3. Theatre.

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Annagg

Literatura inglesa del siglo XIX

3º Grado en Estudios Ingleses

Facultad de Filología, Traducción y Comunicación

Universitat de València

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No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
 No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
THEATRE
The Victorian Theatre
Novels were far more important.
How to approach 19th century literature? à watching performances, but not reading
them. 19th century theatre has the purpose to entertain. Leisure time and
entertainment.
Theatre was the leading genre in the entertainment industry.
Theatre was not something to be read.
Problem with 19th century theatreà censorship. Also, the lack of printed information
to build the story of 19th century theatre. All the performance on the stage had to pass
the censorship. They needed to hand a manuscript in order to be accepted. This meant

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that they actually had a manuscript but to read it, it was very difficult as they had to go
to a library.
This industry is much more influential on the working classes because they could not
read and this entertainment was not to be read, but to be seen.

1737: Licensing Act in force until 1837 and it gave the right to perform spoken drama
only. Spoken drama was the only one allowed (p.107 book)
What is spoken drama? Without any sort of music in it. Comedies and Dramas
(Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde)
What is a Burletta? Only allowed in minor theatres. A select committee trying to give a
definition of Burletta: any drama with at least five pieces of vocal music (singed song,
not incidental music= the one which accompanies the scenes) in their acts.
Nothing related with the church could be put on stage. The plays had to pass the
legitimate of the censor.
1866: another selected committee to control the musicals. The censorship is extended
to genre of the musical.
1892: another select committee aiming to control the activity of the musical.

Respectability: the middle classes wanting to copy the upper classes and the theatres
were places where they could see their behaviours.
Astley’s Amphitheatre could admit all sort of people independently from their social
class. Also, it is mentioned in Dickens’ works as well as Jane Austen’s.
Spectacularity of 19th century theatre at stage: tanks of water etc.
On page 94 there is a list of theatre in London. Still, it is not a complete list of theatres.

VENUES:
Effects of industrial revolution, people moving from the country to the city and
metropolis. This new population needed new entertainment.
The figure of the drunker became popular on stage.
Increase of population = increase of potential audience.
1843à the last year for the licensing act. If they did not have a censor, they could
perform anything on theatre. It will not be until the 1860 with the angry young man

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 AUDIENCES:
Early 19th century
• Wet end: high classes, middle classes and very rarely working classes
• East end: mostly local audience
BUT depending on the particular neighbourhood and the particular dramatic action
Early 19th century theatre considered mostly popular but increase in respectability as
the century unfolded.

No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
Patent (major or legitimate) and non-patent theatre (minor or illegitimate)

Page 102-103-104-105. Also on pages 20-24 read at home

Actor managerà the 19th century heater industry was very hierarchical. A system was
developed and was called the “actor manager” system (def on page 96). It is a system
in which there is at the top of the hierarchy an actor manager. The woman manager
would only appear in the 1990s. what problems could they have? If they were married,
they could not sign contracts etc. but it was a profession in which they could easily
take the lead. Easier than narration or poetry.
The entertainment industry had always related women worth prostitution and so on
and so forth. Thus, most women lasted on stage as long their beauty lasted. Once they

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were old nobody cares about them.
An actor manager was responsible of many things. It would select the repertoire,
direct, perform and take care of money and mostly everything. They were at the top of
the hierarchy, both men and women. They financed everything out of his/her pockets,
they got no subsidy. They rarely owned the theatre, they actually leased it from the
owner of the building, and these usually obliged them to pay taxes, insurances, the
leave, the costumes and so on and so forth.
They also run their companies, directed their play, chose the performances, cast them
in each play, they selected all the staff in the venue and were responsible for their
salary. They also performed the leading role in their plays.
Positive elements: they earn money, recognition (become an important figure of the
theatrical scene)
Negative effects: work overload

