Theatre in England reached its zenith during the Edwardian era. By then, from humble beginnings, it had blossomed into a wonderful diversity of forms. Described below are the principal of these as they were known and understood in Edwardian times. Note that the division between these forms was often blurred, and that whilst many of them still exist today they may have undergone some shift in style and/or interpretation since that era.
| Burlesque | A form of satiric play often parodying the theatrical conventions of the day and making fun of a more serious work. The British burlesque differed greatly from the American entertainment of the same name which was a variety entertainment based upon an unsubtle mix of sex and comedy intended for a male audience. |
| Burletta | A form of musical entertainment similar to burlesque but designed to be performed at the minor theatres or as a sidebill, which arose to exploit a loophole in the licensing laws. Technically, any play in three acts and containing at least five musical numbers was a burletta. |
| Comedy | Any play having a humerous content and a happy ending. The most effective comedy is usually that which is based on matters of local or topical interest. This means that comedy in general does not age or travel well. Many comedies have been written which, although they were a success on their release have since been lost and forgotten. Some comedies, however do stand the tests of time and geography and thus stand as a shining example to the genius of their creators. The best known of playwrights from the Edwardian era to have produced such timeless masterpieces is Oscar Wilde. |
| Comic Opera | A characteristically British form of operetta made popular by the works of Gilbert and Sullivan and others. |
| Drama |
A theatrical work of a highly emotional content, typically involving the representation of a situation wherein conflict exists and is resolved through the interaction of the characters. Put more simply, it refers to a group of actors playing out a situation of a serious rather than a comic or tragic nature. |
| Extravaganza | Almost indistinguishable from burlesque, many productions indeed being described as both. The only real difference was that the extravaganza had no single satiric subject being intended solely for entertainment and often produced on a grander scale. |
| Farce | An extreme form of comedy extracting maximum from exagerrated or 'over the top' storylines. The Edwardian farce was a full-length play characterised by absurd situations and characterisations. Very often, the plot-line dealt with extra-marital affairs (bedroom farce) and the comical attempts made by the parties involved to hide these indescretions. |
| Melodrama | A play with music. Prior to 1843, only three theatres in London were licensed to perform 'straight' plays (ie. plays with only spoken dialogue). These were the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Theatre Royal Covent Garden, and the Haymarket. Other theatres were forced to use music or mime to tell their story. For a play with dialogue to be legal, it was required that there be at least five songs in each act, thus giving rise to melodrama. By the Edwardian era, melodrama more specifically refered to a type of drama employing music to heighten or underscore the emotional content, with plots being typically founded upon situations in which virtue is ultimately rewarded. |
| Musical Comedy | The musical comedies of the Edwardian era drew from light opera the tradition of a sketchy plot and the songs which could be derived from it, with concerted finales at the closing of each each. |
| Music Hall | A traditional British musical variety entertainment (similar to the American Vaudeville) and/or the venue in which it is housed. |
| Opera | A form of theatrical drama which relying heavily upon vocal and instrumental music to portray events and convey the story. Major elements of the dialogue are sung in a distinctive style and are connected by passages in 'recitative' style (ie. melodiously spoken or midway between song and speech), or in prose or verse. |
| Operetta | A short opera with a comic theme often of a farcical or satiric nature. Gave birth to the characteristically British English form commonly known as 'comic opera'. |
| Pantomime | A British theatrical entertainment, traditionally produced around the Christmas period, which is farcical in nature and often based on folk tales or childrens stories (eg. 'Peter Pan'). Pantomime developed a unique tradition wherein the principal boy is played by a female, the Dame by a male, and the audience are actively encouraged to participate vocally in the performance. |
| Tragedy | A form of play dealing with the human condition when beset by trials and tribulation. The central character often being a person of high standing who loses everything as the result of some catastrophe or reversal of fortune, and often dying in tragic circumstances near the end of the play. A variation is Romantic Tragedy which usually deals with a love between two individuals who are irreparably held apart by circumstances beyond their control. Often the separating factor is duty, so that the lovers sacrifice themselves for the good of others. |
| Vaudeville | A type of theatrical entertainment popular in the USA that combined comedy sketches, song and dance, magic, and other light entertainment acts. A more wholesome family form of the US Burlesque (ie. without the lewd elements), similar to the British tradition of Music Hall. |
| Author: Don Gillan, www.stagebeauty.net. |
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