London's Grand Guignol and the Theatre of Horror

by Richard J. Hand, Michael W. Wilson

London’s Grand Guignol—a macabre theatre of naturalistic horror—was established in the early 1920s at the Little Theatre in the West End. Taking its cue from Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol in Paris, this high-profile venture enjoyed as much critical controversy as  popular success. On its side were some of the finest actors of the English stage, such as Sybil Thorndike and Lewis Casson, as well as a team of extremely able writers, including the legendary Noël Coward. London’s Grand Guignol and the Theatre of Horror considers the importance and influence of the Grand Guignol within its social, cultural, and historical contexts, while presenting a selection of ten remarkable Grand Guignol plays, several of which were banned by the Lord Chamberlain, the censor of the day, and have never been publicly performed—including a previously unpublished work by Coward.
The companion volume to The French Theatre of Horror , already in its third edition, this book is an essential addition to any gore-loving student of drama and the twentieth-century theatre of horror.

Genres: Horror, Theatre, Nonfiction, History

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Stacy]

Brief history of the Grand Guignol theatre in London, covering key actors and production staff along with the difficulty in getting controversial plays approved by the British censors of the era. Also includes a broad selection of plays, which give a good sense of the scope and style used in Grand Guignol performances.