Madame Vestris
An example of actor manager is Madame Vestris (p.96-7) a picture of her in one of her
breeches (=mallas) roles. It was a male character played by women, and also vice
versa. Breeches roles have been understood by the history of the 19th century in two
ways:
1. The chance for the male audiences to see the definition of the body of ladies,
which was scandalous and lack of respectability. Objectification of female
bodies
2. A chance for women to break boundaries in terms of costumes. Women do not
have to dress with the standards of their society
Madame Vestris was very good at singing and had beautiful legs (so, she fitted well to
Burlettas and theatre. She was well known for her legs, more than for her voice) à
Patriarchal society and criticism.

que esta Navidad lo único que suspendas sean planes

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 She married a well-known a ballet dancer who at some points in his life is going to
have extramarital relationships. She would leave her and provide herself for her
economical life. Her second husband was a performer younger than she was (super
scandal).
She was the first notable female actress manager of the West End.
Management of the Olympic in 1831 until 1839
The Olympic theatre had not yet a respectable reputation, but she made it better.
The middle classes wanted to mirror themselves and make themselves as respectable
as the higher classes. Madame Vestris wanted to make this desire of the middle classes

No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
possible, so she redecorated the theatre very richly ion order to grasp the attention of
the middle classes who wanted to feel as rich as possible. Also, she rehearsed with
care (she tries to sell the best product possible) with the aid of James Robinson
Planché and burlesque. Everything she did, she did it with care. Reproduction of the
costumes of the time with care.
Also, she managed the Covent Garden and the Lyceum, with her husband.

“The errors of managers” p.97

Criticism against the status of celebrities. A text against the actor-manages system.
Which is quite tyrannical and aims to a more equal and free system.
Second consequence: the style of the performs become a model for aspirants. In the

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case of madame Vestris she acted in more natural style. But in many times, you end up
having artificial performances.
tyranny in the camerinos = despotism

“Defending the actor-manager”

1st paragraph: Public opinion and its importance. It is the public who puts them in the
highest position. If anyone has the public favour than he/she has done right.
2nd paragraph: problems

PLAYBILLS: (p.96) [carteles anunciadores de la obra]

They were totally different in the 19th century.
Typography had the purpose to draw the people’s attention to what they would see on
the stage. Introduction of colors by the end of the century and presence of the main
scene of the play. Playbills will give details which would not see on the stage.

There was a need for the government to control the plays through the censors. No
direct offence to the government could put on stage, nor biblical blasphemy. There
was an office where the manuscripts were sent to be checked and eventually blue-
penciled them if needed (censorship). John Larpent was one of the first plays
controller.

Acting Collections: who are the readers of these collection? Amateur companies,
companies form the provinces
They are very cheap collections whit small fonts type

STAGING:
Big spaces were needed and thus architectural changes

estudias restauración? porque menuda obra de arte

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 Lighting: before they had candles and oil-burning lights, then with limelight in 1837
light could be focused and colored.

Burlesque
It is one of the genres of minor theatre of the 19th century
Modern burlesque also includes cabaret and nudity, but 19th century burlesque was a
genre for the middle classes. There was an issue about respectability.
When was the drama first performed? The date of performance has lots of references

No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
of the context of that time.
What was happening in the world outside the theatre? If we know we would have
another level of understanding.

p. 107-108-109-110 Legitimate and illegitimate theatre. The main minor genre of the
stages of the 19th century.
Melodrama and comedy as the big genre of the 19th century.
Burlesque: Form the 17th and 18th century: the earliest examples of Burlesque.
Hypotext: the text in which the parody is based. It was clearer in the 18th century than
in the 19th century. They aimed at different audiences. In the 19th century a new type
of burlesque was born. 19th century à new theatres being build and new audiences
(the working classes) which did not have the same education as the other audience.

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So, they might miss their references. Each person brings his knowledge to the theatre
and grasps his own conclusion. 19th century burlesque relied on general cultural
knowledge rather than on the hypotext. We will find topical references of the time,
references to tales and so on, that were familiar to the working classes (their new
audience).

p. 110 “What the critics say”

topical allusion: allusions related with contemporary events of their time
rhymed couplet in the parody of the original text: if we have got a hypotext, we have a
parody in rhymed couplets.
Transition of characters from high to low (ex: instead of a wealthy rich family, we
would be a common family) which is closer to the audience (working classes).
Instead of king and goddess we would have husband and wife.
Also, the past is brought closer to the audience in an ironical way.
Spectacularity has to be shown on the stage through Burlesque and Pantomime
Also exaggerated acting was typical.
Songs within all the play.

