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Charlotte: Being a True Account of an Actress's Flamboyant Adventures in Eighteenth-Century London's Wild and Wicked Theatrical World
The life of actress Charlotte Charke transports us through the splendors and scandals of eighteenth-century London and its wicked theatrical world
Her father, Colley Cibber, was one of the eighteenth century's great actor/playwrights-the toast of the British aristocracy, a favorite of the king. When his high-spirited, often rebellious daughter, Charlotte, revealed a fondness for things theatrical, it was thought that the young actress would follow in his footsteps at the legendary Drury Lane, creating a brilliant career on the London stage. But this was not to be. And it was not that Charlotte lacked talent-she was gifted, particularly at comedy. Troublesome, however, was her habit of dressing in men's clothes-a preference first revealed onstage but adopted elsewhere after her disastrous marriage to an actor, who became the last man she ever loved.
Kathryn Shevelow, an expert on the sophisticated world of eighteenth-century London (the setting for classics such as Tom Jones and Moll Flanders ), re-creates Charlotte's downfall from the heights of London's theatrical world to its lascivious lows (the domain of fire-eaters, puppeteers, wastrels, gender-bending cross-dressers, wenches, and scandalous sorts of every variety) and her comeback as the author of one of the first autobiographies ever written by a woman. Beyond the appealingly unorthodox Charlotte, Shevelow masterfully recalls for us a historical era of extraordinary stylishness, artifice, character, interest, and intrigue.
Her father, Colley Cibber, was one of the eighteenth century's great actor/playwrights-the toast of the British aristocracy, a favorite of the king. When his high-spirited, often rebellious daughter, Charlotte, revealed a fondness for things theatrical, it was thought that the young actress would follow in his footsteps at the legendary Drury Lane, creating a brilliant career on the London stage. But this was not to be. And it was not that Charlotte lacked talent-she was gifted, particularly at comedy. Troublesome, however, was her habit of dressing in men's clothes-a preference first revealed onstage but adopted elsewhere after her disastrous marriage to an actor, who became the last man she ever loved.
Kathryn Shevelow, an expert on the sophisticated world of eighteenth-century London (the setting for classics such as Tom Jones and Moll Flanders ), re-creates Charlotte's downfall from the heights of London's theatrical world to its lascivious lows (the domain of fire-eaters, puppeteers, wastrels, gender-bending cross-dressers, wenches, and scandalous sorts of every variety) and her comeback as the author of one of the first autobiographies ever written by a woman. Beyond the appealingly unorthodox Charlotte, Shevelow masterfully recalls for us a historical era of extraordinary stylishness, artifice, character, interest, and intrigue.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 31, 2014
I owe a great debt of gratitude to Kathryn Shevelow. Let me explain...
I was researching the state of the London theatre in the early eighteenth century, when I came across the unique figure of Colley Cibber. He was one of a partnership of three men who held the patent to run the Drury Lane Theatre. This is probably not the place to describe his career, but suffice to say that as one of those in charge of that theatre, he made the biggest theatrical mistake in the history of the theatre that far: he turned down the offer of putting on The Beggar's Opera by John Gay.
At the time, the average run of a play was probably three nights (the author got paid from the third night's takings). The Beggar's Opera was taken up by another impresario, John Rich, and ran for sixtynine performances - an unheard of run in those days, comparable perhaps to Les Miserables or Phantom of the opera in our time. In the process, The Beggar's Opera was said to have made 'Gay rich, and Rich gay'.
In his usual indomitable fashion, Cibber bounced back from this disastrous financial mistake and eventually became Poet Laureate, but my discovery of him also lead to his children - in particular, Charlotte and and her brother, Theophilus.
Theophilus's story is unique in its own right - see The Provoked Wife: the life and times of Susannah Cibber, by Mary Nash - but it was Charlotte's life as described by Kathryn Shevelow in this book that set me off on a path that was to take up several years of my life.
Although largely forgotten today, Colley Cibber stood out in the theatre of the early eighteenth century. Rising from apprentice actor to become (like David Garrick some 30 years later) actor-manager in charge of Drury Lane, Cibber was actor, author, playwright and celebrity. Through his ability to flatter and ingratiate himself with the rich and powerful, Cibber eventually rose to become Poet Laureate. But his talents for hypocrisy and self-promotion were never inherited by his youngest daughter, Charlotte, who despite following in her father’s theatrical footsteps, insisted on ploughing her own furrow, and flying in the face of his conventional sensibilities.
