The Corsican Brothers: Its History, and Technical Problems Related to the Pro Duction of the Play
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This dissertation has been 64-1266 microfilmed exactly as received HUNTER, Jack Worth, 1928- THE CORSICAN BROTHERS: ITS HISTORY, AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE PRO DUCTION OF THE PLAY. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1963 Speech-Theater University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan THE CORSICAN BROTHERS: rrs HISTORY, AND TECHNICAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE PRODUCTION OF THE PLAY DISSERTATION Presented In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Jack Worth Hunter, B.A., M.A. The Ohio State University 1903 Approved by Department of Speech 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To Anne for encouragement, perseverance, understanding; and to John McDowell for his vision and energy which created the unique research facility which has made such studies as this possible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................ iii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS........................................................... vi Chapter I. INTRODUCTION...................................................... 1 Scope and purpose of the study Nature of the materials consulted Organization of the study Definition of terms I I . A HALF CENTURY OF THE CORSICAN BROTHERS........................................................... 9 The Play in F ra n c e ............................................. 9 Origin of the play Charles Fechter The Productions in England................................ 14 Charles Kean and the original English production Fechter in England The revivals of Sir Henry Irving Sir John Martin-Harvey The Productions in A m erica.............................. 46 New York productions Productions outside of New York Toy Theatre Productions ................................... 60 III. THE PLAY................................................................ 66 Critical reaction A note on Boucicault's contribution Structure of the play iv Page The plot The sub-plot Variations from BoucicauLt!s version IV . STAGING THE PLAY ON THE ENGLISH STAGE .............................................................. 97 The English stage Staging of the original Kean production Critical reaction to Kean*s staging Staging of Sir Henry Irving^ productions V. MECHANICAL DEVICES USED IN THE PRODUCTION.................................................... 132 Visions and tableaux The vampire trap Scruto The Corsican trap V I. METHODS OF USING THE MECHANICAL DEVICES.............. 168 Prompt book markings Act I Act H, Scene 4 A ctm V II. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS........................... 194 BIBLIOGRAPHY.............. 200 APPENDIXES............................................................................ 208 A. Chronology of Major New York Productions B. Cast Lists of Major Productions C. Critical Reviews of Major Productions AUTOBIOGRAPHY..................................................................... 219 v PLEASE NOTE: Figure pages are not original copy. They tend to "curl”. Filmed in the best possible way. University Microfilms, Inc. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page Frontispiece. Henry Irving in the Duel Scene from Actm, 1880 i i 1. Sir Henry Irving as Fabian Seeing the Ghost of Louis, Act I ................................................................ 2 2. Charles Kean................................................................. 12 3. The Princess*s Theatre, London ................................. 13 4. Playbill for the First Performance of The Corsican Brothers on the English Stage *......................... 17 5. Dion Boucicault............................................................ 18 6. Charles Fechter............................................................ 28 7. Henry Irving as the Brothers ...................................... 35 8. The Bowery Theatre as It Appeared in the 1850*s .... 47 9. Robert Mantell in The Corsican B rothers ................... 53 10. The Walnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia ................... 56 11. Cover Sheet for The Corsican Brothers from Green*s Toy Theatre S h eets .................................................... 63 12. The Five Levels Below the Stage of the Paris Opera House ....................................................................... 98 13. Plan of the Stage Floor of the Conventional English Wooden Stage During the Nineteenth Century ............ 99 vi Figure Page 14. Cross-section of the Cellar of a Typical English Wooden Stage, Showing the Mezzanine Floor and Details of Bridges and Sliders Built in the Center "Well"......................................................... 101 15. Kean: Act I, Scene 1 (F. Lloyds) ................................ 