Editing Romeo and Juliet (section)

===19th-century theatre===
[[File:Harvard Theatre Collection - Charlotte and Susan Cushman TCS 45.jpg|thumb|right|The American Cushman sisters, [[Charlotte Cushman|Charlotte]] and [[Susan Webb Cushman|Susan]], as Romeo and Juliet in 1846]]
Garrick's altered version of the play was very popular, and ran for nearly a century.{{sfn|Halio|1998|pp=100–02}} Not until 1845 did Shakespeare's original return to the stage in the United States with the sisters [[Susan Webb Cushman|Susan]] and [[Charlotte Cushman]] as Juliet and Romeo, respectively,{{sfn|Gay|2002|p=162}} and then in 1847 in Britain with [[Samuel Phelps]] at [[Sadler's Wells Theatre]].{{sfn|Halliday|1964|pp=125, 365, 420}} Cushman adhered to Shakespeare's version, beginning a string of eighty-four performances. Her portrayal of Romeo was considered genius by many. ''[[The Times]]'' wrote: "For a long time Romeo has been a convention. Miss Cushman's Romeo is a creative, a living, breathing, animated, ardent human being."{{sfn|The Times|1845}}{{sfn|Gay|2002|p=162}} [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Queen Victoria]] wrote in her journal that "no-one would ever have imagined she was a woman".{{sfn|Potter|2001|pp=194–95}} Cushman's success broke the Garrick tradition and paved the way for later performances to return to the original storyline.{{sfn|Halio|1998|pp=100–02}}

Professional performances of Shakespeare in the mid-19th century had two particular features: firstly, they were generally [[star vehicle]]s, with supporting roles cut or marginalised to give greater prominence to the central characters. Secondly, they were "pictorial", placing the action on spectacular and elaborate sets (requiring lengthy pauses for scene changes) and with the frequent use of [[Tableau vivant|tableaux]].{{sfn|Levenson|2000|p=84}} [[Henry Irving]]'s 1882 production at the [[Lyceum Theatre, London|Lyceum Theatre]] (with himself as Romeo and [[Ellen Terry]] as Juliet) is considered an archetype of the pictorial style.{{sfn|Schoch|2002|pp=62–63}} In 1895, Sir [[Johnston Forbes-Robertson]] took over from Irving and laid the groundwork for a more natural portrayal of Shakespeare that remains popular today. Forbes-Robertson avoided the showiness of Irving and instead portrayed a down-to-earth Romeo, expressing the poetic dialogue as realistic prose and avoiding melodramatic flourish.{{sfn|Halio|1998|pp=104–05}}

American actors began to rival their British counterparts. [[Edwin Booth]] (brother to [[John Wilkes Booth]]) and Mary McVicker (soon to be Edwin's wife) opened as Romeo and Juliet at the sumptuous [[Booth's Theatre]] (with its European-style [[stage machinery]], and an air conditioning system unique in New York) on 3 February 1869. Some reports said it was one of the most elaborate productions of ''Romeo and Juliet'' ever seen in America; it was certainly the most popular, running for over six weeks and earning over $60,000 ({{inflation|US|60000|1869|fmt=eq|r=-6}}).{{sfn|Winter|1893|pp=46–47, 57}}{{inflation-fn|US|group=lower-alpha}}{{efn|Booth's ''Romeo and Juliet'' was rivalled in popularity only by his own "hundred night ''Hamlet''" at [[The Winter Garden]] of four years before.}} The programme noted that: "The tragedy will be produced in strict accordance with historical propriety, in every respect, following closely the text of Shakespeare."{{efn|First page of the program for the opening night performance of ''Romeo and Juliet'' at Booth's Theatre, 3 February 1869.}}

The first professional performance of the play in Japan may have been George Crichton Miln's company's production, which toured to [[Yokohama]] in 1890.{{sfn|Holland|2002|pp=202–03}} Throughout the 19th century, ''Romeo and Juliet'' had been Shakespeare's most popular play, measured by the number of professional performances. In the 20th century it would become the second most popular, behind ''[[Hamlet]]''.{{sfn|Levenson|2000|pp=69–70}}