The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Regency Theatre

The season in Regency England was not just balls and Almacks. The theatre in Regency times was an important place for those who spent the season in London, and those who ventured to the theatre did not attend to simply watch a play. They dressed to the nines and sat in long carriage lines to also see who was in attendance as well as to be seen. In fact, the practice was so common that when Charles Garnier planned the Paris Opera House (1861-1875), he had mirrors placed throughout the lobby because he felt the only performance of the night did not play out on the stage. The spectators were as much a part of the nightly performance as the actors.

So, if you’ve ever wanted to learn about Theatre in Regency England, here is your chance. I’ve compiled these totally random facts that you may or may not wish to know.

 

♥ In the 18th and early 19th century, a night’s programme at the theatre included a five act play, followed by a farcical afterpiece, which were often pantomimes. The later entertainment was popular since it could be enjoyed by those who arrived late and were admitted at half price.
Wiltshire, John. The Cambridge Edition of Mansfield Park, Cambridge University Press (2005). Pg. 677.

♥ The male nobility who kept their alternative lives away from prying eyes made exceptions for the theater. Cyprians often came face to face with wives and other relations of their male sponsors at the theatre and the opera.
Wilson, Ben. The Making of Victorian Values, Decency & Dissent in Britain: 1789-1837 . The Penguin Press (2007). Pg. 197.

♥ Actors were not much better than servants in the eyes of society, and actresses were nearly prostitutes. A gentleman or aristocrat could set up an actress as his mistress, but heaven forbid, a lady enter into a relationship with an actor! In fact, the Prince Regent’s first mistress was Mary Robinson, an actress at the Theatre Royal. She caused a big stink when he ended the affair because he didn’t pay her the annuity expected at the end of the situation. Instead, she held letters he’d written her for ransom, demanding £5,000 for their return.
Martin, Joanna. Wives and Daughters. Hambledon Continuum (2004). Pg. 39.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/making_history/makhist10_prog2b.shtml

Public Domain image courtesy of the British Library

♥ There were hundreds of candles that lit the auditorium and the stage during the intermissions as well as the performances (The theatres couldn’t be dimmed during the performance. It was too hazardous and would have been a time-consuming job!). The theatre employed candle trimmers and snuffers to monitor and tend to the candles. If a candle was trimmed too soon the trimmer risked knocking lit candles down and starting fires, but if they were trimmed too late, the audience would complain of hot wax dripping on them from above. (Ouch!)
Kelly, Ian . Beau Brummell, The Ultimate Man of Style . Free Press (2006). Pg. 167.

♥ Renting a subscription box or owning a box was a sign of your social status and fashionable position. Only the most affluent purchased boxes by the season; however, as prices rose, some patrons chose to share a box and others rented their boxes out for individual performances.
Rendell, Jane. The Pursuit of Pleasure: Gender, Space and Architecture in Regency London . Rutgers University Press (2002). Pg. 116.

♥ Shakespeare’s plays were tremendously popular but the actors performed in modern dress rather than the characteristic doublet and hose of the 16th century.
Tapley, Jane. Contrib to Jane Austen’s Regency World Magazine. Issue: 17. Pg. 23.

♥ On 24 February 1809, the Theatre Royal burned down and did not reopen until 10 October 1812. The play performed that evening was Hamlet. While the Theatre Royal was being rebuilt, the Drury Lane Company used the Lyceum.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_Royal,_Drury_Lane
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyceum_Theatre,_London

♥ Prior to the Drury Lane Company using the Lyceum, the building hosted a circus produced by Philip Astley, a chapel, and the first London exhibition of Madame Tussaud’s wax sculptures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyceum_Theatre,_London

♥ Famous courtesan Harriet Wilson had a box at the Opera every Tuesday and Sunday night and a box at the theatre from Thursday to Saturday. Her box was used to flaunt her “attractions” and were for the purpose of soliciting and meeting possible “protectors.”
Kelly, Ian . Beau Brummell, The Ultimate Man of Style . Free Press (2006). Pg. 170.