Charlotte became notorious not only for playing male (travesty) parts on the stage, but for carrying her cross-dressing into her private life. Suspicions about her immoral behaviour, together with her increasingly flagrant parodies of her famous father, led Cibber to disown her. Cut off from her chosen profession, and the love and support of a family, Charlotte (with her daughter Kitty) was condemned to a hand to mouth existence for the rest of her life, and eventually died in poverty.
The comic and tragic events of Charlotte's life - her defiance of convention in the face of her father's embarrassment and anger, and her inevitable fall from his favour - were played out against a sometimes surreal and distinctly non-contemporary picture of the eighteenth century. When prevented from appearing on the London stage by the machinations of her powerful father and his political friends, Charlotte resorted to running a puppet theatre, which continued to satirise the powerful figures of the day (including her father). When this failed, she became by turns a shopkeeper, a pie maker, a gardener - in fact anything that would save her and her daughter from starvation.
As a result of this intriguing character, I wrote a play called Travesti (the Italian term for breeches roles) which dealt with Charlotte's life, and in particular her difficult relationship with her father.
Her downfall may be seen to have started with her unfortunate marriage to the lead violinist of the Drury Lane orchestra, Richard Charke. Charke was ruthlessly ambitious, and saw Charlotte as the route to her father's favours and fortune. Aged seventeen, she fell in love with the romantic musician, and they were married. In doing so, Charlotte became Richard Charke's 'property', and all her income from her stage performances became his. Sadly, her money was not sufficient to pay for Charke's licentious lifestyle of gambling and womanising, and (it is said) having sold her valuable stage costumes to pay yet another gambling debt, he left her and his young daughter, Kitty.
Charke's excesses couldn't last, and he eventually decided to flee from his creditors, and his latest lover, to the safety of the West Indies. His arrival there was recorded in the book (now out of print), Revels in Jamaica by Richardson Wright, as follows:
'In 1735, Henry Moore, later to become Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica and Governor of New York, arrived home. A native of the island, being born at Vere, he was sent abroad to be educated. After studying at Leyden, he took the usual grand tour, travelled though France, Italy and a considerable part of Germany. To Jamaica he brought with him a band of musical performers, the principal of whom were the famous Richard Charke, Colley Cibber’s son-in-law, and an Italian named Creponi.'
And, even though I didn't know it at the time, that was the starting point for the story of my novel, Scartato.
So, thank you once again, Kathryn, for providing the inspiration for not only my play, Travesti, but also my novel, Scartato.
I was researching the state of the London theatre in the early eighteenth century, when I came across the unique figure of Colley Cibber. He was one of a partnership of three men who held the patent to run the Drury Lane Theatre. This is probably not the place to describe his career, but suffice to say that as one of those in charge of that theatre, he made the biggest theatrical mistake in the history of the theatre that far: he turned down the offer of putting on The Beggar's Opera by John Gay.
At the time, the average run of a play was probably three nights (the author got paid from the third night's takings). The Beggar's Opera was taken up by another impresario, John Rich, and ran for sixtynine performances - an unheard of run in those days, comparable perhaps to Les Miserables or Phantom of the opera in our time. In the process, The Beggar's Opera was said to have made 'Gay rich, and Rich gay'.
In his usual indomitable fashion, Cibber bounced back from this disastrous financial mistake and eventually became Poet Laureate, but my discovery of him also lead to his children - in particular, Charlotte and and her brother, Theophilus.
Theophilus's story is unique in its own right - see The Provoked Wife: the life and times of Susannah Cibber, by Mary Nash - but it was Charlotte's life as described by Kathryn Shevelow in this book that set me off on a path that was to take up several years of my life.
Although largely forgotten today, Colley Cibber stood out in the theatre of the early eighteenth century. Rising from apprentice actor to become (like David Garrick some 30 years later) actor-manager in charge of Drury Lane, Cibber was actor, author, playwright and celebrity. Through his ability to flatter and ingratiate himself with the rich and powerful, Cibber eventually rose to become Poet Laureate. But his talents for hypocrisy and self-promotion were never inherited by his youngest daughter, Charlotte, who despite following in her father’s theatrical footsteps, insisted on ploughing her own furrow, and flying in the face of his conventional sensibilities.
