Overview

One of the great classic melodramas of early American Theatre, this new adaptation of Under the Gaslight brings us back to a time when boos and hisses filled the theatres. This playwright has done considerable research, gone back to the original form of the melodrama, and found something new in the process. All the familiar elements are here, including the first ever "innocence tied to the train tracks" scene. This play masters the near death escapes popular throughout turn of the century theatre and cinema. Also, much is made of what is "acceptable" in society and the price one must pay to maintain appearances. The "olio breaks" between scenes allow performers to stage everything from musical numbers to magic acts. So turn back time and see Laura Courtland, the wealthy New York socialite, who is forced into poverty and mayhem when her villainous father Byke shatters her idyllic existence.