Colonial Echoes and Memory in British Literature

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1 Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Corso di Laurea in Comunicazione Linguistica e Interculturale Curricula: Mediazione Interculturale/Italiano per Stranieri Letteratura Inglese I a.a Prof. Franca Dellarosa franca.dellarosa@uniba.it Colonial Echoes and Memory in British Literature

2 Bri%sh Theatrical Culture, 1760s- 1830s

3 Periodization: 1760s-1830s Theatre in the Georgian * era *The Georgian era is a period of British history, which includes the reigns of the Kings of the House of Hanover: George I, George II, George III, and George IV, thus covering the period from 1714 to 1830, and including the sub- period of the Regency, defined by the Regency of George IV as Prince of Wales during the illness of his father George III. Often, the short reign of King William IV (1830 to 1837) is also included.

4 Periodization: 1760s-1830s Theatre in the Romantic era e.g. : English Romantic Theatre (1760/1830): Texts, Theories and Stage An Inter- University Research Project (Universities of Bologna, Bari, Florence, Parma, Pavia, Roma La Sapienza) The aim of this research project is to re-evaluate the production of British Theatre and Drama between 1760 and 1830 in the belief that the theatrical culture and production of the 'Romantic' period made a substantial contribution, often of the highest standard, to the history of Western theatrical tradition. This research project, therefore, aims at compensating for or, better, overthrowing a prejudicial evaluation that has for a long time blamed Romantic theatre for the definitive decline of the great dramatic tradition which had existed since the classical era.

5 A Theatrical Evening in Late Eighteenth-/Early Nineteenth-century London Inkle and Yarico: playbill of the first performance, August 4, 1787) The hour is fairly early, the curtain a 6:30 one, and there are no assigned seats in the pit [ ]. Every night it is the same; people clamber to get the best seats in a race that would make a modern rock concert seem sedate. While you appreciate the lack of seat backs as you hurtle seventeen benches, you will miss them by the end of the evening. After all, you will remain in the theater until eleven o clock or even midnight, and will not see a single play but an entire evening s entertainment. J. Jeffrey N. Cox, Michael Gamer, Broadview Anthology of Romantic Drama (2003)

6 The Institutions: Theatrical Monopoly In 1662 King Charles II granted patents to his courtier playwrights Thomas Killigrew and William Davenant, which permitted the performance of tragedies, comedies, plays, operas, music, scenes and all other entertainments of the stage. The King s gift of patents, together with the permission to build two theatres with all convenient rooms and other necessities thereunto appertaining brought about the rise of permanent London theatrical institutions, later identified with Drury Lane (1663) and Covent Garden (1732) Adapted from: J. Moody, Illegitimate Theatre in London, , Cambridge: CUP, 2000

7 Censorship The Licensing Act or Theatrical Licensing Act of 21 June 1737 was a landmark act of censorship of the British stage and one of the most determining factors in the development of Georgian drama and theatre. The Act established that the Lord Chamberlain had the power to approve any play before it was staged.

8 The Licensing Act of 1737 instituted a system of censorship in Great Britain demanding that all plays be reviewed by the Lord Chamberlain before they could be licensed for public performance. The initial reading of a submitted play was left to an Examiner of Plays; the Lord Chamberlain himself only became involved if the Examiner detected some objectionable content requiring review and opinion.

9 Legitimate vs. Illegitimate Theatre The Licensing Act of 1737 tightened censorship of drama, placing it under the control of the Lord Chamberlain. Only patent theatres were able to perform drama known as legitimate theatre. Non- patent theatres performed melodrama, pantomime, ballet, and other forms of mainly visual spectacle. As these involved music or musical interludes they could not be classed as plays and were regarded as illegitimate theatre and were not subject to the Licensing Act. Later, a series of royal patents were granted to cities outside London. These became known as Theatres Royal. Many still operate and were built in a restrained neo- classical style. Adapted from: theatres/history- of- theatres/ eighteenth- century- theatre

10 The Patent Theatres: Drury Lane (1662) The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a theatre in the West End area of London, officially situated on Catherine Street, but backing onto Drury Lane just to the east of Covent Garden. A cockpit in that location was converted into a theatre during the reign of James I. After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, a splendid new theatre was built to designs by Christopher Wren. Having been razed by fire on January 25, 1672, it was succeeded by a larger and still more elaborate building also designed by Wren, which housed two thousand spectators with the opening attended by Charles II on March 26, 1674.

