Theater, Exhibition, and Spectacle in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

Theater, spectacle, and exhibition were so pervasive in nineteenth-century Britain that understanding theatrical entertainment is vital to understanding Romantic and Victorian culture. This chapter explains the range of plays and spectacles (from French farce to Victorian pantomimes, from dioramas to Wild West shows) and the variety of theaters and exhibition spaces where they could be seen, attracting huge numbers of all classes. It illustrates differences between major theaters that were permitted to perform Shakespeare and other serious playwrights and minor theaters, forbidden by law until 1843 from performing drama. To circumvent the prohibition, minor theaters mounted new genres incorporating music (melodrama and burlesque) or a novelty (such as Shakespeare on horseback) that redefined the entertainment and created innovations that continued after 1843 and throughout the century to affect dramatists such as Wilde and Shaw. Nineteenth-century theater was a vibrant and various art, fully integrated into the culture that produced it.

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