Discovering Oscar

"THE classic mid-Victorian pantomime was essentially a fairy play with comedic elements and as such, it was fiercely defended by critics such as John Ruskin and Charles Dickens Jr, journalist son of the great novelist. The man they held chiefly responsible for the 'music hall invasion' was Sir Augustus Harris, the manager of Drury Lane, popularly known as 'the national home of pantomime.'



"But in the 1880s and 1890s he was seriously challenged by the now forgotten Oscar Barrett who first at the Crystal Palace and later in the West End staged delicate and elegant Christmas shows of the old kind. His Cinderella at the Lyceum was hailed by some critics as a perfect example of the genre." ~ Jeffrey Richards, The Independent

A CONTEMPORARY OF THEATRE IMPRESARIOS Henry Irving and Augustus Harris, Oscar Harmon Barrett began his theatre life composing. In 1894, his career in theatre reached its apex with the production of Mr. Barrett's Fairy Pantomime Cinderella, featuring Ellaline Terriss in the lead role. It offered theatre-goers from London to New York not only an introduction to 'modern extravaganza' but the interval.

With appearances by Dracula's Bram Stoker and George Bernard Shaw as theatre critic 'GBS', Discovering Oscar provides the first complete glimpse of this producer, artist, musician and family man.