The Orient on the Victorian Stage [Paperback]

This book explores the impact of the Middle East and the Orient on writing and performance in nineteenth-century British theatre.Edward Ziter explores the impact of the Middle East and the Orient, as it was then known, on writing and performance in nineteenth-century British theatre and in turn how these portrayals influenced public perception of the region. Throughout the nineteenth century British audiences marvelled at depictions of desert storms and harem dances as well as scenes of the Nile and colonial armies. Ziter extends his study from the Romantic period through to late-Victorian, taking in melodrama, pantomime, ballet, and opera, as well as museum dislays and exhibitions.Edward Ziter explores the impact of the Middle East and the Orient, as it was then known, on writing and performance in nineteenth-century British theatre and in turn how these portrayals influenced public perception of the region. Throughout the nineteenth century British audiences marvelled at depictions of desert storms and harem dances as well as scenes of the Nile and colonial armies. Ziter extends his study from the Romantic period through to late-Victorian, taking in melodrama, pantomime, ballet, and opera, as well as museum dislays and exhibitions.Edward Ziter explores the impact of the Middle East and the Orient , (as it was known), on writing and performance in nineteenth-century British theater and how these portrayals influenced public perception of the region. British audiences marvelled at depictions of desert storms and harem dances as well as scenes of the Nile and colonial armies throughout the nineteenth century. Ziter extends his study from the Romantic through to the late-Victorian period, including taking in melodrama, pantomime, ballet, and opera, as well as museum displays and exhibitions.List of illustrations; Acknowledgements; Introduction: 'real sets', geography, and race; 1. Spectacle and surveillance in orientalist panoramas; 2. Fantasies of miscegenation on tl³²