Ion (UNABRIDGED‪)‬

This drama, set in Ancient Greece, was written by a Victorian lawyer who was a close friend of Charles Dickens. When collected into book format, “The Pickwick Papers” was dedicated to him. As a Member of Parliament, Sir Thomas Noon Talfourd introduced legislation protecting the copyrights of authors. This play was originally printed only to be read as poetry. However, it attracted the attention of William Macready, who mounted a successful production of it at Covent Garden in 1836. The drama became a much bigger hit a few years later, though, when it was revived with actress Ellen Terry taking over the part of the tragic hero, Ion. Charlotte Cushman and other leading ladies of the day took advantage of the craze for “breeches roles” and donned togas to play this doomed young Grecian noble.