Description:Britain's encounters during the period of colonial expansion led to a proliferation of ideas about, and representations of, 'the East.' The attitudes of the colonial administration towards its 'subjects' were reflected and reproduced in the nation's arts and culture. Ideas about colonial 'subjects' as 'the other,' as simple, devious, exotic, sexually untamed and irrational were prevalent in the libraries and on the stages of Britain and served an important role in mediating public attitudes towards the maintenance of colonial power.
'The Nautch Girl' or 'The Rajah of Chutneypore,' an operetta which was first performed in 1891 at the Savoy Theatre in London and then toured other British cities including Birmingham, was a performance which embodied these colonial ideas on stage. Like other musical productions which came to Birmingham during the 1890s such as A Chinese Honeymoon, The Geisha, The Indian Mutiny and Utopia Limited, the musical portrayed people from black and 'other' cultures as both exotic and farcical. Examining programmes and advertisements for productions such as these (which can be found in the Local Studies section of Central Library) provides an insight into attitudes towards 'race,' gender and class in Victorian society.