Modern Productions of 18th Century Plays
Abatract: This essay discusses the modern-day production of the main British plays of the eighteenth century that are still performed today, including John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife, George Etherege’s The Man of Mode, William Congreve’s The Way of the World, Richard Steele’s The Conscious Lovers, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The School for Scandal.
Plays of Eighteenth century British literature have withstood the test of time in many ways. The writers of the time knew very well how to pinpoint the faults in human nature and satirize them to make them enjoyable for an audience watch even though the audiences varied a great deal. “The range of social classes, professions, and cultural attainments was fairly great, and the taste of the spectators as well as their motives in attending the playhouses varied considerably.”1[1] Human nature has not changed very much since the 1700’s, and the plays that were popular then have remained so until today. The shame in the matter is that while still applicable to today’s society and still found to be enjoyable entertainment by today’s standards, the plays of the 18th century are not as widely produced and performed as one might think or might like. The main plays of the eighteenth century that are still performed today are John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife, George Etherege’s The Man of Mode, William Congreve’s The Way of the World, Richard Steele’s The Conscious Lovers, and Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The School for Scandal. Each of these plays brings something different to the modern stage as they did in the eighteenth century.
The Country Wife has been...
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17 November 2003]. Available world wide web:
(http://www.colby.edu/theater/productions/manofmode.shtml)
7[7] Oliver, Cordelia. 1977. The Country Wife [online]. Glasgow Citizens Theatre
[cited 17 November 2003]. Available world wide web:
(http://members.aol.com/citzsite/citz/gcplays.htm#gcwife)
8[8] Leichter, Aaron. 2003. The Beggar’s Opera [online]. The New York Theatre
Experience [cited 17 November 2003]. Available world wide web:
(http://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/beggar.htm)
9[9] Addison, Joseph. “The Spectator, No. 47.” In Restoration and Eighteenth-Century
Comedy, edited by Scott McMillin. New York: W.W. Norton & Company,
Inc., 1997.
10[10] Dennis, John. “The Usefulness of the Stage.” In Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Comedy, edited by Scott McMillin. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1997.
Eighteenth century British theatre was perhaps the starting point that would evolve into modern theatre. Women started to be allowed on stage and acting techniques were beginning to change. Leading performers were like celebrities with a number of fans. Theatre was an intricate part of the social ladder. In the overall scheme of things the actors and actresses played an important part in making the theatre what it was. Without the performers there wouldn’t really be theatre, so in order to understand the eighteenth century British theatre the performers of that era need to be understood.
Adaptation is the process or state of changing to fit new circumstances or conditions, or the resulting change (Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.). When something adapts, or is adapted, it retains the basic content of its former self while taking on new qualities. When a story is adapted, either to a different medium than the one originally used or to a different time or place, the adaptation shows a new interpretation of the story and gives insights into the mindset of the individual that adapted it and the society that created that mind.
Warren, Roger. Shakespeare Survey 30. N.p.: n.p., 1977. Pp. 177-78. Rpt. in Shakespeare in the Theatre: An Anthology of Criticism. Stanley Wells, ed. England: Oxford University Press, 2000.
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