Melodrama (19th Century Europe 2)

Melodrama is, "a sensational dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events intended to appeal to the emotions"(Oxford Reference). It was popular in Europe in the early 19th century. This genre of theatre had vocal, physical, and musical underscoring the emotion of each piece. Melodrama is intense and violent. The entire stage is used in this style of acting and the actors sit and interact on the set instead of acting around it. Also the costumes are authentic. An example of this would be Dibdin Pitt's "Sweeney Todd".


References: in-class notes, Youtube, and Oxford Reference

Victor Hugo (19th Century Europe 1)

Victor Hugo

"While the upper half of his face appeared pure and chaste, his lips and mouth were cruelly sensual. And the old demigod was an insatiable satyr, making love relentlessly day after day to thousands of actresses, society ladies, and chamber maids"(Course Documents, 207). These two sentences describe Victor Hugo and would make Hugh Hefner proud. These same two sentences are what made me decide to blog about him. Victor Hugo was a French Romanticist writer. He is best known for the novel, and what would later become my favorite musical, "Les Miserables". He was also well-known for his essay, "Preface to Cromwell" which went against neo-classical rules. Romantics believe that art alone will save the world.

Reference: Oxford Reference, Course Document, and in-class notes

The Cloud With Silver Lining (America 2)

James Hewlett at the African Grove
Slavery, Black-Face, and Minstrel troupes are only a handful of negative outcomes of racism during America in the 19th Century. At this time African Americans were not given a voice but were spoken for by ignorant and racist white men, such as Thomas D Rice (creator of Jim Crow) and Stephen Foster (composer of Minstrel and Black-Face music) who commercialized racially demeaning stereotypes.
Through all of the hardships that African Americans faced however, came the beginning of change. "In 1821 the first known company of African American actors in the United States was assembled in New York by William Henry Brown, who presented occasional theatrical performances at the African Grove, an outdoor tea garden, and later at an indoor theatre"(Brockett, 311). I consider this to be an important beginning to a turning point in America's history because for the first time African Americans were able to speak through their art. They formed a cultural movement which would soon lead to slavery becoming abolished on December 18, 1865 when the 13th Amendment was created.

Reference: PBS, Brockett, History.com

The Inevitable Riot at Astor Place (North America 1)

The horror of Macbeth!

The 1849 Astor Place Riot, was it simply caused by Edwin Forrest's raging hatred for William Macready, or was it perhaps caused by bad juju? I believe it was due to witchery, for you see the Astor Place Riot occurred during a showing of "Macbeth". How else would you explain such a tragedy as this? Obviously they were cursed. Because of Macbeth's Astor Place Riot, 22 people were killed, about 36 more were injured, and William Macready strangely quote-un-quote "retired" two years later after being as Brockett said "marred". As for Edwin Forrest, nothing to my knowledge happened to him when he performed "Macbeth" on the same night at the Bowery theatre, but my guess is that Forrest removed the curse from his play. Forrest was sly, and my guess was that he ran out of the theatre, spun around three times, spit on the ground, and shouted out the most fowl word he knew, thus lifting the weight from his shoulders.


The Link Below is a video of the history behind "The Scottish Play"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LKMktAN4hc

Reference: Youtube, The Science Channel, Brockett, and Oxford Reference.