many years, the family continued to travel, touring all through both Eastern and Western Europe, while the three of the four younger siblings went to school and learned dance.

"[4] Eventually, their sisters Haniola, Emile and Katie, as well as their youngest brother Arnold joined Imre and Bolossy in the dance industry.

It had to embody in logical form all aspects of the theatre – music, lyrics, dance and drama – in a production that was usually greater than the sum of its parts.

My experience at the Theatre de la Porte-Saint-Martin and at the Chatelet gave me the ability to produce big spectacular numbers.

[11] For four years, the family continued to tour as dancers, until eventually being contracted by Niblo's Garden, just after the theatre’s immense success with The Black Crook.

[18] When one of the many revivals of the Kiralfy Brothers’ production was brought to the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia in April 1879, reviewers praised the ballet and scenery, while essentially ignoring the acting.

One reviewer comments that the sets of “Pandemonium, the Garden of Eden, and the Temple of Enoch were wonderful to behold, and were master-pieces of scenic painting,” and goes on to note that, because the piece was under the direction of the Kiralfys, it would “undoubtedly draw full houses”.

[19] The Deluge is a perfect example of the Kiralfys’ mastery of the key concepts of burlesque; the plot was weak but the gorgeous set, astonishing special effects, and beautiful girls served well to cover this up.

[20] According to Bolossy Kiralfy, their goal with the production was to “convert American theatre audiences into enthusiasts for the French style of musical spectacle” which so inspired the brothers.

[21] Around the World in Eighty Days based on the Jules Verne novel and adapted for the stage by Michael d’Ennery, was another Parisian import.

Around the World in Eighty Days opened at the Academy of Music, after a legal challenge due to another New York troupe trying to mount the same Paris production, and it was a major hit.

[30] For the audience and the producers, much of the appeal in such frequent productions lay in the fluidity of the plot, which allowed many opportunities for additions to the story, scenery and dance.

Upon their split, Bolossy continued to work in fantasy and fable whereas Imre pressed on with progressive era productions filled with science, technology, and machinery.

Imre Kiralfy also premiered his show America at the Chicago World’s Fair which was picked up by the Metropolitan Opera House in 1893.

[36] The twenty-four acre Earl's Court Exhibition Centre grounds were rebuilt in 1894 by Imre Kiralfy in a Mughal Indian style.

Highlights of the site included the two-storey Empress Hall, built for Kiralfy in Fulham which could seat 6,000 viewers for his spectaculars, and the 300-feet high Great Wheel whose forty carriages could each accommodate thirty people.

I could still hide myself and cruise the show in a gondola to evaluate the performance.” [41] In 1888, Bolossy returned from his trip to Europe and brought two new spectacles to America, Mathias Sandorf and Antiope.

In this production, Kiralfy included performers like the James troupe of eccentric games, and Alexandrov Brothers, the famous Russian musical clowns.