The sophisticated technology and machinery of the late 19th century stage produced a succession of ‘sensation’ dramas in which special effects became the principal
attraction. The scene painters working with expert technicians produced realistic reproductions of the natural world. Using ropes, flats,
bridges, treadmills and revolves they could produce anything from a chariot race in Ben Hur to a rail crash and the running of the Two Thousand Guineas
in The Whip.
One of the greatest designers of such scenes was Bruce ‘Sensation’ Smith of Drury Lane, the theatre
which, with the introduction of hydraulic stage machinery in 1894, became the acknowledged home of such drama. Because of their reliance upon visual spectacle many of
these dramas provided excellent
material for the developing silent cinema.
The Whip at Drury Lane in 1909 told the story of a plot to kidnap a racehorse (The Whip)
on a train journey to Newmarket where he is a dead cert for the Two Thousand Guineas. Such was the tension of the tunnel scene that the
audience would shout advice as the deafening sound of the train came closer and closer and desperate attempts were made to free the
horse from the crash.
Other designs by ‘Sensation’ Smith include an underwater scene where the illusion of a diver descending into the sea was created by raising a boat into the
flies. Behind a gauze real fish swam in tanks to create the image of an undersea world.
Introduction
The Old Price Riots