Victorian Shakespeare Burlesque (Examples)

• A thin Slice of Ham Let (anon., 1863)
Parodies of Shakespeare which were not relied on the hypotext, but they had the
references of their works.
It was not parodied only in the theatre but also in other forms of popular culture.

quiero que seas como el powerpoint de 2008 de la universidad: que nunca cambies
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 Classical Burlesque

No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
Plays which burlesques text, traditions and episodes from the Greek and roman
tradition. We would have random mythological references. But also, tragedies,
comedies and epic. Lasted util 1870.

Classical Burlesque – Case Study: Medea

Who is Medea? The granddaughter of the Helios and the daughter of Aetes, king of
Alia. They got married not following the traditions.
Medea in the 19th century was seen as a witch or sorceress. Much different from the
angel in the house.
Ernest Legouvé took this paly to Paris in 1856 at the Théatre Italien and then
translated by Thomas William and took to London.
Her character was much criticized and was not liked by the modern audiences. She is
the figure of the abandoned wife and she emphasize with the audience. She kills her

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children.

Why was it so successful?

• Both audiences could go and see the plays (the burlesque and the traditional
one? Or what? IDK) because the theatres were very near to one another
• Lyceum theatre à for upper and higher classes
• Olympic theatre à traditional theater but much smaller
She was parodied through a male performer with strong physical features.

The dialogue seems much more from a husband and wife than king to be and a
goddess (high characters to common characters)
Same debates that we would find on the streets (divorce and couple problems) are
displayed on the stage.

Licensing act was very important to theatre until 1843 and it divided the theatre
houses into major and minor.

Melodrama
Another of the leading genre of theatre of the 19th century.
Exaggeration in the acting style p 107 definition of melodrama
Legitimate drama: tragedies, dramas and comedies
Illegitimate drama: melodramas (because of exaggerations and music), farces,
burlettas, comic operas, burlesque, extravaganza
Melodrama aims to be a theatrical response to a world where things are seen to go
wrong and it provides an EMOTIONAL response rather than an intellectual one, and
that is why there is incidental music and exaggerated acting style.
Melodrama reflects reality but is not a realistic genre. Music is used to appeal to the
emotions of the audience. The threat of the society are put on the stage in order to be
criticized, just as happened in Gothic novels.

Characters: goodies vs bodies, stock characters (like the villain vs the heroes). Second
characters as humorous confidence (for example servants, family members and

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 neighbours). The villains will be supported by secondary characters with dubious life,
just as themselves.
Melodrama is very similar to Soap Operas nowadays.
Tastes and expectations of the audiences will be changing throughout the 19th century
as so the actor and directors had to change in order to satisfy the audiences needs.

The morally fallible hero is the one who can make mistake and it appears for example
in plays where there is alcoholism.
Temperance movement aims to end with the problem of alcoholism, and this

No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
developed in temperance melodrama, melodramatic plays which aimed to show the
audiences the negativity of alcohol and its effects on human beings. This will be the
morally fallible heroà he is a “bad” character because he is drunk but just in order t
show the audience its effect.
Also the audience would be tired of the super bad villain and this character would
develop in a more skilful villain.
Hostile environment through the villains.

Plot: related with the development of villainy. An action instigated by the villain, this
action will destabilize the hero and it will put his/her life in danger. But in melodrama
there are not always the same themes, they will put the focus on different social

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problems like alcohol, marriages and so on, and depending on this we would have a
kind of villain or another.

Acting style: presence of incidental music even of the licensing act ends in 1843 we will
still have incidental music in melodrama. Very exaggerated acting style.

Subgenres of melodrama: domestic melodrama, nautical melodrama, gothic

melodrama, eastern melodrama (and the threat of the empire), sensation melodrama,
Depending on the kind of social problem the play was addressing.

