Join me tonight as we tread the boards of the Victorian stage and learn what it was like for actors, directors, and writers as they navigated a world that didn't yet appreciate their gifts. We will experience a revolution that was started with song and dance, watch as theatre fires consume the streets of London, learn about Victorian special effects, lighting, and set design, and meet some interesting characters along the way!

The Devil's Dinner Hour is written, edited, produced, and hosted by Evelyn James

Music: David Fesilyan, David Renda & Sergei Chetvertnykh

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Explore a world of stunning spectacle: The Victorian Circus. Let's take a stroll through the dusty sands of the circus ring, and learn what daily life was like for both performer and proprietor. In this episode, we will walk alongside misfits of every kind, color, creed, and identity who used their creativity and ingenuity to create a place, not only of danger, wonder, and excitement… but of belonging.

Some stories to look forward to in this episode: Pablo Fanque: the first recorded black circus owner, Madame Ella Zoyara: a little lady with a big secret, Macomo: an African Sailor who would one day become a king and the various Lion Queens that battled lions and astounded audiences with their strength and bravery.

“ Open the gates, and draw the curtain, Here comes something fine that’s certain; Lounder the band begins to play, Open the gates, and clear the way! Enters a Queen with a King beside her; Every horse is proud of his rider, Two by two they march to the tune, And head the procession that will follow soon...”

-Mcloughlin Brothers

Works Cited:

Frost, Thomas. Circus Life and Circus Celebrities. 1875.

James Redding Ware. Passing English of the Victorian Era. E.P. Publishing, 1972.

Daily News (London, England), Monday, January 14, 1850, Issue 1135

The Annals and History of Leeds, and Other Places in the County of York. 1860.

Manchester Evening News, "A Lion-Tamer Killed by His Beasts at Bolton," January 4, 1872, p. 2

Unknown. The Circus Procession. New York, Mcloughlin Brothers, 1888, www.loc.gov/resource/rbc0001.2003juv12208/. Accessed 28 June 2024.

“V&a · the Story of Circus.” Victoria and Albert Museum, V&A, 2011, www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-circus.

Burning, Boiling and Beheadings, Oh my! The evolution of the Victorian capital punishment system will surely knock your socks off.

So, call a carriage and break out your best cigars, as we navigate the eerily quiet, early morning streets of London to attend a public execution.

The Devil's Dinner Hour is a one-woman show, written, performed and produced by Evelyn James. ©

Music By: Fesliyan Studios

Like the podcast? Please show your support by visiting my Patreon at https://patreon.com/devilsdinnerhour

Works Cited:

Ackroyd, Peter. London : The Biography. London, Vintage, 2009.

Berry, James. "My Experiences as an Executioner." London : P. Lund, [1892]

Bruce, Alison. Billington. The History Press, 24 Oct. 2011.

Dickens, Charles. “Horsemonger Lane Letters.” The Times, 13 Nov. 1849.

Flanders, Judith. The Victorian City. Macmillan, 15 July 2014.

Higgs, Michelle. “Victorian Capitol Punishment: When Hanging Was a Day Out.” A Visitor’s Guide to Victorian England, 17 July 2019, visitvictorianengland.com/2019/07/17/victorian-capital-punishment-when-a-hanging-was-a-day-out/. Accessed 20 Dec. 2023.

McGowen, Randall. Journal of British Studies , Volume 33 , Issue 3 , July 1994 , pp. 257 - 282DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/386055

Payn, James. Lights and Shadows of London Life. 1867.

William Makepeace Thackeray. Sketches and Travels in London. 1856.