Book Overview

Originally published in 1984, this book recreates the unique atmosphere of the Restoration playhouses in order to demonstrate how theatrical conditions spurred authors into creating new forms of tragedy, comedy and opera, the techniques of which anticipated the ideas of ‘gestus’ and ‘alienation’ first articulated by Bertold Brecht in the 20th century.

The book explores the ways in which the theories of the time affected the practice, showing the crucial importance of Dryden’s work in the playhouse and of the collaboration of authors and theatre companies. It examines particular texts, to highlight the themes and present the spectrum of dramatic experience in action.

The book, which is extensively illustrated, also shows how the Restoration style, although developed by particular actors and dramatists, declined under the commercial pressures of the end of the century.