Lillian Pleas Cunningham Rees6 S School Street

Lillian Pleas Cunningham Rees was born in Lodi in 1880. Lillian studied voice and appeared locally in many shows before moving to San Francisco to sing at the Tivoli Theater. There she met and married Tivoli’s star Arthur Cunningham, a celebrated baritone.Lillian and her husband returned to Lodi in 1906 following the San Francisco earthquake that destroyed the Tivoli and all their belongings. Arthur sang at the Lodi Opera House (upstairs from the current Thornton Furniture Store) to help get them back on their feet. Lillian went on to appear in numerous Broadway productions.