Hippodrama
Encyclopedia
Hippodrama, or horse drama, is a genre of theatrical show blending circus
horsemanship display
with popular melodrama
theatre
. Evolving from earlier equestrian circus, pioneered by Philip Astley
in the 1760s,, it relied on drama plays written specifically for the genre; trained horses were considered actors along with humans and were even awarded leading roles. Anthony Hippisley-Coxe described hippodrama as "a bastard entertainment born of a misalliance between the circus and the theatre ... that actually inhibited the development of the circus".
an theater in the second half of the 18th century, both on stage and in aerial stunts (flying Pegasus
). Hippodrama emerged in the turn of 19th century in England
, introduced by Philip Astley. At this time, gradual closing of country fairs and discharge of cavalry
men and horse grooms
after the end of the Continental Wars
provided both experienced staff and public interest to the new show.
The first hippodrama premiered in 1803 in London
at Astley's Amphitheatre
, Royal Circus and Olympic Pavilion; and in Paris
at Cirque Olympique, where 36 horse riders could perform simultaneously. Theatres built for hippodramas combined proscenium
stage with dirt-floored riding arena separated by orchestra pit
; scene and arena were connected by ramps, forming a single performing space. The Circus of Pepin and Breschard
presented Don Quixote de la Mancha "on horseback and on foot, with combats" in New York City on August 12, 1809. Pepin and Breschard's company presented hippodramas in the newly formed United States from at least 1809 until 1815. Christoph de Bach produced similar entertainment in Vienna
. Astley's 1810 financial success with The Blood Red Knight persuaded the reluctant management of Covent Garden
and Drury Lane
theatres to join the lucrative business. Hippodrama plays, tailored for the masses, revolved around colourful Eastern subjects like Timour the Tartar
or Mazeppa, or the Wild Horse of Tartary
and the European military past (Marlborough's Heroic Deeds
). Mazeppa, first staged in England in 1823, became a hit of Astley's Amphitheater in 1831 and was performed by travelling companies in the United States from 1833; in 1860s it became a trademark show for Adah Isaacs Menken
. Adaptations of William Shakespeare
(Richard III
) were another common choice.
The new genre spread to the United States
after the end of the Napoleonic Wars
; the Lafayette Circus
in New York
, inaugurated in 1825, was the first American theatre building specifically designed for hippodrama, followed by the Philadelphia Amphitheater and the Baltimore
Roman Amphitheatre. Hippodrama shows attracted the lower classes, labourers and seamen, "ready to riot at the slightest provocations"; "in fact, much of recorded rowdyism of the mid-1820s in New York
took place at Lafayette Circus.
The Equestrian Circus in Saint Petersburg
, Russia
was built by Alberto Cavos
in 1847.
The American Hengler's Circus prospered in the 1850s under the heading of Hengler's Colossal Hippodrama, but elsewhere popularity of the genre faded by the middle of the century. It was revived in France under Napoleon III
, especially with the 1863 production of the Battle of Marengo and in 1880 Michel Strogoff. The United States saw a brief revival of the genre in the late 1880s and 1890s, helped by the invention of a treadmill
machine for imitating horse races on stage. Film
, introduced at the turn of the 20th century
, finally replaced hippodrama as the show for the masses.
circus/show/production company has produced a well-received modern hippodrama which tours internationally, using as many as 30 horses per show and playing for up to two thousand people at a time.
A modern one-of-a-kind hippodrama directed by Franz Abraham, an equestrian reenactment of Ben Hur
, took place at the O2 arena
, London
on September 15, 2009. The show employed one hundred animals (including thirty-two horses) and four hundred people.
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
horsemanship display
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
with popular melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. Evolving from earlier equestrian circus, pioneered by Philip Astley
Philip Astley
Philip Astley was an English equestrian, circus owner, and inventor, regarded as being the "father of the modern circus"...
in the 1760s,, it relied on drama plays written specifically for the genre; trained horses were considered actors along with humans and were even awarded leading roles. Anthony Hippisley-Coxe described hippodrama as "a bastard entertainment born of a misalliance between the circus and the theatre ... that actually inhibited the development of the circus".
History
Horses appeared in Western EuropeWestern Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
an theater in the second half of the 18th century, both on stage and in aerial stunts (flying Pegasus
Pegasus
Pegasus is one of the best known fantastical as well as mythological creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine horse, usually white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa. He was the brother of Chrysaor, born at a single birthing...
). Hippodrama emerged in the turn of 19th century in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, introduced by Philip Astley. At this time, gradual closing of country fairs and discharge of cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
men and horse grooms
Groom (horses)
A groom is a person who is responsible for some or all aspects of the management of horses and/or the care of the stables themselves. The term most often refers to a person who is the employee of a stable owner, but even an owner of a horse may perform the duties of a groom, particularly if the...
after the end of the Continental Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
provided both experienced staff and public interest to the new show.
