ABSTRACT
Actor, playwright, and songwriter Thomas John Dibdin came from a family that left its mark on Britain’s theatrical world. Thomas Dibdin’s The Pirate adapts Walter Scott’s 1821 historical novel of the same title. The play simplifies the novel’s characters and plot, but though less complex, communicates many of the novel’s themes. An important influence on pantomime, Dibdin gave prominence to Joseph Grimaldi’s clown character in Harlequin and Mother Goose, which grossed 3,000 pounds in its opening three weeks. Dibdin also worked as an actor and writer at the Surrey, as prompter and joint-manager at the Drury Lane, and as manager of the Haymarket. Dibdin’s melodrama, like Scott’s novel, in its treatment of piracy, smuggling, and wrecking, critiques the era’s commercial attitudes. In addition to critiquing capitalist values arising out of the industrial revolution, The Pirate also targets the agricultural revolution. Though The Pirate’s female characters sometimes faint when faced with adversity, they also act heroically.
