A BARON IN HER BED IS RELEASED IN THE US & CANADA ON MARCH 6th!
Because my characters in A Baron
in Her Bed - The Spies of Mayfair Book One go to the opera, I did some to research. Here's a taste of what I discovered.
Opera and drama could only be found
in London at limited venues. Drury Lane and Covent Garden had the monopoly on
plays and opera in English, explicitly granted by royal patent. The Kings
theatre, Haymarket which had no special royal connection or license, remained
the dominant presenter of opera throughout Austen’s lifetime, though it’s
supremacy was challenged in the 1790s by the more conveniently located
Pantheon.
The audience was composed mostly of
the aristocracy, the gentry and the people of means for the ticket prices were
far higher than at the theatres. Boxes, which held four to six people, were
reserved, but seats in the orchestra were not, and those in line got the best
seats; wealthier patrons often sent their footmen ahead to hold seats for them.
While waiting for the opera to
start, people could visit the coffee room, talk w3ith friends, scan the
audience for famous faces, or buy a book from the “Fruit Woman” for 1s. 6d.
which contained the cast and the libretto. Once the opera commenced all
activity was meant to cease, but many continued to move about and indulge in
conversation. Few patrons could speak Italian and the King’s Theatre could not
present its performances in English.
Opera was only performed during the
winter when members of the ton were in town. During summer the wealthy repaired
to their country homes and the seaside. Singers then toured the country
performing in provincial towns.
Female performers were seen as
glorified prostitutes and shunned by society, which had some basis in fact:
Dorothea Jordan, had a long-running
and much-publicized affair with the duke of Clarence, bearing him ten children.
(Jane Austen saw her perform at Covent Garden in 1814. One satirical cartoon
shows her in her bedroom, gazing adoringly at a duchess’ coronet, which she
hopes someday to wear by marrying her lover. A map on the wall purports to show
the route from “Strolling Lane” (i.e. prostitution) through “Old Drury Common”
all the way to “Derbyshire Peak.” A genealogical chart of the nobility lies on
her dressing table, and her bed-hangings are crowned by a Phrygian cap, symbol
of the French Revolution. The latter is intended to ridicule her pretensions to
nobility; as a common woman, let alone an actress, she should know her place.
Sarah
Siddons by Thomas Gainsborough
|
Some actresses of sterling talent
who resisted the temptation to climb to the top of the social scale were exempted
from the popular prejudice against performing women. Sarah Siddons, who was
generally well respected, is a notable example, but those who seemed to be
using their visibility as a means to wealth and comfort were strongly
stigmatized. The situation was worse for those without stardom to protect them,
and it was worst of all for the “opera girls.”
Source: All Things Austen - An
Encyclopedia of Austen's World Volume II
No comments:
Post a Comment