11 The great English actor David Garrick managed the theatre during the mid- eighteenth century, during which time he produced many plays, including most of Shakespeare's work. By the end of the 18th century, the building was in need of updating, and was demolished in A third theatre was designed by Henry Holland and opened on March 12, 1794, lasting for only 15 years before burning down on February 24, 1809.

12 William Hogarth: David Garrick as Richard III,1745 (Detail) Source: _David_Garrick_as_Richard_III_- _1745.jpg

13 Drury Lane Theatre - London, England, 1808 Source:

14 The present Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, designed by Benjamin Wyatt, opened on October 10, 1812 with a production of Hamlet. The interior has been substantially redesigned and overhauled many times since then. It is one of the West End's largest, and has been the setting for appearances by Edmund Kean and Sarah Siddons, among others. With a capacity of 2,205, it has been home to many large productions over the years.

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16 Patent Theatres: Covent Garden. Covent Garden was originally opened in In 1792, the theatre was renovated and enlarged but it burnt down on 20 September, 1808 and was redesigned by Robert Smirke opening less than a year later on 18 September, 1809, with a capacity of three thousand people. The auditorium and stage were lit by gaslight from The picture below is of Smirke's redesign.

17 Illegitimate Theatres: Astley s Amphitheatre Philip Astley opened Astley s Amphitheatre in 1777, and, not surprisingly for a former riding school owner, featured lots of horses. The amphitheatre mixed circus with theatre, having a circus ring attached to a stage and exploiting the circus tricks which horses could do. Astley s was renowned for its equestrian dramas, which it continued to produce until its destruction in The huge size of the stage space meant that it could produce huge military extravaganzas with hundreds of soldiers, horses and cannons. When Lord Sanger and his brother took over the Amphitheatre, in 1871, they moved the style of performance towards a more zoological style. One production featured not only several hundred humans in the cast but fifty- two horses, fifteen elephants, two lions on leads, kangaroos, pelicans, reindeer, chamois and many more animals. source:

18 Astleyʼ s Amphitheatre Source:

19 Adelphi (Strand) Built in 1806 opposite Adam Street by merchant John Scott as the Sans Pareil to showcase his daughter's theatrical talents, the theatre was given a new facade and redecorated in It re- opened on 18 October 1819 as the Adelphi, named after the imposing complex of West London streets built by the brothers Robert ( ) and James ( ) Adam from The name "Adelphoi" in Greek simply means "the brothers." Among the celebrated actors who appeared on its stage was the comedian Charles Matthews ( ), whose work was so admired by young Charles Dickens. It had more "tone" than the other minor theatres because its patrons in the main were the salaried clerks of barristers and solicitors. Source: Theatres in Victorian London, The Victorian Web u.ac.jp/victorianweb/mt/theaters/pva234.html

20 Source:

21 Theatrical Genres Romantic theater was an exciting dramatic laboratory in which playwrights experimented with a wealth of new forms and technologies J. Cox, M. Gamer, Broadview Anthology of Romantic Drama (2003) Legitimate ( spoken ) drama: tragedy, comedy of manners Illegitimate ( mixed ) drama: comic pantomime, melodrama, burletta, harlequinade, extravaganza, nautical drama, hippodrama

22 Main Entry: 1pan to mime Pronunciation: \ˈpan- tə- ˌmīm\ Function: noun Etymology: Latin pantomimus, from pant- + mimus mime Date: : pantomimist Main Entry: pan to mim ist Pronunciation: \ˈpan- tə- ˌmī- mist, - ˌmi- \ Function: noun Date: circa : an actor or dancer in pantomimes 2 : a composer of pantomimes 2 a : an ancient dramatic performance featuring a solo dancer and a narrative chorus b : any of various dramatic or dancing performances in which a story is told by expressive bodily or facial movements of the performers c : a British theatrical entertainment of the Christmas season based on a nursery tale and featuring topical songs, tableaux, and dances 3 a : conveyance of a story by bodily or facial movements especially in drama or dance b : the art or genre of conveying a story by bodily movements only pan to mim ic \ˌpan- tə- ˈmi- mik\ adjective [adapted]

