The Shadow of Great Britain

410: Chapter 236 Dickens’s Love Story (4K6) 410: Chapter 236 Dickens’s Love Story (4K6) Today’s London was still shrouded in fog, mixed with a drizzle of rain, and the wind seeped through the window into the room, chilling the just-entered Arthur so much that he couldn’t help but shiver.

Arthur pushed open the door, folded up his umbrella, and placed it in the umbrella stand by the door; as he untied his scarf, he spoke, exhaling white breath, “Charles, take a seat wherever you like.”

Dickens folded his umbrella and glanced up at the gloomy room, jokingly saying, “It’s awfully dark in here.

Doesn’t Alexander usually light the lamps at home?”

“Depends on his mood, but he’s indeed not home today.

At this time, he’s either at some restaurant on the corner of London streets, critiquing the dishes, or he’s at one of the small theatres watching a play.”

Arthur placed their soggy boots by the windowsill and then turned on the oil lamp that sat on the dining table.

He looked at the dim light in the room, hesitated and thought for a moment, and eventually decided to indulge in a luxury, lighting the fireplace.

Dickens leaned back on the sofa, watching Arthur brew tea by the fireplace, and asked, “So Alexander likes to go to those little street theatres for performances?”

Arthur fetched two towels from the washroom and threw one to Dickens; as he dried his wet hair, he asked, “It seems you also have a fondness for those little theatres?

What’s their particular charm?”

“Hmm…”

With a laugh, Dickens nodded, “Large licensed theatres like the Coburg Theatre certainly have their unique attractions.

Shakespearean classics such as ‘Macbeth,’ ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Othello,’ ‘King Lear’ can only be performed in these formal theatres, and it is the ultimate goal of European playwrights to have their works staged there.”

However, the minor theatres near Bankside, although they’re not allowed to perform Shakespearean plays, gained the right to perform farce and some musical dramas as a result of the Old Price Riots at the Covent Garden Theatre in 1809 when the Lord Chamberlain, responsible for theatre performances, had no choice but to concede to the Londoners.”

“Old Price Riots?” Arthur placed two teabags in the white porcelain cups, then poured hot water over them: “There was a riot in London in 1809?”

“Not a true riot, just an ordinary uproar that took on the name of a riot,”

Dickens, who had a keen observation of London street life, laughed heartily, “You know, that’s just the way Londoners are.

Ever since people began living here, they always look for reasons to riot or parade in the streets.

Although our methods are not as extreme as the Parisians’, the frequency of London riots can’t be underestimated!”

Arthur, who had been a policeman at Scotland Yard for nearly three years, agreed wholeheartedly, “When I was still a university student, the professor explained to us London’s long tradition of rioting.

The reasons for the riots varied widely, from grand motives like wanting to overthrow the king, to plotting to blow up the Parliament building, and even to attempting to assassinate members of the Cabinet.

Then there were causes related to livelihood, like protesting the increase in rice prices by looting markets, or smashing factory machines due to low wages.

Some were bored and wanted to interfere in the king’s personal affairs, protesting against the new queen or parading about the king and queen’s divorce.

Let me guess, this Old Price Riot wouldn’t happen to be about protesting against theatre ticket price hikes, would it?”

Drinking his tea, Dickens smiled, “Arthur, you deserve to be a detective; you’ve hit the nail on the head.

At that time, Covent Garden Theatre had just been rebuilt after a fire.

To recoup construction costs, the theatre manager added a new tier of private boxes for the wealthy, and the price of other seats rose accordingly.

Such actions, however, enraged the citizens, and they started a riot and took over the theatre.

The sound of trumpets and drums echoed inside the theatre for a full two months, so eventually the theatre manager and the Lord Chamberlain had to capitulate to the citizens.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow: “It’s a good thing Scotland Yard didn’t exist back then, otherwise dealing with such an event would have been really difficult.

After all, our police officers don’t have high incomes either, but they also have needs to watch plays.

But speaking of which, if Covent Garden raised prices, why didn’t they just go somewhere else to watch plays?

Forgive my bluntness, but although the plays there are of high quality, after seeing a few, it gets a bit boring.”

Dickens began, “The people did want to go elsewhere, but before the 1809 lifting of the ban on minor theatres, London had only two royal patent theatres, one was Covent Garden Theatre, and the other was Drury Lane Theatre.”

Back then, these two theatres not only performed highbrow legitimate dramas and musicals like today, but they also managed surprising acts such as cage lion taming or horseback fighting, which were popular among the commons.

I heard from some old Londoners that back then, the theatre environment was different from today.

The theatres had four levels, with the top three devoted to the wealthy and Nobility and often had two royal boxes.

The orchestra level sold both seated and standing room tickets.

When the play started, the audience would joke with friends nearby or shout greetings to friends in the boxes above amidst a hubbub of noise.

That’s why everyone says that only actors who have performed at Covent Garden and Drury Lane Theatres could truly call themselves seasoned performers in London.”