Case Four

Case 4: The Miller and His Men (Part One)

‘The Miller and his Men has sold better than any other play I ever published. I wore out a whole set of copper plates of that there…it’s the last scene with the grand explosion of the mill, as pleases the young ‘uns, uncommon.’ —William West, 1850 interview

The Miller and His Men, first produced at Covent Garden in 1813, was the most popular toy theatre play, with at least twenty different versions made by different publishers. The explosion at its climax encouraged the young toy theatre producer to experiment with fire, grease, and flash powder, and to manipulate traps and wheels to achieve a spectacular effect for the audience. Though it was an exciting play to stage, the risk of fire with the wood and paper sets made it a potentially dangerous undertaking.

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34. John Leech. Young Troublesome, or Master Jacky's Holidays. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1850.

‘Grand evening Rehearsal of the Miller and His Men, and terrific explosion in the Housekeeper’s room’

Jacky accidentally causes a real explosion while rehearsing the final scene at the mill on his new toy theatre during his holidays.

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35. Undated theatre with c. 1828 proscenium by William West, and mounted characters and scenery from The Miller and His Men.

The British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild was formed in 1925, with the aim of reviving interest in and encouraging innovation in model theatre. Guild member Dr. Hughes of Broadstairs, Kent, assembled this theatre, which is set with scene nine from The Miller and His Men and mounted characters for the same. Dr. Hughes’ characters are neatly boxed and separated by scene and labelled with left or right hand, order of appearance, and stage directions.

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