Charlotte became notorious not only for playing male (travesty) parts on the stage, but for carrying her cross-dressing into her private life. Suspicions about her immoral behaviour, together with her increasingly flagrant parodies of her famous father, led Cibber to disown her. Cut off from her chosen profession, and the love and support of a family, Charlotte (with her daughter Kitty) was condemned to a hand to mouth existence for the rest of her life, and eventually died in poverty.
The comic and tragic events of Charlotte's life - her defiance of convention in the face of her father's embarrassment and anger, and her inevitable fall from his favour - were played out against a sometimes surreal and distinctly non-contemporary picture of the eighteenth century. When prevented from appearing on the London stage by the machinations of her powerful father and his political friends, Charlotte resorted to running a puppet theatre, which continued to satirise the powerful figures of the day (including her father). When this failed, she became by turns a shopkeeper, a pie maker, a gardener - in fact anything that would save her and her daughter from starvation.
As a result of this intriguing character, I wrote a play called Travesti (the Italian term for breeches roles) which dealt with Charlotte's life, and in particular her difficult relationship with her father.
Her downfall may be seen to have started with her unfortunate marriage to the lead violinist of the Drury Lane orchestra, Richard Charke. Charke was ruthlessly ambitious, and saw Charlotte as the route to her father's favours and fortune. Aged seventeen, she fell in love with the romantic musician, and they were married. In doing so, Charlotte became Richard Charke's 'property', and all her income from her stage performances became his. Sadly, her money was not sufficient to pay for Charke's licentious lifestyle of gambling and womanising, and (it is said) having sold her valuable stage costumes to pay yet another gambling debt, he left her and his young daughter, Kitty.
Charke's excesses couldn't last, and he eventually decided to flee from his creditors, and his latest lover, to the safety of the West Indies. His arrival there was recorded in the book (now out of print), Revels in Jamaica by Richardson Wright, as follows:
'In 1735, Henry Moore, later to become Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica and Governor of New York, arrived home. A native of the island, being born at Vere, he was sent abroad to be educated. After studying at Leyden, he took the usual grand tour, travelled though France, Italy and a considerable part of Germany. To Jamaica he brought with him a band of musical performers, the principal of whom were the famous Richard Charke, Colley Cibber’s son-in-law, and an Italian named Creponi.'
And, even though I didn't know it at the time, that was the starting point for the story of my novel, Scartato.
So, thank you once again, Kathryn, for providing the inspiration for not only my play, Travesti, but also my novel, Scartato.
February 19, 2021
An immensely enjoyable biography of Charlotte Charke, youngest child of Colley Cibber the playwright and poet laureate. Born to the theatre, she pursued acting (and indeed company management, and writing) with immense vigour and inventiveness. 'Mrs Charke' (married and separated young) was not prepared to remain part of the Cibber establishment as her father and elder brother presided over London theatre, but instead played in the many satires penned by the young Henry Fielding, parodying these luminaries in her own family. With the passing of the Licensing Act in 1737 most of the theatres were closed and those remaining were subject to stiff censorship (had this never have happened, Fielding would probably never have taken to the novel.) Charlotte had to go upon the road, walking from town to town as a strolling player, though often for such little profit that it was, as she called it, not so much tragedizing as 'vagabondizing'. Charlotte wais known for her breeches roles, but Shevelow discusses how she would have lived her offstage life in male garb too, and had a female companion and probable lover, though as the author says, the concept of lesbian identity may well be anachronistic. With undimmed enthusiasm for life, Charlotte tried numerous business ventures but her impulsiveness meant that none was successful. It is sad to read that she died poor, in her 40s, her wealthy father having deliberately left her unprovided for. However she does live on through her published autobiography which is amply quoted here, though the book is very thoroughly researched from many sources such as other memoirs and the newspapers of the period. An immense enjoyable read, truly deserving the oft-misused description 'rollicking'.
