Theatre in the Victorian Era

689 Words3 Pages
Theatre in the Victorian era During the Victorian era, theatre flourished. Theaters became very popular with masses and theatrical atmosphere was not particularly restricted to certain classes of the society. One of the main reasons of masses attending the theatre was the improvement in the transportation system. The streets became safer for traveling at night time, which prolonged timing for the theatre. Plays could run for a longer time now. This all led to greater profits and an increase in the number of theaters. It was also the need of the time to remodel the old theaters. Between 1860 to 1870 The Royalty, The Gaiety, The Charing Cross, The Globe, The Holborn, The Queen’s were remodeled. Later in the following decade of 1870 to 1880 The Court, The Opera Comique and The Imperial were built. There were nineteen theaters in London during the summer of 1851. Half a century later, there were already sixty one theaters; thirty eight in the West End and twenty three in the nearby suburban districts. Their significance as centers of entertainment was enormous. By the end of the Victorian era, several important technical innovations were introduced, for instance, gas lighting and then electric lights replaced candlelight. Victorian theatre was legitimately limited due to theatre patents and laws. Production of serious plays was restricted to the patent theatres, and new plays were subjected to censorship. Much of the performed drama of the age was Shakespearean, although there were several contemporary writers. The Victorians never tired of Shakespeare. Some of their most famous actors and directors, such as William Macready, Charles Kean, and Henry Irving, made their names in Shakespearean roles. There was a movement to restore the original texts after the distortions of the Georgian period, and to seek historical realism in presenting the plays. In the minor
Open Document