The Theater in the Victorian Age

[LincolnMan]

Thanks Roger and Tom. That was very enlightening information.

[LincolnMan]

It's interesting to me that, given what the theater was thought of, that heads of State attended. Was this also true in England? Eva, need your help here!

[Eva Elisabeth]

Bill, I may be able to give a better reply when I'm back home and can check what I have on theater history. (Tom will sure know btw!)

Lincoln was criticized by the very pious ones for attending theater on Good Friday, but in general his theater attendances didn't stir a special controversy. AFAIK it was similar in Europe/England. I think for this goes "quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi" (what is permitted to Jove is not permitted to an ox) - despite the Royals & Co. were certainly not suspected to take seats in what Tom called the "infamous third tier". Actually Queen Victoria was a great supporter of the theater and tried to make it better accessable to all classes of society (I vaguely remember a special enactment supporting the theaters, I'll look this up).

[Eva Elisabeth]

Bill, I found this:

"From the middle of the 19th century the theatre began to take on a new respectability and draw in more middle class audiences. They were enthralled by the historical accuracy and attention to detail that was becomingly increasingly influential in stage design. Pictorial drama placed great emphasis on the use of properties, and carefully studied costume detail and reflected a fashionable interest in archaeology and history. The inevitable long and complex scene changes meant that the plays, especially those by Shakespeare had to be cut. This use of historical detail gave the theatre a sense of learned respectability."

So it seems the reputation of the theater actually improved. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were ardent theatregoers.

As for the enactment I had in mind: In the early years of the 19th century, restrictions of the Licensing Act allowed plays to be shown at only two theatres in London, at Drury Lane and Covent Garden. Their programme was predominantly Shakespearean. To escape the restrictions, non-patent theatres interspersed dramatic scenes with musical interludes. In 1843, the Licensing Act was dropped enabling other theatres to present plays.

[LincolnMan]

Eva: well done!
Another thought: I always wondered if actors were held in such low regard (generally)- that although it may and been shocking that Lincoln was murdered (and it certainly was)- it may have been a "see I told you so" moment that the crime was committed by an actor. Thoughts?

[Tom Bogar]

Eva: well done!
Another thought: I always wondered if actors were held in such low regard (generally)- that although it may and been shocking that Lincoln was murdered (and it certainly was)- it may have been a "see I told you so" moment that the crime was committed by an actor. Thoughts?

Bill, please know that I am in NO WAY pushing my previous book, but in American Presidents Attend the Theatre, I traced the evolution of the perception of actors by presidents, from the 19th yr old George Washington seeing his first play, up through G. W. Bush, with one theme/thread/current of thought being how the presidents represented (or in some cases challenged) general public beliefs and values about actors and theatre. I ended up writing almost two whole chapters just about Lincoln's theatregoing. If you can pick up a cheap used copy (it's out in hardback and paperback), I think you'd enjoy tracking how actors were perceived in America.

Best,
Tom

[Jim Garrett]

Another fun fact, deep in the bowels of Ford's Theatre research area, there is an account that after a performance, there would be rivers of tobacco juice running down the floors.

I quick plug. I bought a copy of "American Presidents Attend the Theatre", a year ago and it is a good read, especially reading about the Gipper.

[LincolnMan]

Jim: "a quick plug" followed by reference to "rivers of tobacco juice running down tge floors." Unintended pun Jim?