Chronology of melodrama:
Early 19th centuryà short plays, because the melodrama shared the bill (=compratian
el cartel) with other production in the same evening.
Also, during these years, new characters are being introduced because new population
are going to the city and these characters are eventually acting sometimes in the plays.
·0s and 40sà the moment of flourishment of melodramas. Also, the years of the angry
40s and Chartism. New characters coming from the working-classes. The attempt to
give respectability to the genre. This would mean a better product being showed to
the stage and a better theatrical effect. A fourth act would be introduced into the plays
and enlarge the duration of it. But it will be more difficult to grab the attention of the
audience because it is longer.

Douglas William Jerrold

Nautical Melodrama
Is considered to be the father of melodrama. He served in the navy, and he is going to
bring his experience in his nautical melodrama. He came from a family of theatre

quiero que seas como el powerpoint de 2008 de la universidad: que nunca cambies
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 tradition. His father was manager of a theatre. He wrote for minor theatre for order,
and he also wrote for journals.
Surrey Theatre one of the theatres of the other side of the Tames River. It was a minor
theatre that began as a circus but then it began to stage minor genres. More
respectability to the stage and try to broaden the audience of the theatre to the point
that around the 1820-30 he hired an omnibus in order to bring the audience to the
theatre. à reason for the massive success of Black Eyed Susan.
Why would audience have an interest in nautical melodrama? Because there were the
Napoleonic wars and also because they wanted to make propaganda in order to give

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important to the figure of Nelson as well. Also working classes would have member of
their families in the navy and this would grab more their interest.

Black Eyed Susan: this play is based on a ballad by John Gey. This ballad inspires a long
tradition of melodrama. There are two lovers and one of them is going to leave on a
ship.
How does Jerold expand the play? There is a bad villain in the village whose name is
Doggrass who among other things is in love with Susan. He is going to find all means to
separate the two lovers. One of these is taking William to the war. So there is the
farewell of the ¡two lovers. At some point she believes he is dead but just before he
comes back, Captain Crosstree appears and sets eye on Susan. So, William in a fit of

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passion pinches the captain and is sentenced to death because he has injured one of
his superior.

Presumption; or the fate of Frankenstein

It is an example of gothic melodrama. Problems of the characters of the 18th century.
Irony is used in order to release tension. Rhythm as well is very important.
The first time an adaptation about Frankenstein was made was in 1931 by Peggy
Webling’s dramatic adaptation Frankenstein the man who made a monster. It is also
the first time we have 2 actors to perform the two side of Frankenstein.
In the play the character of Frankenstein does not have a name.
The character of the assistant comes from another adaptation of Mel Brooks in 1974.
So, we could say that the novel is based on the theatrical adaptations of Frankenstein.
Certain elements that have inspired the novel: Mary Shelley was interested in
philosophical and technological advances of the time. She was also interested on the
studies of Galvanismà theory in which it was claimed that dead muscles could move
again. They were motionless but could move again with the aid of electricity. This
theory was practiced with animals.

Publication history: this play also needed a license and as a manuscript it is kept in
John Larpent Collection in California.
There were also acting editions circulating for amateurs’ companiesà this gives an
idea of the good reception of the paly and its success.

RICHARD PEAKE (1792-1847)

18467 also the year in which Jane Eyre was published. Through his parents he had links
to the theatrical industry. He was a very prolific writer and wrote in all sorts of minor

tu salud mental va antes que cualquier estudio.

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 genres. He also worked in the offices of the License Theatre as a treasurer. This play
was one of his biggest successes (Presumption).
The play was first staged at the English Opera House. It was one of the minor theatres
were working and middle classes were admitted.
The play run for over 30 performances in the summer months of 1823. In the audience
there might have members who have read the novel or not. The play was so successful
that it was burlesqued. It was an illegitimate melodrama of the early 19th century.
Presumption was much shorter than Caste because as an early 19th century play, it
shared the bill with other performances and thus could not last too much. Because

No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
other plays had to be performed too that same night.
Melodrama:
A short piece with three act and in each act, there must be music.
Act 1à 4 songs
Act 2à 6 songs
Act 3à 3 songs
Also accompanied by incidental music. Exaggerated acting style and spectacular
effects.
Some reviews: a negative review says that it is a horror (=connected with Ann
Radcliffe’s definition of this term) play in the sense that it is freezing. Another review
says that the play is good. And no matter what you think about the novel because the

