Wales's Theatre Research Articles

The Waterloo Summer of the Prince of Wales's Theatre: New Writing, Old Friends, and Early Realism in the Victorian Theatre

The Waterloo Summer of the Prince of Wales's Theatre: New Writing, Old Friends, and Early Realism in the Victorian Theatre

An Effigy of Empire: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Canadian Imperial Nationalism During the Second Boer War

On October 31, 1899, as a part of undergraduate University of Toronto Halloween celebrations, a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at The Princess of Wales Theatre on King Street West was interrupted by shouts from the gallery calling for the death of “Oom” Paul Kruger, the leader of the South African Republic, who had recently declared war on the British Empire. The student demonstration was not, in itself, seen as objectionable or surprising—a similar interruption by Trinity students at convocation on October 25 was lauded in The Globe as “Patriotic.” What was unusual to the Toronto newspapers that spent the next week decrying the demonstration was the students’ lack of decorum at a Shakespeare performance. In this contribution, Andrew Bretz looks at the tension between how paratextual signifiers such as costuming choices, lighting, and the theatre space itself constructed the Halloween 1899 performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as an imperial text, and how Shakespeare as “high culture” moderated the ways in which individuals could express imperial allegiances. This alignment of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Canadian and British imperial projects may serve to explain why the students chose a performance of that particular play to enact their patriotic violence, yet the condemnation of the event by the daily newspapers troubles the relationship between imperial identity, partially predicated on a sanitized vision of Shakespeare, and the enacting of violence against the colonized other. For the newspapers, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as a representation of paternalistic British culture and identity, ultimately could not be reconciled with the bald violence of a jingoistic imperialism.

Lord of the Rings – the Musical as a world musical product or just a British export?

Abstract The stage musical adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, began in Toronto, Canada in 2006 and then transferred to London ending its run there in 2008. It is due to embark on a new world tour in 2015. Matthew Warchus, British theatre director created an extravagant, three-act stage production which received its premiere at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre in March 2007. The production designed by Rob Howell, premiered in London in May 2007 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and ended its run after 492 performances in July 2008. The musical was the first stage adaptation of the literary epic and followed the hugely successful film trilogy. A new tour, is being designed to accommodate theatres around the globe, and will launch in New Zealand in 2015 and although the countries of the tour have not been announced, there is much interest amongst Tolkien fans for its come back. The new touring version is billed as retaining the unique, thrilling and spectacular theatrical magic of the original production. The music is by Academy Award winner A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), Värttinä and Christopher Nightingale. The lyrics and libretto are by Shaun McKenna and Matthew Warchus. The Lord of the Rings – the Musical has lighting by Paul Pyant, special effects by Greg Meeh, sound by Simon Baker and magic illusions by Paul Kieve. This article reviews the work as commercial product, revival or just colonial export of British or Canadian scenic motifs and stagings. The production began in Canada and reviews wavered between praise and defamation, between a spectacular production of sets and a celebrated new musical score. The link beneath is for the reader to get a sense of the production style and values, if you haven’t seen the musical, yet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaHRFlPCtsU

