The Lighthouse: A Drama in Two Acts

by Wilkie Collins, Andrew Gasson (Introduction), Caroline Radcliffe (Introduction)

In 1885 Wilkie Collins presented Charles Dickens with his first original drama - 'The Lighthouse'. Set in the Eddystone Lighthouse in 1748, Collins created a tense, psychological drama employing elements of crime and the supernatural familiar to readers of Collins's fiction. Initially staged at Tavistock House, the role of the guilt-ridden old lighthouse keeper, Aaron Gurnock, provided Dickens with a vehicle for his extraordinary acting technique, accompanied by members of his family and friends from his literary and artistic circle.

This is the first printed #English edition of 'The Lighthouse'. The current volume is published by the Wilkie Collins Society and transcribes the version licensed for the Olympic Theatre in 1857 which includes the 'Prologue' and the 'Song of the Wreck' contributed by Dickens. It also contains a foreword by noted crime writer P.D. James, and introduction providing a detailed account of the play's history, contemporary reviews and numerous, newly discovered illustrations.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1855

About the author

Wilkie Collins was an English novelist and playwright, best known for The Woman in White (1860), an early sensation novel, and The Moonstone (1868), a pioneering work of detective fiction. Born to landscape painter William Collins and Harriet Geddes, he spent part of his childhood in Italy and France, learning both languages. Initially working as a tea merchant, he later studied law, though he never practiced. His literary career began with Antonina (1850), and a meeting with Charles Dickens in 1851 proved pivotal. The two became close friends and collaborators, with Collins contributing to Dickens' journals and co-writing dramatic works.
Collins' success peaked in the 1860s with novels that combined suspense with social critique, including No Name (1862), Armadale (1864), and The Moonstone, which established key elements of the modern detective story. His personal life was unconventional—he openly opposed marriage and lived with Caroline Graves and her daughter for much of his life, while also maintaining a separate relationship with Martha Rudd, with whom he had three children.
Plagued by gout, Collins became addicted to laudanum, which affected both his health and later works. Despite declining quality in his writing, he remained a respected figure, mentoring younger authors and advocating for writers' rights. He died in 1889 and was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. His legacy endures through his influential novels, which laid the groundwork for both sensation fiction and detective literature.

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a massive Wilkie Collins fan I was delighted to discover this book, especially when I realised that it contained the first English printing of 'The Lighthouse' in its entirety; there had, however, been a French translation in 1864 by Emile Forgues to which Collins had written an introduction. The beauty of this edition is that it contained much fascinating background to the original production of the play back in June 1855 and also the history of other early productions. And finally there is an extensive section giving fascinating contemporary reviews of the play. In addition there is a prologue to the play written by Charles Dickens, who was inspirational in initially getting it onto the stage.

Collins originally wrote the drama in 1855 following his having read an account of the history of the Eddystone Lighthouse. Having written it he had his doubts about its suitability as a drama and he wrote in the introduction to the French version, 'These doubts determined me to consult Mr. Charles Dickens', with whom he was already familiar. Dickens judged it favourably and offered to stage it at his house prior to any professional production.

And so at Tavistock House using his usual select group of amateur performers, with himself in one of the leading roles as Aaron Gurnock, it was performed on 16 June 1855 and was favourably received by the small but select audience. As a consequence two further performances were staged at Tavistock House on 18 and 19 June, both of which were oversubscribed.

Then, on 10 July 1855 another performance took place at the home of a Colonel Waugh at Campden House, Church Street, Kensington, a domicile described as 'a princely mansion in the Elizabethan style of architecture'. This production was staged in aid of the Bournemouth Sanatorium for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest when it took advantage of 'a miniature theatre, complete with pit and boxes, stage and footlights'. Dickens had invited newspaper critics to the performance and 'The Times' of 12 July praised the professionalism of the performance, adding, 'in particular the acting of Dickens and Mark Lemon'. There were plenty of other praiseworthy comments as well.

However, despite the success of the amateur performances, there was no professional performance until it opened at the Royal Olympic on 10 August 1857 and it ran for three months until 17 October. And there was one other professional stage production that took place in New York at the New Theatre when it opened on 21 January 1858. One review was particularly interesting as it stated, 'Its production excited an unusual amount of interest and a large audience was present to witness the initial performance here.' But the addition of 'Brightly as 'The Lighthouse' may have shone on English shores, it glimmers here with a very feeble flicker indeed' more or less spelled the death knell of the production.

There follows a selection of reviews of both the amateur and professional performances and they range from praising the play, in particular the acting of Dickens in the former (no wonder Anthony Trollope once commented, 'If he had chosen to be an actor he would be at the top of the profession) to criticism which included one comment that suggested that the storyline would not support the play's success to audiences in years to come. And when one reads the play I tend to agree that this Victorian melodrama would not excite modern day audiences - but I did enjoy it!

With all the background as support the book is absolutely spellbinding and the Wilkie Collins Society deserve commendations for publishing it.