Henry Irving "DEAD HEART" Bram Stoker ("Dracula") 1889 London Program and Ticket

Description

This is a rare September 30th, 1889 programme (playbill) with an original ticket stub from the opening week of the London revival of the WATTS PHILLIPS French Revolution play "DEAD HEART"
at the Lyceum Theatre in London. (
The revival opened September 28th, 1889 and ran for 189 performances.) ..... The play starred
HENRY IRVING and t
he cast included
Miss ELLEN TERRY
, EDWARD GORDON CRAIG (stage debut), Mr. S. BANCROFT,
Mr. HAVILAND, ARTHUR STIRLING, EDWARD RIGHTON, Mr. F. TYARS, Mr. CLIFFORD,
Mr. M. HARVEY, Mr. TAYLOR, Mr. ARCHER, Mr. BLACK, Mr. RAYNOR, Mr. DAVIS, Mrs. CARTER, Miss KATE PHILLIPS and Miss COLERIDGE ..... Historical note:
Several London theatres marked the centenary in 1889 of the first major events of the French Revolution with plays on Revolutionary themes. At the Lyceum Theatre, Henry Irving revived "The Dead Heart" by Watts Phillips, a spectacular melodrama first produced at the Adelphi Theatre thirty years before. The play's hero, a survivor of the Bastille who becomes a Republican deputy, saves the life of the condemned aristocratic son of a former lover at the expense of his own. A series of thrilling scenes—including the fall of the Bastille, a suspenseful duel, and the hero's final act of self-sacrifice at the guillotine—made this production a popular, if not critical, success. Reviewers noted a mismatch of material and method, a gap between the broad acting style required by the conventions of mid-century melodrama and the comparatively subtle approach characteristic of the late-Victorian period. The meticulous attention to detail paid by Irving to the play's staging went far in compensating for its deficiencies. The cast included the retired actor-manager Squire Bancroft; Ellen Terry; and Terry's son, Edward Gordon Craig, in his first stage appearance. "The Dead Heart" was more than a revenge melodrama that used the French Revolution as a convenient vehicle. It provides insight into British anxieties over the state of the monarchy, republicanism, and mob violence. The republican aspect of the play was deliberately softened for the Lyceum production; this may have reflected Irving's sensitivity to the social realities of the 1880's, when London was torn by strikes and when the pages of "The Times" were filled with accounts of revolution in other parts of the world. However, the Lord Chamberlain readily approved "The Dead Heart", suggesting that plays on republican themes, at least those not dealing with Irish claims to sovereignty, could be performed as disinterested lessons on a topic of historical interest, and, in the case of "The Dead Heart", as a triumphant display of the actor's art.
(Reprinted from the Research Gate website) ..... CREDITS: Book by
WATTS PHILLIPS; Revised by WALTER H. POLLOCK; Incidental Music composed by G. JACOBI
; Orchestra conducted by J. MEREDITH BALL
; Costumes designed by JOSEPH GRECO, Mr. W. H. MARGETSON and Mrs. COMYNS-CARR; Musical Direction by MEREDITH BALL; Acting Manager: BRAM STOKER; Produced and Directed by HENRY IRVING ..... Side note: T
he personal assistant for Mr. Irving and Acting Manager of the Lyceum Theatre was BRAM STOKER (fourth scanned image) who in 1897 would write the famous Gothic novel "DRACULA"
. Henry
Irving was the inspiration for the title character in "Dracula" ..... DETAILS: The four page program measures 6 3/8" X 8 3/8" inches and includes production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes and programme of music, but no cast photos or bios. Includes an original ticket stub for two Dress Circle seats on the 30th of September, 1889 ..... CONDITION: With the exception of glue residue on the backsides of both the program and the ticket stub, the start of a split at the top seam and light creasing, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.