1. Restoration Theatre
ADA4M
February 6, 2013

2. Monarchs and Their Fancy Titles
Elizabeth I: Elizabethan period
James I: Jacobean period
Charles I & II: Carolinian period

3. Remember…
After the enormous success of Renaissance theatre (Shakespeare’s time), the theatres were closed in 1642 by Puritans.
Why?

4. Civil War English Civil War: 1642-1649/51
Parliamentarians vs. Royalists
Parliamentarians: wanted a government with all the power in the parliament
Royalists: Supported King Charles I (and later Charles II), wanted England to remain a monarchy

6. Events of the War
War begins in Puritans (on the Parliamentarian side) close theatres (and many other forms of entertainment)
Struggle and strife for many years
1649: Charles I loses the war. He is captured.
First time a King is tried at court
Convicted of high treason
Executed

7. So, the king is dead…
Oliver Cromwell runs the Parliament and leads Britain as a republic (a nation without a king)
Cromwell dies, his son takes over
Meanwhile, Scotland is not so happy with things…
More conflict between the two sides, eventually Charles II declared the rightful king of England
1660: Monarchy restored (hence Restoration period)

8. Because they could…
When the Royalists returned, they wanted to show off their success to the Parliamentarians
Oliver Cromwell’s body dug up and beheaded, and his head put on a spike

10. Weren’t We Talking About Theatre?
Charles II restored a more lavish lifestyle, brought back celebration, opulence, and fashion as central parts of the upper class’s lives
Licensed 2 acting companies
Changed laws about who was
allowed to act

11. The Royal Theatres
Elaborate stages with royal patents (e.g. Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, designed by Christopher Wren)
Moveable scenery, machines for “high-tech” special effects (e.g. lightning, waves)

15. The Audience
Much like in the Renaissance, Restoration audience were composed of all sorts: upper classes, their servants, and the middle class
Note: there is a middle class now!
Samuel Pepys’ diary: famous
diary of a man who recorded
his experiences at the time,
often wrote about attending
the theatre

16. The Actors Actors become celebrities Women are allowed on stage!
First female actors and playwrights
“Breeches roles”: women dressed in men’s clothing, either to hide or to do things that girls weren’t allowed to do
Theatre as a form of liberation for women

17. Important Actors Nell Gwynn One of the first female actors
Charles II’s mistress; had 2 sons
Edward (Ned) Kynaston
Used to be a boy player in girls’ roles
Called the “prettiest woman” and “handsomest man” by Samuel Pepys
Women would take him around town
Rumors that he often went out in his women’s clothing

18. The Plays Sexually explicit: dirty jokes and suggestive scenes
More scandalous now that there are real women!
Busy plays with many characters
“Comedy of manners”: makes fun of upper class
Plot often about scandal, but plot is less important than clever dialogue and jokes (often double-entendres)

19. The Importance of Being Earnest
NOT a Restoration play (it’s Victorian), but a good example of a comedy of manners:
Title: Ernest/earnest pun
Sample dialogue:
“I really don’t see anything romantic in proposing. It is very romantic to be in love. But
there is nothing romantic about a definite proposal. Why, one may be accepted. One
usually is, I believe. Then the excitement is over. The very essence of romance is
uncertainty. If I ever get married, I’ll certainly try to forget the fact.”
“Well, I must say, Algernon, that I think it is high time that Mr. Bunbury made up his
mind whether he was going to live or die. This shilly-shallying with the question is
absurd. Nor do I in any way approve of the modern sympathy with invalids. I consider it
morbid. Illness of any kind is hardly a thing to be encouraged in others.”

20. Stock Characters
Fop: a silly man who is too focused on his appearance, makes attempts to seem especially intellectual but is usually foolish

21. Modern Fops

22. Stock Characters
Rake: an immoral, promiscuous man who usually comes from a wealthy background and spends too much money on drink, gambling, and women

23. Modern Rakes

25. Journal
If you could go back in time to one of the theatre periods we have studied, which would you choose and why? (English Renaissance, Commedia dell’Arte, Noh, Restoration)
Remember: Study for midterm (Tuesday, February 11)