Nights That Shook the Stage

Some of the most raucous evenings in the history of theater are chronicled in this lively discussion of occasions when theater-makers changed the course of theatrical, and sometimes world, history. Covering a wide range of events from the inauspicious opening of Oedipus Rexin Athens, to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C., to the violence-riddled performance of Halla Bol in New Delhi, this book offers detailed and studied observations of specific minutes, hours, and days on the stage. For each staging covered, the author examines the reactions of critics and the public and tells the inside story, identifies the key players, and examines why these events still resound today.

Dwayne Brenna is the award-winning author of eight books of humor, poetry, fiction and non-fiction. He is a professor in the drama department at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

Dwayne Brenna
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 276
Bibliographic Info: 23 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8978-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5014-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Of Murder and Premonitions 5
Chapter 1. Who Is Dead in the White House? Our American Cousin, Ford’s Theatre, Washington, April 14, 1865 7
Chapter 2. A Night at the Adelphi: Secret Service, Adelphi Theatre, London, December 16, 1897 15
Chapter 3. A Beauty That Cannot Be Conveyed: Machinal, Plymouth Theatre, New York, September 7, 1928 22
Chapter 4. All Hell Broke Loose: Halla Bol, Janya Natya Manch, Jhandapur, India, January 1, 1989 28
Brave New Theaters 33
Chapter 5. Free Theater: The Serenade, Théâtre Libre, Paris, December 23, 1887 34
Chapter 6: The Slavyanski Bazaar: The Moscow Art Theatre, June 22, 1897 39
Chapter 7. A Wonderful, Heretical Play: The Seagull, Moscow Art Theatre, Moscow, December 17, 1898 46
Chapter 8. La Mama: One Arm, Café La Mama, New York, July 27, 1962 51
Riotous Behavior 57
Chapter 9. Old Price: Macbeth, Covent Garden Theatre, London, September 18, 1809. 59
Chapter 10. A Cut-Throat Competition: Macbeth, Astor Place Opera House, New York, May 10, 1849 65
Chapter 11. Round Dance: La Ronde, Deutsches Volkstheater, Vienna, February 7, 1921 71
Chapter 12. Oh, What an Arse You Have! Oh! Calcutta!, Eden Theater, New York, June 17, 1969 75
Theatrical Quarrels 81
Chapter 13. La Querelle: The Rehearsal at Versailles, The Palace at Versailles, October 14, 1663 83
Chapter 14. Nora’s Incomprehensible Act: A Doll’s House, Royal Theatre, Copenhagen, December 21, 1879 87
Chapter 15. A Mighty Personage: Ubu Roi, Théâtre de l’Œuvre, Paris, December 10, 1896 92
Chapter 16. A Purse to the Jaw: The Little Foxes, National Theatre, New York, February 13, 1939 96
Theater Out of Doors 101
Chapter 17. Second Prize: Oedipus Tyrannus, The City Dionysia, Athens, March 427 bc 103
Chapter 18. Moving the Globe: The Globe Theatre, London, December 28, 1598 107
Chapter 19. Good Cheer: The Theatre of Neptune, Port Royal, New France, November 14, 1606 112
A Tale of Two Countries 117
Chapter 20. In the Palm of One’s Hand: The Frozen Deep, Tavistock House, January 5, 1857 120
Chapter 21. First Knight: The Bells, Lyceum Theatre, London, November 25, 1871 125
Chapter 22. The Meininger: Julius Caesar, Friedrich Wilhelm Municipal Theatre, Berlin, May 1, 1874 130
Chapter 23. Genius or Madman? The Ring of Nibelung, Bayreuth Festspielhaus, Germany, August 13, 1876 135
Political Theater 141
Chapter 24. Threepenny: The Threepenny Opera, Theatre am Schiffbauerdamm, Berlin, August 31, 1928 143
Chapter 25. Coughing and Sighs: The Song of the Chaste Wife, Shinkyō Theater Company, Japan and Korea, March 1938 148
Chapter 26. Acid Test: Marat/Sade, Aldwych Theatre, London, August 20, 1964. 152
Reactions to War 159
Chapter 27. Marinetti: The Feasting King, Théâtre de l’Œuvre, Paris, April 3, 1909 161
Chapter 28. Dada: Dada Early Spring, Cologne, April 1920 169
Chapter 29. Ill Omens: The Glass Menagerie, Civic Theatre, Chicago, December 26, 1944 174
Chapter 30. Waiting: Waiting for Godot, San Quentin Prison, California, November 19, 1957 179
The Angry 1950s 185
Chapter 31. Look Back: Look Back in Anger, Royal Court Theatre, London, May 8, 1956 187
Chapter 32. The Man Who Discovered Pinter: The Room, University of Bristol, England, May 1957 192
Chapter 33. Hansberry: A Raisin in the Sun, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York, March 11, 1959 196
True North 201
Chapter 34. Spittle in the Face: Richard III, Stratford Festival, Stratford, Canada, July 13, 1953 204
Chapter 35. 1967: Fortune and Men’s Eyes, Colours in the Dark, and The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, Canada, 1967 209
Chapter 36. Dogged Intrepidity: Paper Wheat, St. Thomas Wesley Hall, Saskatoon, March 18, 1977 215
Chapter 37. Highway: The Rez Sisters, Native Earth Theatre, Toronto, November 26, 1986 220
After 2000 225
Chapter 38. Howl of Pain: 4.48 Psychosis, Royal Court Theatre, London, June 23, 2000 227
Chapter 39. The Revolution: Hamilton, Richard Rodgers Theater, New York, November 11, 2016 231
Chapter 40. One of Those Stories: Come from Away, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York, March 12, 2017 235
Epilogue 239
Chapter Notes 245
Bibliography 255
Index 265

• Finalist, City of Saskatoon Book Award—Saskatchewan Book Awards

• Finalist, Scholarly Writing Award—Saskatchewan Book Awards

• “With Nights That Shook the Stage, Brenna offers a compelling history of theatre through his vivid examination of forty remarkable and critical performances. Equally insightful and compelling, Brenna’s masterful storytelling of these transformative and often chaotic events brings us intimately and inextricably into each production—transporting us from our seats in the audience onto the stage. Any reader new to the history of theatre, or perhaps unaware of the power of live performance to alter world events, will be captivated. Brenna’s work is testament to the idea that the power of theatre not just enacts change, but creates it.”—Judges’ Comments, Saskatchewan Book Awards