♥ James Hadfield made an assassination attempt against George III on 15 May 1800 at the Theatre Royal. As the king was announced and God Save the King was played, Hadfield fired two pistol shots from the pit toward the King who stood in the royal box. The performers subdued Hadfield, who had reportedly missed by inches. The King appeared unfazed and requested the play continue as planned.
http://www.regencyhistory.net/2013/05/double-assassination-attempt-on-george.html

♥ A spouting club was a meeting of apprentices and mechanics who rehearsed characters, and formed recruits for the strolling companies.
Grose, Captain (Francis).  Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1811 edition. Ikon Classics (2004)

♥ Fruit sellers sold their wares throughout the performances, and some had other trades on the side. Members of the audience and people in the boxes conducted business transactions. Theater staff, personal messengers, and footmen couriered gossip, orders for carriages, money, love notes and bills of exchange between patrons for much of the evening.
Kelly, Ian . Beau Brummell, The Ultimate Man of Style . Free Press (2006). Pg. 167.

♥ It was normal and accepted not only for the audience to arrive exceedingly late (sometimes as much as an hour and a half) but also for them talk throughout the entire performance.
Murray, Venetia. An Elegant Madness. Penguin Books (1998). Pg. 220.

So, was Regency Theatre what you expected, better or worse? I find the more I read of it, the more surprised I am by some of the scandals.

 

15 comments

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    • Glynis on December 29, 2015 at 4:04 am
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    How fascinating. It seems that most people didn’t actually watch much of the performance and I don’t imagine it was prudent to wear your best clothes only to risk being covered in hot wax. I didn’t realise the problem with dimming the lights and wonder if that would affect the ‘kissing in the back row ‘ !!!
    Thanks for this post. These are my favourite type of history lessons.

    1. I would imagine wearing your best clothes was not prudent, but since it could be the gossip of the next day, I would imagine people did anyways. Actually, the fact that they did not dim the lights was one of the first things I learned researching Regency theatre. I had always wondered before how they dimmed the lights without taking 30-40 minutes to extinguish candles! Thanks, Glynis!

    • Deborah on December 29, 2015 at 6:02 am
    • Reply

    Thanks for the post. Interesting….a very ‘colorful’ history.

    1. The theatre was never boring it seems! Thanks, Deborah!

    • Carole in Canada on December 29, 2015 at 12:08 pm
    • Reply

    Fascinating glimpse into theatre attendance! As much as I love the Regency/Victorian period, knowing what we know now, I wouldn’t want to really live back then. Can you imagine someone from back then time traveling to now? They would love the cell phones and instant scandal on everyone!

    1. I wouldn’t want to live back then, but I do love to imagine it! Thanks, Carole!

  1. I feel sorry for the poor actors; their performances weren’t nearly as important as all of the business dealings, flirtations, displays of the latest fashions, and conversations. And the house lights weren’t dimmed, either!

    Sheesh.

    1. Quite a bit different than we imagine sometimes, isn’t it? I think having everything bright was better than a fire, though. 😉 Thanks, Susanne!

    • Jennifer Redlarczyk on December 29, 2015 at 3:36 pm
    • Reply

    Pretty much what I expected as I did a lot of research for an itty bitty scene in Darcy’s Melody a while back. However, you did have a few gossipy items that were new so this was great fun. Thanks, as always. Jen

    1. I didn’t want it to be just research since the gossipy stuff would make things a bit more interesting. I’m glad that you found something you didn’t know in those parts!! Thanks, Jen!

    • Carol on December 29, 2015 at 6:03 pm
    • Reply

    How interesting. The theatre looks much different than what I was expecting. Though they would look like theatres built between 1880s – 1920s. Never stopped to think about all the candles. If oil lamps were used back then, they would be easier to dim the lights. Either could be dangerous in a wooden building.

    1. There are a lot of conflicting dates about when gas lamps were put in, which though tricky, allowed for dimming. Some sites say there was some gas lights as early as 1812 but according to a site by a community college on the history of lighting in the theatre, gas lamps were not used for stage lighting at Drury Lane until 1845. Gas was still considered risky and I couldn’t find any reference to dimming the lights until after 1850. Thanks, Carol!

  2. I suppose they were so used to having the lights up so they could crowd watch, it didn’t occur to them that dimming them would be a good idea. I have looked at the gaslight situation, my impression is that outside gaslights developed in a very spotty fashion and took a lot longer than we would intuitively think.

    1. I wonder if people were so gun shy in a way about dimming because of all of the fires in the past. One of the first things I do when I write a theatre scene is run back to the research to make sure which theatre I have to use. It’s so difficult to keep up with the fires! 🙂 Thanks, hon!

    • Lorenza Santos on September 5, 2022 at 10:20 pm
    • Reply

    Hi. I loved this post so much, I was wondering If you have more informations about the theatre costumes?

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