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play is totally different. There also was the sense of justice, which also needs to appear
on the stage at the end.
Music: there is incidental music, but the creature of Frankenstein has no songs. He is
attracted by musicà which means he is interested in arts.
he creates a character as an automatous à which is also part of the success of the play
reduction of the original plot line. It is simplified to the conventions of drama. There
are also changing in the characters for example Elizabeth. She was the lover of
Frankenstein but in the play, she is the sister of Frankenstein.
The character of Suffy, chris and Madame no se que.
These latter two character can be seen as the burlesque transposition of the
characters of the play.
The play is set in Geneva but also its vicinity.
Fritzà the nervous server. He is important because he plays an in-between function.
He rarely participates in the plots, but his quickness does it for him. He is an
intermediario figure. The digression and philosophical thinking of Frankenstein are also
removed in the play together with the framing narrative of the patterns. à The
characters speak for themselves and tell the story for themselves.

Act 1 scene II: a gothic chamber in the house of Frankenstein.

Act 1 scene III: Gothic, gothic and gothic. Stage directions are setting the gothic scenes.
Very complex setting giving the idea of Spectacularity. Not only incidental music but
also noise from the wind. Very elaborate setting.

Comedy:
Licensing act. The only genre which was performed illegitimate. (?)
Comedy coexists in time with the minor genres like burlesque, pantomimes and so on.
Comedies had happy endings, usually love plots and lot of sentimentality.

es/tu/día. Aprovéchalo
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 Stock roles: not so much psychologically developed roles, very clichéd characters.

No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
Paucity of the plot material, which means very slow action. Many of these comedies
were set abroad because they were based on the tradition of the French and will not
be speaking to the everyday life of the British society.

Reform to Thomas William Robertson (1829-1871)

***REALISM
Language was very different from Presumption. Also in presumption we would have
stock characters, while in Caste we would have more psychologically developed
characters.
“the comedy of a time must be faithful to the character of the time itself”
Marie Wilton is the second most famous actress manager of the 19th century theatre
The reformation starts with her and William, but how did they do this?
• elaborate description of setting and costume

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• Elaborate description of stage directions with gestures and positions on the
stage
• Adequate rehearsal (stressing performances)
The key would be to show the slides of life
Indoor scenes. Real life of real people was described in details on the stage.
Stage directions directing the reader
More naturalistic acting style
The focus is going to be now on the plot of the play, not so much on the Spectacularity
Still, Caste cannot be labelled under the realistic plays because the interest of the
audience had changed.

There are not going to be three bill playsà so plays could be longer, more naturalistic
acing style.
To raise the respectability of the audience they just had to raise the prices of the
tickets in order to achieve only a more respectable working classes audience.
Thomas William Robertson came from a family which was already introduced into the
theatrical production.
Caste’s characters:
Ecclesà the drunker
Love plot. Realistic settings from the middle classes. Lapse of real time between acts.
Very long stage directions with lots of details about the actingà used to give verism
and realism to the play. Domesticityà drinking tea for example
Estherà virtuous heroin
Casteà in real life there are not going to be marriage between different classes.
Long stage directions of the setting which gives sense of verism
Even if it provides details, it is not a realistic playà because in the end there is a
sentimental ending

After Robertson there is a trend which follows his innovations in theatre. Actually,
there are going to be two trends.

Read pages 136-141 please. The protagonist has to kill one human being every day. But
instead of killing a person everyday he chooses to kill an insect or a fly.

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 Influenced by Robertsonà Henry Arthur Jones (problems of mankind), Sir Arthur Wing
Pinero (social problems plays, woman-with-a-past plot) and Oscar Wilde.

Bernard Shaw is going to be working for a reform theatre. Fusing of different elements
and in looking towards the future instead of towards the immediate present.

Pygmalion p. 128
References are form the manuscript
For the sake of time.

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P 131-135 read.

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si conseguías acabar la Senda Arcoíris, la carrera la terminas seguro

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