Chronology of The Southern Syncopated Orchestra: 1919-1922

12 Jun 19 First party arr. Liverpool from Philadelphia on American Line's SS Northland [Board of Trade, Passenger Lists, Inwards, 1878-1960. National Archives Ref. BT26/654]. 14 Jun 19 Second party arr. Liverpool from New York City on Cunard's SS Carmania [Board of Trade, Passenger Lists, Inwards, 1878-1960. National Archives Ref. BT26/654]. 29 Jun 19 Third party arr. Liverpool from New York City on White Star's SS Lapland [Board of Trade, Passenger Lists, Inwards, 1878-1960. National Archives Ref: BT26/654]. 4 Jul 19 Opened at Philharmonic Hall, Great Portland Street, London [Matters Musical, Referee, July 6, 1919, 4]. Initially twice daily at 2:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Report made to HMV Committee that SSO not suitable for recording (information from Brian Rust from EMI filing). 3 Aug 19 Free concert at People's Palace, Mile End Road, London at 3:00 p.m. [Negro Musicians, East End Concert To-Morrow, [London] Daily Herald, August 2, 1919, 5; Ragtimes By Real Darkies, Daily Herald, August 4, 1919, 3]. 8 Aug 19 Performed at a dance at the Albert Rooms, London, in honor of distinguished African visitors to London. President of Liberia was amongst those attending [Hamnett 1984, 117-118; Hooker, 1986, 129; courtesy Val Wilmer]. 9 Aug 19 Afternoon private party for members of the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace, London [King's Garden Party To His Times [of London], August 11, 1919, 13; King And His Servants, Royal Entertainment, [London] Daily Telegraph, August 11, 2919, 8]. It appears that the full orchestra appeared and that some of the singers also performed with Will Marion Cook as accompanist. A Nigger Jazz Band [sic] performed in the amphitheatre formed by the bed of the drained Palace lake. personnel consisted of: William [sic] Briggs, comet; William [sic] Forrester, trombone; Sidney Bechet, clarinet; Lawrence Morris, bandoline; Robert Young, drums. 4 Sep 19 Arr. at Southampton of Charles and Martha Gilmore, William Bums, and Frank Dennie from New York City on White Star's SS Lapland [Board Of Trade, Passenger Lists, Inwards, 1878-1960. National Archives Ref: BT26/665]. mid-Sep 19 Small band derived from the orchestra began working for the Portman Dances at the Portman Rooms, Baker Street, London, as Portman Syncopated Orchestra [1920 L No. 175, Affidavit 99; London Amusement Guide, October 1919, 34; Dancing Times, October 1919, 33]. This twelve-piece group was led by Frank Withers [Norris Smith, Dear Old Lunnon, Chicago Defender, January 3, 1920, 7]4 Oct 19 Last day for which Philharmonic Hall matinees are advertised as daily [Westminster Gazette]. 6 Oct 19 Philharmonic Hall matinees, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday only [Westminster Gazette]. 14 Oct 19 Arr. at Southampton from New York City on White Star's SS Lapland of E. E. Thompson, George Smith, and Frank Tate [Board of Trade, Passenger Lists, Inwards, 1878-1960. National Archives Ref: BT26/665]. 20 Oct 19 Began series of matinees at Prince of Wales Theatre, London on Mondays and Thursdays at 2:45 [advertisement, [London] Evening News, October 20, 1919]. Philharmonic Hall matinees now on Wednesdays and Fridays [advertisement, Daily Express, October 20, 1919]. 22 Oct 29 Last advertisement for Will Marion Cook as director [Daily Telegraph[. He was released on October 24, 1929 [Chancery Division 1920 L No. 542, Affidavit 304] and returned to the U.S.A. from Le Havre on November 23, 2929. by Nov 19 Philharmonic Hall matinees now on Wednesdays and Saturdays [advertisements, Sunday Times, November 9, 2929; London Amusement Guide, i/7, November 1919; London Attractions, November 12, 1919]. 11 Nov 29 Victory Ball No. 2, Royal Albert Hall, London, on behalf of the Central Council of the Infant Welfare Work. SSO played for dancing [Brilliant Victory Ball, [London] Daily Graphic, November 12, 1919, 6; The Victory Ball, Dancing Times, December 1929, 213]. …

Princess of Wales Theatre

Princess of Wales Theatre

Disney North: The Lion King

It may seem odd - and perhaps even downright inappropriate - to find a review of Disney’s blockbuster show The Lion King in Canadian Theatre Review. Notwithstanding CTR’s spectacular history in showcasing, archiving and promoting the work of Canadian theatre artists, it strikes me that The Lion King, maybe despite itself, makes an interesting contribution to contemporary theatre in Canada. Certainly the sheer numbers of tickets sold for this production - one can expect to wait around five or six months for “good” seats - suggest this point in a couple of different ways: The Lion King will be seen by more Canadians than any other play in 2000-2001 (and, in all likelihood, beyond); moreover, its non-Canadian audience (the audience on the Saturday night that I saw the production had a big contingent from Michigan) brings its tourist dollars into the Princess of Wales Theatre and thus directly supports the many Canadian actors in this show.

Sources of American Styles in the Music of the Beatles

Surveying the events leading up to the November 22, 1963, release of the Beatles' second LP in Britain, Philip Norman writes: Never again would pop music be considered the prerogative only of working-class boys and girls. With the Beatles was played not only in Council houses but in West London flats, in young ladies' finishing schools and in the blow-heated barns where country debutantes held their Christmas dances.' Through their hit records, tours, and national television appearances, the Beatles had achieved an unprecedented popular success in the United Kingdom within a short nine months after their first number one hit single, Please Me.2 The mainstream British press began following closely the four cheeky, energetic lads from Liverpool and the hysteria among the young girl fans created by them from the time of the Royal Variety Show performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London (November 4, 1963), which was attended by the Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, and Lord Snowdon.3

“To Submit and Patiently to Wait”: The Career of Mrs. Stirling

Almost half a century ago, the late Alan S. Downer argued that the work of Alfred Wigan, Leigh Murray, and Fanny Stirling marks the transition to an increasingly colloquial and realistic style of acting on the London Stage usually attributed to the Bancrofts at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Of those three performers, only Mrs. Stirling has not received subsequent scholarly attention. The single detailed twentieth century account of the neglected actress, The Stage Life of Mrs. Stirling, published by her grandson, Percy Allen, in 1922, is useful but suffers from the pitfalls all too common to familial obsequies and lacks both theatrical and social/cultural context.

Acoustic design of the new Princess of Wales Theatre

The acoustic design of the new 2000-seat Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto is based loosely on the neighboring Royal Alexandra Theatre. The new theatre is a traditional double balcony, horseshoe-shaped room, augmented by a modern interior design. Abstract sculptures by artist Frank Stella provide acoustic diffusion on the balcony facia. On the back walls, diffusion is provided by specially designed primitive root diffusors. The theatre has a volume of 10 500 m3, it is 29 m wide and the furthest seat is 30 m from the stage. Most materials in the theatre are either massive or stiff, to encourage acoustic warmth. The natural frequency of the balconies is approximately 6 Hz, higher than normal rhythmic motion. At the Royal Alexandra the natural frequency is half this and the balconies are easily set into motion by patrons during rock musicals. A hybrid computer modeling routine combining the method of images and particle tracing was used to assist in the design. Measurements in the new theatre will be presented and will be compared to the Royal Alexandra and other similar venues.

