Pictorial Shakespeare, 1880-1890 - eTheses Repository - University ...

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in the course of the century the shift from actor-centred to
designer-oriented theatre had brought about the dileona in
which authors of the eighteen-eighties found themselves. Actorcentred
pieces were not notable for continuity and integrated
development, Robert Oaris, in The Dickens Theatre draws an
analogy between the "points" of the older plays and some of
Dickens*s effects*
the several effects or "points" made by the
artist are not "integrated" into a "continuity"
as we ordinarily understand the word, and do not
need to be, since each one is sponsored directly
by the artist to achieve his obvious moment by
moment plans and purposes, one of which is gelfdieplay.
48
The series of tableaux found in Dickens's earlier work owed much
to the influence of the illustrator - especially in Cruikshank*s
case. They were also derived from Hogarth's great example and
stimulated by the more mundane pressure of publication in
instalments. But the relationship between the illustrator f s
plates and the theatre was intimate, to the extent of playwrights
adopting the story-line of Cruikshank*s The l-«...»-...n.u-. Bottle, r -.- and scene-
designers striving to reproduce the pictures on stage. * The
taste for the striking composition and cetting balanced in
some degree that for dislocated "points" in acting. Planehe"
describes how he secured the success of The BrigandGhief (at
Drury Lane in 1829) by introducing "tableaux from Sastlake's
well-known pictures, 'Vja Italian Chief Reposing", "The Wife
of a Brigand Chief Watching the Result of a Battle" and "The
Dying Brigand" - these were "very effective",
and led to the adoption of this attractive
feature in several subsequent dramas, Doglas
Jerrold's Rent Dag founded upon .Vilkie's
celebrated picture, in particular.^Q
The dramatic event was organised - composed - by persons other
than the author, much in the way that Cruikshank claimed to
have organised Oliver Twist and Ainswfcrth's The Tower of London. 53
The authors dealt with this problem by becoming stagemanagers
themselves, in Gilbert's case extending their authority
even to the design of costumes
^9
, but this entailed a partial
capitulation to the established tiste, and to the resposibilities
listed in Gilbert's letter to The Times? at least three scenechanges,
and opportunities to be provided for the actors'