Chris Wood ~ Death in the Theatre
Synopsis
Britain’s theatrical wonderland has been a cornerstone of culture for centuries, delighting and thrilling audiences with an assemblage of exhilarating spectacles. Beyond the trodden boards, and tucked neatly behind the curtain however, lies a catalogue of real life destruction and grisly murder that our greatest tragedians would surely be proud to have presided over. Tread the bloodied boards of Britain’s theatres and witness the deathly dramas that have played out so dramatically within them.
Death in the Theatre collects an astonishing selection of startling tragedies from Britain’s throng of theatres. There is something especially staggering when the player exits life on their adorned stage, and yet, with this by no means an infrequent occurrence, death has made many a fearful cameo appearance – stalking the stalls and grimly reaping the galleries in its macabre and relentless fashion.
In 1910 a strange midnight tragedy was enacted in a London theatre, where the brutal murder of an elderly stage carpenter prompted huge excitement among the theatre-going world and indeed wider public.
How did a children’s magic show descend into such unspeakable horror that would leave 183 youngsters dead in a Sunderland theatre, their tiny bodies brutally laid out in the dress circle for the bleakest of identity parades?
Learn of outrageous tragedy such as the young man mauled to death by a lion in a Gloucester theatre, and the unfortunate victim killed in the Dumfries Theatre Royal – quite literally – by the limelight.
Review
Theatre is a huge part of my life. In fact before I started blogging about books, I was reviewing the best (and worst) of London’s West End. I even occasionally tread the boards myself.
I’m also a huge history geek and love learning about the traditions and tragedies of theatre. No doubt this is why Pen & Sword thought I’d be a good match for Chris Wood’s latest book: Death in the Theatre.
And they were right.
I devoured this book, revelling in the historical facts about my beloved buildings and learning an awful lot about some truly tragic events.
You might expect there to be onstage deaths as a result of switched sabres and mischievous mixology – and of course there are – but there are also several stories involving horrific accidents. Two in particular – perhaps because they involved children – stick in my mind: Victoria Hall and Garrick Theatre. I won’t say too much, but they were difficult to read about, considering the extent of the horror.
Chris Wood writes in an accessible, but knowledgeable way, with anecdotes about each location and those involved to engage with readers. There are also excerpts from newspapers, as well as photographs of documents and victims, to compliment the facts.
Death in the Theatre is another excellent book to read in stages – not least because it’s a lot of sadness to consume in one go – but it’s a wonderful exploration of the darker side of theatre.
Thanks to Pen & Sword Books for my copy. Opinions my own.
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