Shakespeare in Tottenham-Street: An “Aesthetic” Merchant of Venice

The 1860s and 1870s are generally considered a hiatus in the history of Shakespearean production on the London stage. Accounts of the period usually move quickly from Charles Kean's retirement in 1859 (or the end of Samuel Phelps' management of suburban Sadler's Wells in 1862) to the beginning of Henry Irving's regime at the Lyceum in 1879—acknowledging the Phelps-Chatterton collaboration at Drury Lane as worthy, but hardly remarkable, and mentioning in passing such isolated events as Fechter's new Hamlet in 1861. Nevertheless, while no management comparable to Kean's or Phelps's, devoted principally to poetic drama, appeared during this time, there were occasional Shakespearean productions of exceptional interest. One such was the Bancrofts' version of The Merchant of Venice, which opened at the Prince of Wales's Theatre in out-of-the-way Tottenham-street on 17 April 1875. It ran for only thirty-six performances and lost the famous actormanager team £3,000. Despite its financial failure, however, the production attracted considerable critical attention at the time, much of it favorable, and it has since gained an honorable place in stage history. Beerbohm-Tree, for example, in an address to the Oxford Union Debating Society in 1900, called it “the first production in which the modern spirit of stage management asserted itself.”

Bernard Shaw and Forbes-Robertson's Hamlet

o ROM the demise of Sheridan until the advent of T. W. Robertson, the playwright in the English theater was relegated to a minor place in the hierarchy of powers that lie behind the production of a play. During his collaboration with the Bancroft management at the Prince of Wales's Theatre between i865 and 1870, Robertson won back for the playwright some ofthe power which had been usurped by the actor-manager and the scenic artist, and A. W. Pinero and H. A. Jones continued this work of rehabilitation during the eighteen-eighties and nineties. This work reached its climax when George Bernard Shaw undertook most of the responsibility for the production of his own plays at the Court Theatre during the enlightened management of Harley Granville-Barker and J. E. Vedrenne between 1904 and 1907. Shaw's influence on production had been felt before this time, however, and one of its happiest expressions was in the production of Hamlet first staged by Johnston ForbesRobertson at the Lyceum on September iI, i897. As Hamlet, Forbes-Robertson gave what is generally acknowledged to have been one of the finest interpretations of this role ever to have graced the English stage. In his autobiography, A Player Under Three Reigns, he acknowledges that the production owed much to the advice of Shaw, who sent him a letter running to four pages of foolscap, closely written, containing many valuable suggestions, some of which I carried out. Having mislaid this letter, Forbes-Robertson was unable to reproduce it and he does not specify any of Shaw's suggestions. Ihe purpose of this article is to adduce and illustrate some of these suggestions by making a comparative study of two letters which Shaw wrote to Ellen Terry in July and September, 1897, his critique of the production in The Saturday Review of October 2, I897, and descriptions of it by other dramatic critics of the I89o's. One of the most important of Shaw's suggestions was that Forbes-Robertson should stage the final episode of the play, which represents the entry and actions of Fortinbras after Hamlet's death. In accepting it, Forbes-Robertson made an important innovation; current acting versions of the play invariably ended with the death of Hamlet, and G. C. D. Odell's detailed survey of Shakespearian production in England records no staging of this final episode between Davenant's in the i66o's and Forbes-Robertson's.2 Its restoration was warmly welcomed in The Times review of September 13, i897. It praises the introduction of the gallant helmeted young soldier, Fortinbras, commenting . . the effect is excel-

Prince of Wales's theatre, Tottenham Street

Prince of Wales's theatre, Tottenham Street Get access Cecil Clarke Cecil Clarke Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume s9-XII, Issue 306, 7 November 1903, Page 365, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s9-XII.306.365a Published: 07 November 1903

Old Prince of Wales's theatre

Old Prince of Wales's theatre Get access J. Holden MacMichael J. Holden MacMichael Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume s9-XI, Issue 271, 7 March 1903, Page 193, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s9-XI.271.193a Published: 07 March 1903

Old prince of Wales's theatre

Old prince of Wales's theatre

Sale of the old prince of wales's theatre

Sale of the old prince of wales's theatre

Sale of the old prince of wales's theatre

Sale of the old prince of wales's theatre Get access Aleck Abrahams Aleck Abrahams Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Notes and Queries, Volume s9-X, Issue 244, 30 August 1902, Page 176, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s9-X.244.176c Published: 30 August 1902

Sale of the old prince of wales's theatre

Sale of the old prince of wales's theatre

Sale of the old prince of wales's theatre

Sale of the old prince of wales's theatre