In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Part Two orientalism & social condescension Constructing London’s East End Audiences introduction In 1858 two large, ornate theatres in the East End of London opened after rebuilding: the Pavilion in Whitechapel and the Britannia in Hoxton . Both were considered as elaborate as any West End theatre, for no expense had been spared and the most up-to-date building technologies had been used. Both held large-capacity audiences and both attracted comment that raise significant issues about east London audiences . In the case of the Britannia, Dickens’s well-known account creates a portrait of a generic East End audience, although this portrait is carefully constructed to support his argument in favor of popular amusements. The ‘‘motley assemblage’’ of all age groups, some less clean in their attire and habits than others, but all attentive and orderly, in a large new theatre built especially for them, illustrates Dickens’s belief in the efficacy of popular entertainment and the need for its proper provision. The initial response of the East London Observer to the new Pavilion, however, indicates the dangers inherent in assuming that East End audiences could be described generically in the first place. Although these two theatres will be the focus for a discussion of East End audiences, it is necessary initially to look more closely at generic accounts of East End audiences and to contextualize the East End of London and its theatres. Typical portraits of the generic East End audience occurred in two accounts of the Britannia Theatre published in the 1870s, during a period which also saw changes in local demographics.1 The first was L’International (11 and 12 May 1870), which desired to provide an account of a popular London theatre for its French readership. The author arrived at 9:00 p.m., just before the commencement of the second piece, and visited the refreshment room common to the stalls and boxes, the inhabitants of which reminded him of the average barroom in an ordinary public house. Two ‘‘fish wives’’ were drinking gin; two young men in their Sunday best were talking to two female laborers; others were sitting alone. As soon as it was announced that the next play was about to start, they all quitted the bar immediately. On entering the auditorium the author was struck by its ornateness, equivalent to any West End theatre; its ‘‘strong smell of poverty,’’ and ‘‘the sea of moving heads’’ receding into darkness in the gallery. Even in their shirt sleeves, the gallery occupants still sweated and their clothes stuck to their skin. In the stalls and pit were many young female laborers from the neighborhood with their sweethearts; also many children but few older people. No one removed their hats. The noise was tremendous, particularly from the gallery, where people were passed back and forward over the heads of those already seated. Throughout the first act of the play the noise continued, as did cries of ‘‘Order! Order!’’ so that little could be heard. Throughout the play the audience kept up a running commentary: whenever it became too loud there were again cries of ‘‘Order!’’ although these might merely provoke fresh outbursts. At the end of the play the crowd went wild, their cries, however, being overwhelmed by shrill and piercing whistles, which seemed to be the normal mode of applause at the Britannia. The actors seemed used to performing against all the noise; when the leading actress was called back on stage, she was showered with orange peel. Again, this is an impressionistic account, but it does suggest something of the vitality, combined with self-regulation, of the audience, even if it cannot resist the perennial urge to exoticize them. On 19 May 1877, All the Year Round published an account of audiences at the Surrey and Britannia Theatre under the title ‘‘Some Theatrical Audiences.’’ The gulf between east and west is emphasized in this account; indeed, the cab driver hired to take the writer to the East End clearly does not know his way to the Britannia and the journey itself is exotic: 42 { East End Audiences } How very few of those who live West know anything of that world which we have traversed in our drive due East — have any idea of the better and more attractive aspects of the most unfashionable quarter of London! True we have threaded some stifling thoroughfares , where flaming gas-jets have lit up hulks on which malodorous fish are exposed for sale, and...

Share