107 16. Kean: Act I, Tableau (F. Lloyds) ................................ 109 17. Kean: Act H, Scene 1 (I. Days) ..................................... 110 18. Kean: Act n, Scene 2 (F. Lloyds) ................................ 112 19. Kean: Act n, Scene 3 (F. Lloyds)................................ 113 20. Kean: Act n, Tableau (W. Gordon) .............................. 114 21. Kean: Act IH (W. Gordon)............................................. 116 22. Irving's Representation of the Paris Opera House, Act n, Scene 1 ........................................................... 124 23. Irving's Final Duel Scene in Act i n .............................. 127 24. Tableau, Act n, Irving's 1891 Revival ......................... 130 25. Methods of Using Falling or Double-Faced Flaps 133 26. Two "Trick" Scenes from Toy Theatre Sheets for the "Vision" Scene in the Forest of Fontainebleau 135 27. Detail of Title Page of Green's The Corsican Brothers Sheets Showing "Trick" Scene in Place for *'Vision" Scene, End of Act n .................................................... 136 28. Details of Sliding Trap Covers and Their Rigging 141 29. Plan of Typical English Stage Showing the Arrange ment of the Mezzanine and the Location of the Traps and B ridges................................................................ 142 v ii Figure Page 30. A Trap in the Stage........................................................ 143 31. A Corner '‘Star" Trap, Often Referred to as an "English Trap”.............................................................. 145 32. Rehearsing a Pantomime, Valentine and Orson, at Covent Garden Theatre............................................... 147 33. Fontana Descends into the Sea....................................... 151 34. Plan of the Stage at the Theatre Royal, Tacket Street, Ipswich, Showing the Location of the Corsican Trap Which Existed from 1858 to 1877 .............................. 154 35. Diagram Showing Travelling Distances on the Corsican Trap ........................................................... 158 36. Methods of Mounting S cru to ......................................... 160 37. Alternate Methods of Rigging a Line to the Actor’s P latform ..................................................................... 161 38. Alternate Methods of Taking up Lines from the Actor’s Platform Directly onto the Scruto Drum . 163 39. Reconstruction of the Corsican T r a p....................... 165 40. Reconstruction of Corsican Trap, Details................... 166 41. Directions and Locations on the Nineteenth Century English and American Stage ..................................... 169 42. The Corsican Brothers. Act I. Princess’s Theatre, 1852 .............. 175 43. Floor Plan for Act I. John MoOre’s Prompt Book for the Bowery, 1852 ...................................................... 181 44. Floor Plan for Act I. J. B. Wright’s Prompt Book . 181 45. Floor Plan for Act I. John Procter’s Prompt Book for the Pittsburgh, 1852 ............................................. 181 viii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Scope and purpose of the study. - -The nineteenth century marked the rise and fall of the melodrama. While melodramas were written before that period, and later developments of the melodrama have continued into the twentieth century, the era of its importance as a prime mover in British, continental, and American dramatic activity lay essentially within that hundred year span. About the middle of the century a new and vigorous strain of "gentlemanly" melodrama was introduced to England and America, from France. This new strain was destined to attract the enthusiastic following of the upper levels of society, which previously had scorned such "vulgar" displays. One of the first and most popular of the new Gallic works was an adaptation from a novel by Dumas pere, which was titled The Corsican Brothers. Introduced to the English speaking stage in 1852, it had a consider able impact in establishing a new status for melodrama on the I Fig. 1. —Sir Henry Irving as Fabian seeing the ghost of Louis, Act I. Illustrated London News. February 5, 1881, p. 124. legitimate stage, and its popularity carried its frequent production over into the early years of the twentieth century. One of the more sensational aspects of The Corsican Brothers was that it called for the leading actor to portray identical twin brothers, both of whom seemingly appeared on the stage at the same time (Fig. 1). The play also called for the use of "vision" scenes, and for the appearance of the "ghost" of one of the brothers. The accomplishment of these extraordinary requirements was made possible only through the use of carefully devised staging techniques and specially constructed mechanical devices. The history of this significant work from the era of the melo drama was recorded in periodicals and stage records which accumulated throughout