When looking at the popular culture of the 19th century during the Age of Idealism I was amazed at how melodrama plays held such significance among the community in Belfast at this time. Both members of the Unionist and the Nationalist communities would attend the theatre on the same night to enjoy these plays which tackled controversial topics of the time.
Looking at the form of melodrama in the 19th century itself it is important to note just how much of a part it played in popular culture. Playwrights such as Dion Boucicault were writing for the masses. the theatre was a cheap enough form of entertainment for the people, a place that was warm, and where they people could eat and drink. Audience participation was most definitely a big attraction for the Belfast audiences that attend these melodrama plays. The Audience would both cheer and shout at the perfromers onstage, and depending on their personal political views, different members of the audience would be cheering/booing different characters. This led to bickering and fighting among audience members. With the commotion going on amongst the auidence the performers could barely be heard, so they adopted grand gestures to convey what was happening in the scenes. This can be compared to the expressive gestures used in silent films. The style has been criticised as an externalised form of acting instead of the more desirable internal style of performing.
Although melodrama was such a large part of popular culture at this time, many scholars feel it is not worthy of much study. The melodrama plays were renowned for their elaborate plots and grand set designs, however many see this as over the top rather than impressive or realistic and criticised melodrama for its’ romantic, simplicity endings. R. Leach in Victorian Melodrama states that melodrama ‘appeals to those who wish to be amused without the slightest exertion on their part, or any exercise whatever of their intellectual powers.’ Perhaps it is fair to say that it is because melodrama was enjoyed so much by the masses in the 19th century it is seen not worthy of study, because was seen as ‘common’ and too accessible.
Dion Boucicault (1820-1890) is known as one of the most important playwrights of the 19th Century famed for his melodramas. Boucicault was born and educated in Dublin. He wrote over 200 plays and was called the Irish Shakespeare but ironically only four of his plays for set/about Ireland. He became well known on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor, playwright, manager and entrepreneur. Boucicault is known to have created fire proof scenery for staging his elaborate melodramas.
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