Racism on the Victorian Stage
Representation of Slavery and the Black Character

Review of the hardback: '… packed with … lifelong historical insight …' Tribune

Review of the hardback: 'Every page of this first book of hers, Racism on the Victorian Stage is packed with insights …' www.irr.org.uk

Review of the hardback: 'This is an interesting and important book it shows how theatrical racism reinforced racial attitudes and stereotyping… Thoroughly researched, with end notes to each chapter, illustrations and a fully comprehensive bibliography, the book is well written and sets a high standard for any future work that may follow.' Association for the Study of African Caribbean and Asian Culture and History in Britain Newsletter

'Hazel Waters, in her enthralling, but disturbing history of the development of racist representations of Africans (both enslaved and formerly enslaved) in nineteenth century British theatre, has mined this treasure-trove of material to great effect. … Waters's book is extremely lucid and detailed, rigorously argued and will no doubt remain the standard work on the subject for a long time to come. … this book should be read widely, rather than becoming the preserve of academic scholars alone.' Steve Barfield, Literary London

'Hazel Waters's Racism on the Victorian Stage belongs in every college library and on the bookshelves of theatre historians with an interest in the early Victorian era and/or black drama. … The lasting value of this book anchors itself not only in Waters's rediscovery of early plays (and characters), but also in her emphasis on the influence of American racism on nineteenth-century English theatre.' Harvey Young, Project Muse

'Waters has done a remarkable job of recovering these plays and putting them into a historical and thematic context.' Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, Project Muse

'Waters has done a remarkable job of recovering these plays and putting them into a historical and thematic context.' Victorian Studies

'Waters offers a detailed and well contextualized consideration of the role of 'Tom mania' within the overall trajectory of the black stereotype on stage and evaluates both the novel and the subsequent adaptations in relation to their portrayal of the black dramatic character. Waters's work, eminently useful for both the general reader and the specialist, offers a new perspective on the correlation between the onstage changes in the black stereotype during the early nineteenth century (as both image and conception) and the development of a wider ideology about race.' New Theatre Quarterly

' … if you want detailed information on attitude towards and representation of Black characters and skin colour in the late 19th century and how this was arrived at, this is an ideal companion for wither lengthy study, or quick dips when you come over all academical.' Black Arts Alliance