The first hippodrama premiered in 1803 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at Astley's Amphitheatre
Astley's Amphitheatre
Philip Astley opened Astley's Amphitheatre in London in 1773. * The structure was burned in 1794, then rebuilt. With increasing prosperity and rebuilding after successive fires, it grew to become Astley's Royal Amphitheatre and this was the home of the circus...
, Royal Circus and Olympic Pavilion; and in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at Cirque Olympique, where 36 horse riders could perform simultaneously. Theatres built for hippodramas combined proscenium
Proscenium
A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
stage with dirt-floored riding arena separated by orchestra pit
Orchestra pit
An orchestra pit is the area in a theater in which musicians perform. Orchestral pits are utilized in forms of theatre that require music or in cases when incidental music is required...
; scene and arena were connected by ramps, forming a single performing space. The Circus of Pepin and Breschard
Circus of Pepin and Breschard
The equestrian theatre company of Pépin and Breschard, American Victor Pépin and Frenchman Jean Baptiste Casmiere Breschard, arrived in the United States of America from Madrid, Spain , in November 1807. They toured that new country until 1815...
presented Don Quixote de la Mancha "on horseback and on foot, with combats" in New York City on August 12, 1809. Pepin and Breschard's company presented hippodramas in the newly formed United States from at least 1809 until 1815. Christoph de Bach produced similar entertainment in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. Astley's 1810 financial success with The Blood Red Knight persuaded the reluctant management of Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
and Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
theatres to join the lucrative business. Hippodrama plays, tailored for the masses, revolved around colourful Eastern subjects like Timour the Tartar
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
or Mazeppa, or the Wild Horse of Tartary
Mazeppa (Byron)
This article is about the poem by Lord Byron, for other uses see MazeppaMazeppa is a Romantic narrative poem written by Lord Byron in 1819, based on a popular legend about the early life of Ivan Mazepa , a Ukrainian gentleman who later became Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks...
and the European military past (Marlborough's Heroic Deeds
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
). Mazeppa, first staged in England in 1823, became a hit of Astley's Amphitheater in 1831 and was performed by travelling companies in the United States from 1833; in 1860s it became a trademark show for Adah Isaacs Menken
Adah Isaacs Menken
Adah Isaacs Menken was an American actress, painter and poet.-Life and career:There are significant inconsistencies in the various accounts of Menken's early life. In her autobiographical "Some Notes of her life in her own Hand,", Menken claimed she was born Marie Rachel Adelaide de Vere Spenser...
. Adaptations of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
(Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
) were another common choice.
The new genre spread to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
; the Lafayette Circus
Lafayette Circus (Theatre)
Lafayette Circus Theatre emerged in Manhattan in 1825 as an equestrian circus arena; in 1826–1827 it was rebuilt into a conventional theatre hall with an orchestra pit and advanced rigging. It boasted equipment for both equestrian and aquatic drama...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, inaugurated in 1825, was the first American theatre building specifically designed for hippodrama, followed by the Philadelphia Amphitheater and the Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
Roman Amphitheatre. Hippodrama shows attracted the lower classes, labourers and seamen, "ready to riot at the slightest provocations"; "in fact, much of recorded rowdyism of the mid-1820s in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
took place at Lafayette Circus.
The Equestrian Circus in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
was built by Alberto Cavos
Alberto Cavos
Alberto Cavos was a Russian–Italian architect best known for his theatre designs, the builder of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow .-Early years:Alberto Cavos was born in Saint Petersburg to Venetian opera composer Catterino Cavos Alberto Cavos (Russified...
in 1847.
The American Hengler's Circus prospered in the 1850s under the heading of Hengler's Colossal Hippodrama, but elsewhere popularity of the genre faded by the middle of the century. It was revived in France under Napoleon III
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
, especially with the 1863 production of the Battle of Marengo and in 1880 Michel Strogoff. The United States saw a brief revival of the genre in the late 1880s and 1890s, helped by the invention of a treadmill
Treadmill
A treadmill is an exercise machine for running or walking while staying in one place. The word treadmill traditionally refers to a type of mill which was operated by a person or animal treading steps of a wheel to grind grain...
machine for imitating horse races on stage. Film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, introduced at the turn of the 20th century
History of film
The history of film is the historical development of the medium known variously as cinema, motion pictures, film, or the movies.The history of film spans over 100 years, from the latter part of the 19th century to the present day...
, finally replaced hippodrama as the show for the masses.
In modern times
In recent times, the CavaliaCavalia
Cavalia is a company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that presents large-scale equestrian productions involving trick riding, vaulting, haute école and pas de deux, unbridled displays, and Cirque du Soleil-like performances....
circus/show/production company has produced a well-received modern hippodrama which tours internationally, using as many as 30 horses per show and playing for up to two thousand people at a time.
A modern one-of-a-kind hippodrama directed by Franz Abraham, an equestrian reenactment of Ben Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
, took place at the O2 arena
Millennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on September 15, 2009. The show employed one hundred animals (including thirty-two horses) and four hundred people.