3 Review(s)

Dealing with a theatrical phase customarily dismissed by those charting 20th-century developments, and avoiding a texts bias, this book reveals a period of unsurpassed prosperity in which the stage's substantial contribution to the war effort is only one notable feature. It also saw the commercial theatre's absorption of Continental avant-gardeism by way of revue, the last great epoch of music hall, the rise of the Old Vic with a project in opera and Shakespeare of which we are still the beneficiaries, and the unprecedented popularity of opera everywhere (this was surely the most fruitful period of Thomas Beecham's theatrical career). These events provide compelling arguments for revaluation and in his reassessment of this period, Dr Williams extensively examines scripts and press coverage, providing a comprehensive overview from popular pantomime to the specialist work of the private stage as well a discussion of such issues as working conditions and censorship.