Talk:Fair Rosamond (opera)

Lord Chamberlain

there is no mention in the article of the opera being banned by the Lord Chamberlain. an article in a contemporary newspaper reads: At the close of the performance on Thursday evening, the following address was delivered by Mr. Cooper:- "Ladies and gentlemen, it was the intention of the Lessee to have afforded the public an opportunity of witnessing the performance of the Historical (!) opera of Fair Rosamonde to-morrow evening; but in consequence of the intereference of the Lord Chamberlain, the inhabitants of the city of Westminster are prohibited from enjoying a dramatic entertainment within these walls, although that privilege is permitted in every other portion, not only of the metropolis, but of the kingdom at large. Fair Rosamonde. will therefore be performed on Saturday next. "We agree with our contemporary of the Times, that "it is certainly miserable humbug to prohibit the doing of that in Drury Lane which is done with impunity in Tottenham Court Road. What is thought too profane for the hundreds of Drury, is, it seems, decorous enough for the wives and daughters of the inhabitants of Bedford Square and Portland Place." source: "Bell's New Weekly Messenger", Sun 5 Mar 1837 p. 9. Cottonshirtτ 05:53, 4 October 2023 (UTC)

further research has revealed that the opera itself was not censored by the Lord Chamberlain. the opera proving popular with the public the theatre wished to present it on extra days, namely Wednesdays and Fridays, during the period known to christians as Lent (the forty days before Easter), and there were rules in place preventing dramatic entertainments of any kind being presented, on those days, in the City of Westminster, during that time. the Lord Chamberlain did not relent and those performances were not permitted. see, for example, "Morning Post", Fri 3 Mar 1837 p. 3, and, "True Sun", Fri 3 Mar 1837 p. 6 for further details. Cottonshirtτ 07:08, 6 October 2023 (UTC)