Illustrated London News newspaper article and illustration about the play in England

Illustrated London News newspaper article and illustration about the play in England

The Illustrated London News

November 30, 1861

On July 18, 1860, the Boucicaults returned to England and on 18 November 1861, almost two years after its New York debut, the Boucicaults staged The Octoroon in London for the first time. For several weeks the Boucicaults performed The Octoroon as it was staged in America, ending with the character Zoe committing suicide. This article, from The London Illustrated News (30 November 1861) had chosen to illustrate the “sensation scene” of Zoe being sold as a slave at auction, and the reviewer commented “if it had been morally possible for the author to have given a happier ending to his drama it would have been more immediately popular.” In fact, London audiences vocally expressed their disapproval at the protracted and graphic death of the heroine. Letters were written to Boucicault, and published in the British press, imploring him to re-write the ending and allow Zoe to survive and marry her white suitor. At first Boucicault resisted, claiming that such a change would reflect a diminution of concern for enslaved women and destroy the artistry of his tragedy. Nevertheless, Boucicault swiftly adapted the play for London audiences, within weeks producing a version that ended with the promise of George and Zoe united in matrimony, though no marriage is seen to take place on stage.