A Stage in Time

This app lets you to step into the scenery of one of the late 18th century’s most spectacular and suc- cessful pantomimes. Using three maquettes held by the Victoria & Albert Museum, the magic of augmented reality tech- nology allows you to experience these sets at their true scale. The pantomime Omai, or A Trip Around the World was written by John O’Keeffe, with its scenery designed by Philip James de Loutherbourg, a Swiss artist who was the most innovative scenogra- pher of his day. It premiered at Covent Garden Theatre (on the site of what is now the Royal Opera House) in December 1785. Then, as now, pantomime was associated especially with Christmas. As is suggested by the pantomime’s subtitle – A Trip Around the World – it sought to transport au- diences to far-flung corners of the globe in a dizzyingly rapid-fire sequence of scenes. In the 18th century, theatre offered audiences the pleasures of vicarious travel. But this was also a period of empire, and the British stage was a powerful mechanism in creating and sustaining the fantasy of British supremacy, racially and culturally. The titular protagonist of Omai is based on a real person: Mai, a man from Ra'iatea in the South Pa- cific. He was taken by Polynesia to London by Captain Cook in 1774. Once in Britain, Mai became a celebrity and curiosity – an example of a ‘noble savage’.