Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Respectable Capers': Class, Respectability and the Savoy Operas 1877–1909 (Palgrave Studies in British Musical Theatre)

This innovative account of the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership provides a unique insight into the experience of both attending and performing in the original productions of the most influential and enduring pieces of English-language musical theatre. In the 1870s, Savoy impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte astutely realized that a conscious move to respectability in a West End which, until then, had favored the racy delights of burlesque and French operetta, would attract a new, lucrative morally 'decent' audience. This book examines the commercial, material and human factors underlying the Victorian productions of the Savoy operas. Unusually for a book on 'G & S', it focuses on people and things rather than author biography or literary criticism. Examining theatre architecture, interior design, marketing, and typical audiences, as well as the working conditions and personal lives of the members of a Victorian theatre-company, 'Respectable Capers' explains how the Gilbert and Sullivan operas helped to transform the West End into the family-friendly 'theatre land' which still exists today Foreword 6 Note 10 Acknowledgments 14 Contents 16 List of Figures 18 Chapter 1: Introduction 20 Introduction 20 Chapter 2: The Gilbert and Sullivan Operas and ‘Middle-Class’ Ideals 35 Hierarchical Societies: The Sorcerer and HMS Pinafore 39 ‘Respectable’ Values: The Pirates of Penzance, the Gondoliers, Patience, The Mikado, Princess Ida and Utopia, Limited 45 Entrepreneurship and Professionalism 62 Summary 66 Chapter 3: The West End: ‘Middle-Class’ Values and Commercialisation 69 Remaking the West End 70 Remarketing the Musical Stage: The Savoy Operas 76 Summary 89 Chapter 4: Patience at the Savoy 91 Geography and Neighbourhood 92 Theatre Architecture 95 Space and Place: Sites of Reception 96 Space and Place: The Auditorium 99 Public Discourses: Theatre Programmes 109 Public Discourses: Printed Commentary 115 Summary 118 Chapter 5: Savoy Audiences 1881–1909 125 Pricing and Social Division 127 Reserved Seating: Stalls and Circles 128 Unreserved Seating: The Pit 130 Pit Demographics 134 Unreserved Seating: Gallery and Amphitheatre 138 Audience Diversity: The ‘Lower Orders’ 140 Singing in the Gallery 143 The Lower-Middle Classes 147 Money, Leisure and Class 151 Summary 153 Chapter 6: ‘The D’Oyly Carte Boarding School’: Female Respectability at the Savoy* 158 Backstage Decorum 159 The Right Type of Girl 168 Codes of Conduct 174 Summary 181 Chapter 7: ‘The Placid English Style’: Ideology and Performance 185 Evidence: The Press 186 Evidence: Visual and Textual 191 Evidence: Recordings and Film 198 Comic and Vocal Styles 202 Gentlemen and Ladies 210 Performing Respectability 215 Gagging ‘Gagging’ 223 Summary 231 Chapter 8: Conclusion 239 Respectability was harder to achieve in the theatrical sphere than in other professional fields. The theatre had little formalised career regulation, was tainted in the public imagination with immorality, and suffered, in terms of public percepti 239 Bibliography 247 Nineteenth-Century Newspapers and Periodicals 247 Other Newspapers and Periodicals Consulted 248 Manuscripts 248 Quotations from W.S. Gilbert’s Libretti Are Taken from 248 Primary Sources Cited or Reproduced 249 Secondary Sources 251 Index 258 Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction....Pages 1-15 The Gilbert and Sullivan Operas and ‘Middle-Class’ Ideals....Pages 17-50 The West End: ‘Middle-Class’ Values and Commercialisation....Pages 51-72 Patience at the Savoy....Pages 73-106 Savoy Audiences 1881–1909....Pages 107-139 ‘The D’Oyly Carte Boarding School’: Female Respectability at the Savoy*....Pages 141-167 ‘The Placid English Style’: Ideology and Performance....Pages 169-222 Conclusion....Pages 223-230 Back Matter....Pages 231-249 Introduction -- The Gilbert And Sullivan Operas And Middle-class Ideals -- The West End : Middle-class Values And Commercialisation -- Patience At The Savoy -- Savoy Audiences 1881-1909 -- The D'oyly Carte Boarding School : Female Respectability At The Savoy -- The Placid English Style : Ideology And Performance -- Conclusion. Michael Goron. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.