As the battle raged in the papers, The Gilded Age marched on to the applause of sold out houses. It was a special occasion on December 23, 1874, as this New York Times article reported on Christmas Eve:
The Park Theatre was literally crammed from pit to dome last evening on the occasion of the one hundredth representation of Mark Twain's American drama of "The Gilded Age." The interest which of late has been associated with the effort to establish a purely American drama representing American character in its various existing phases, and racy of the soil, has centered round the production of "The Gilded Age," and the success of the play has been a cause of general gratification. Since its first recital, the piece has received every evidence of public appreciation, and the quaint eccentricities of the good-natured and wildly speculative Col. Sellers, with his visionary schemes for the creation of millions, have secured for themselves a permanent place in the memory of theatre-goers. The performance last evening was distinguished by several novel features, and bouquets and satin programmes were distributed in celebration of the occasion. The piece was played as usual, and in response to repeated calls the author, Mr. Samuel L. Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, delivered an address, replete with humor in speech and gesture. He warmly expressed his sense of gratitude for the public appreciation of the play, and on retiring he was loudly cheered. Mr. John T. Raymond also expressed the gratitude of the actors for the recognition their efforts to please had received, and generously attributed the success of the piece, not to any merit of his own, but to the excellences inherent to the play itself. . .
The Gilded Age apparently had assured itself a place in the history of the American stage; but it would eventually become a victim of its own success.
