The Drury Lane Theatre Spectacle (1931–1939): “Hearts Splintering in Waltz Time”

This chapter connects the history of Novello’s and Coward’s Lane productions to the cultural symbolism that surrounded both British theatre and the Lane in the 1930s as seen through reception history. The production history and critical reception of these operettas and spectacles, including Coward’s Cavalcade (1931) and Novello’s The Dancing Years (1939), illuminate that these productions built on the aesthetic legacy of the English operetta and spectacle while exemplifying the more modern style of British theatre in the 1930s. Their productions for the Lane combined innovative visual elements and memorable performances and employed the large stage and theatrical mechanics of Drury Lane in such a way that they mimicked Hollywood films of the 1920s and 1930s, enhancing the Lane’s reputation for contemporary entertainment.