23 Comic Pantomime* A 'pantomime' in Ancient Greece was originally a group who 'imitates all' (panto- - all, mimos - imitator) accompanied by sung narrative and instrumental music, often played on the flute. The word later came to be applied to the performance itself. The pantomime was a popular form of entertainment in ancient Greece and, later, Rome. The origins of British Pantomime or "Panto" as it is known in the UK, has its origins in the traditions of the Italian "Commedia dell Arte, a type of travelling street entertainment which came from Italy in the 16th century. Commedia was a very physical type of theatre that used dance, music, tumbling, acrobatics and buffoonery. Commedia dell'arte troupes had a repertoire of stories that they performed in fairgrounds and market places. Often the touring troupes were made up of family members who would inherit their characters, costumes, masks and stories from their parents or grandparents. *Adapted from The History of British Pantomime,

24 Commedia spread across Europe from Italy to France and by the middle of the 17th century began to be popular in England. The Commedia dell arte characters first began to appear in English plays around And such was the success of Commedia in England that intense rivalry soon sprang up between the theatres producing it. Within two days of a new performance opening at Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre in 1716, a show with an almost identical title opened at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.

25 The actors generally improvised their way through a plot involving characters such as Arlecchino, or Harlequin and his true love, Columbina or Columbine. Other stock characters were the over protective father, Pantaloon, who refused to allow the heroic Harlequin to seek his daughter s affections. In some versions Pantaloon has a servant, Pulchinello, later to be known as Clown, and a soldier, an unsuitable suitor who seeks the hand of Columbine. Comic chases and tricks were employed to full effect. Although the character of "Pulchinello" has vanished from the Pantomime today, he still exists in this country as "Mr. Punch", the anti- heroic puppet, who along with his wife Judy can still be seen in seaside towns and parks entertaining children today.

26 Source: Joseph Grimaldi ( ) was the most celebrated of English clowns. Grimaldi's performances made the Clown character the central character in British harlequinades, i.e. a kind of pantomime or that part of a pantomime in which the harlequin and clown play the principal part. As a pantomime clown Grimaldi s greatest success was Harlequin and Mother Goose; or the Golden Egg at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (1806 and often revived).

27 Illegitimate genres: Melodrama Melodrama became popular from the 1780s to 1790s and lasted until the early 20th century. The first drama in Britain to be labelled a melodrama was Thomas Holcroft's A Tale of Mystery in Melodrama consisted of short scenes interspersed with musical accompaniment and was characterized by simple morality, good and evil characters and overblown acting style. Characters in melodrama were stereotypical - there was always a villain, a wronged maiden and a hero. The emotions of the actors were played out in the music and accompanied by dramatic tableaux. Because of these musical interludes melodrama was not considered a 'play' and thus evaded the monopoly of the patent theatres stipulated in the Licensing Act. Source: Nineteenth- Century Theatre, Victoria & Albert Museum, century- theatre/

28 Illegitimate genres: Extravaganza The term extravaganza refers to an elaborate and spectacular theatrical production. The term once specifically referred to a type of 19th- century English drama made popular by J.R. Planché, a British playwright and antiquary who wrote fanciful portrayals of fairy tales and other poetic subjects based on similar French productions. Planché s productions included dancing and music and influenced such later writers as W.S. Gilbert. Encyclopaedia Britannica

29 Illegitimate genres: Burletta Closely allied to extravaganza is the Burletta, which began in the middle of the eighteenth century as a poor relation to an Opera, and a drama in rhyme, which is entirely in music. Legally, any piece with at least five songs in each act was a burletta, and could be performed at the minor theatres. This allowed the adaptation and presentation of plays by Shakespeare and other legitimate dramatists. The Oxford Companion to the Theatre (1996).

30 Illegitimate genres: Nautical Drama England was a seafaring nation, and in the 1820s and 1830s a mania for nautical drama gripped the London stage. Plays featuring the exploits of brave, patriotic, honest sailors battling at sea or safe in harbour included stirring songs, picturesque hornpipes, nautical jargon, spectacular scenery and effects, and sentimental endings. They presented a hopelessly unrealistic view of life in the British navy, and audiences adored them. The taste for nautical drama began in London's West End. Covent Garden and Drury Lane staged tributes to the death of Lord Nelson in 1805, and in 1806 The Battle of Trafalgar was re- enacted as the finale of The Rival Patriots on the water tank of the Aquatic Theatre, Sadler's Wells, with miniature ships made by Woolwich dockyard shipwrights Catherine Haill, Nautical Drama, East London Theatre Archive project.org/theme- nautical.html