The Golden Age of Pantomime: Slapstick, Spectacle and Subversion in Victorian England

by Jeffrey Richards

Overview

Of all the theatrical genres most prized by the Victorians, pantomime is the only one to have survived continuously into the twenty-first century. It remains as true today as it was in the 1830s, that a visit to the pantomime constitutes the first theatrical experience of most children and now, as then, a successful pantomime season is the key to the financial health of most theatres. Everyone went to the pantomime, from Queen Victoria and the royal family to the humblest of her subjects. It appealed equally to West End and East End, to London and the provinces, to both sexes and all ages. Many Victorian luminaries were devotees of the pantomime, notably among them John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and W.E. Gladstone. In this vivid and evocative account of the Victorian pantomime, Jeffrey Richards examines the potent combination of slapstick, spectacle and subversion that ensured the enduring popularity of the form. The secret of its success, he argues, was its continual evolution.
It acted as an accurate cultural barometer of its times, directly reflecting current attitudes, beliefs and preoccupations, and it kept up a flow of instantly recognisable topical allusions to political rows, fashion fads, technological triumphs, wars and revolutions, and society scandals. Richards assesses throughout the contribution of writers, producers, designers and stars to the success of the pantomime in its golden age. This book is a treat as rich and appetizing as turkey, mince pies and plum pudding.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857735874
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	10/23/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	456
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Jeffrey Richards is Professor of Cultural History, Lancaster University. His many publications on theatre history include Sir Henry Irving: A Victorian Actor and His World and John Ruskin and the Victorian Theatre. He is General Editor of Tauris' Cinema and Society Series. He lives in Lancaster, Lancashire.
Jeffrey Richards is Professor of Cultural History at the University of Lancaster and a leading authority on Victorian popular culture, the Victorian theatre and twentieth century cinema. His study of Henry Irving (Hambledon 2005) was shortlisted for the Theatre History Book Prize. He is a regular reviewer and broadcaster.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Illustrations
1 Transformations
2 Harlequinade
3 Fairyland
4 James Robinson Planche and the Classical Extravaganza
6 William Roxby Beverley and the Triumph of Scene-Painting
7 The Drury Lane Pantomime: the Creators
8 E.L. Blanchard and the Drury Lane Pantomimes: the Smith Management
9 E.L. Blanchard and the Drury Lane Pantomimes: the Chatterton Management
10 Sir Augustus Harris and the Battle for Pantomime