Riot at Covent Garden Theatre
Print
early 19th century (printed)
early 19th century (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the 18th century, theatre-goers would be admitted for half price towards the end of an evening show, allowing them to see the second act or the short after-pieces that followed the main play. In March 1763 the management of Covent Garden theatre announced that only full price tickets would be available. The response was an organised riot which destroyed the interior of the theatre and forced the reinstitution of the half price concession.
The opera being performed on this night was Artaxerxes, an English opera composed by Thomas Arne with a libretto adapted from the Italian poet Metastasio’s Artaserse. This is the only known attempt to adapt one of Metasatio’s opera seria into the English language. The singers in the print are dressed in conventional opera costume of the period, with the men wearing generically 'Eastern' rather than historically correct costume, while the female singer wears a version of fashionable 18th-century dress.
Arne was more successful writing light opera, and his most famous and enduring work was the musical setting of the poem Rule Britannia!.
The opera being performed on this night was Artaxerxes, an English opera composed by Thomas Arne with a libretto adapted from the Italian poet Metastasio’s Artaserse. This is the only known attempt to adapt one of Metasatio’s opera seria into the English language. The singers in the print are dressed in conventional opera costume of the period, with the men wearing generically 'Eastern' rather than historically correct costume, while the female singer wears a version of fashionable 18th-century dress.
Arne was more successful writing light opera, and his most famous and enduring work was the musical setting of the poem Rule Britannia!.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Riot at Covent Garden Theatre (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Engraved print |
| Brief description | Print, showing a riot at Covent Garden, 1763, 'in consequence of the Managers refusing to admit half-price in the Opera of Artaxerxes.' Members of the audience climbing on stage during a performance |
| Physical description | Monochrome engraved print of a scene inside Covent Garden Theatre, showing members of the audience clambering on stage, over the orchestra pit, while performers on stage look confused. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions | Riot at Covent Garden Theatre in 1763 in consequence of the Managers refusing / to admit half price in the Opera of Artaxerxes. |
| Gallery label | Riot at Covent Garden Theatre
1763
The riot was a protest against the theatre management’s decision not to sell half-price tickets for the short after-pieces that followed the main performance. It destroyed the interior of the theatre and forced the reinstitution of the half-price concession – an early instance of the customer always being right.
Engraving
Harry R. Beard Collection, given by Isobel Beard
Museum no. S.50-2008(2008) |
| Credit line | Harry R. Beard Collection, given by Isobel Beard |
| Summary | In the 18th century, theatre-goers would be admitted for half price towards the end of an evening show, allowing them to see the second act or the short after-pieces that followed the main play. In March 1763 the management of Covent Garden theatre announced that only full price tickets would be available. The response was an organised riot which destroyed the interior of the theatre and forced the reinstitution of the half price concession. The opera being performed on this night was Artaxerxes, an English opera composed by Thomas Arne with a libretto adapted from the Italian poet Metastasio’s Artaserse. This is the only known attempt to adapt one of Metasatio’s opera seria into the English language. The singers in the print are dressed in conventional opera costume of the period, with the men wearing generically 'Eastern' rather than historically correct costume, while the female singer wears a version of fashionable 18th-century dress. Arne was more successful writing light opera, and his most famous and enduring work was the musical setting of the poem Rule Britannia!. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | S.50-2008 |
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| Record created | July 3, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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