April 9, 2020
I’ve had this biography sitting on my shelves for a number of years and I am so upset I hadn’t picked it up sooner, as it is a well told story about an engaging person living in a fascinating world. In some ways it would be much better to talk about Charlotte and define her separate from the men in her life but it’s not possible, the fact that she was daughter to a leading actor, that her older brother, Theophilus viewed the Drury Lane Theatre as his birthright; that she’d grown up into (what could have become) an acting dynasty, that she so identified life with theatre that she would always use a theatrical reference to explain it (like nerds and their media) and that she spent a large part of her career performing parodies of her male relatives, mean that she is inextricably linked to them.
I really took to her as described in this book, much as I did in the novel. She seems to be such a resolute, playful individual. When her family disowned her, she simply worked for a rival theatre company. When the new licensing laws shut that down, she had elaborate puppets made and put on plays. When she got sick and had to sell the puppets (at a loss) she starts selling oil, then sausages, then becomes a strolling actor, then an author - she simply doesn’t give up.
For a while she ran her own theatre company called the ‘Mad Company’. They performed The Beggar’s Opera in Roman dress and planned on a revival of Samuel ‘Magotty’ Johnson’s Hurlothrumbo with Charlotte as a cross-dressed Lord Flame (though whether is stilts, it wasn’t said).
This was about the time Charlotte started dressing as a man off stage as well as on. Why, exactly she did it can only be speculated on, it probably fulfilled many different needs at different points in her life. It’s certain that she spent a period of her life as ‘Mr Brown’ with a woman known as ‘Mrs Brown’ but the extent of that relationship isn’t clear. Nor is it clear how much her crossdressing were factors in her family disowning her, but there is something fascinating about a woman who lived boldly as herself (whatever that self actually was).
I have Colley Cibber’s memoirs, I’d love a copy of Charlotte’s - though this biography gives us more just a life, it’s a really good summary of the politics and the precarious lives of actors. We also meet people like Theophilus, in the novel I described him as, “a selfish, vindictive, tosser who spends his wife’s money on gambling and has no theatrical knowhow.’ This book agrees that he was a difficult man but not that he was untalented. I was fascinated to learn that he was born during the Great Storm and saw that a metaphor for his life and relationships, finally he would die in a little storm in a boat travelling to Ireland. For all of his excesses (and it’s hard not to see him as a villain when it comes to Susannah Arne - the topic of the novel), I felt sorry for him. He was a man who could never quite become the person he thought he should, and he stuck with Charlotte when no one else did.
He deserved better, as did Charlotte - I’m beginning to think Colly deserved less. Thankfully though, Charlotte has received fair, even glowing treatment in this utterly readable and very interesting biography.
I really took to her as described in this book, much as I did in the novel. She seems to be such a resolute, playful individual. When her family disowned her, she simply worked for a rival theatre company. When the new licensing laws shut that down, she had elaborate puppets made and put on plays. When she got sick and had to sell the puppets (at a loss) she starts selling oil, then sausages, then becomes a strolling actor, then an author - she simply doesn’t give up.
For a while she ran her own theatre company called the ‘Mad Company’. They performed The Beggar’s Opera in Roman dress and planned on a revival of Samuel ‘Magotty’ Johnson’s Hurlothrumbo with Charlotte as a cross-dressed Lord Flame (though whether is stilts, it wasn’t said).
This was about the time Charlotte started dressing as a man off stage as well as on. Why, exactly she did it can only be speculated on, it probably fulfilled many different needs at different points in her life. It’s certain that she spent a period of her life as ‘Mr Brown’ with a woman known as ‘Mrs Brown’ but the extent of that relationship isn’t clear. Nor is it clear how much her crossdressing were factors in her family disowning her, but there is something fascinating about a woman who lived boldly as herself (whatever that self actually was).
I have Colley Cibber’s memoirs, I’d love a copy of Charlotte’s - though this biography gives us more just a life, it’s a really good summary of the politics and the precarious lives of actors. We also meet people like Theophilus, in the novel I described him as, “a selfish, vindictive, tosser who spends his wife’s money on gambling and has no theatrical knowhow.’ This book agrees that he was a difficult man but not that he was untalented. I was fascinated to learn that he was born during the Great Storm and saw that a metaphor for his life and relationships, finally he would die in a little storm in a boat travelling to Ireland. For all of his excesses (and it’s hard not to see him as a villain when it comes to Susannah Arne - the topic of the novel), I felt sorry for him. He was a man who could never quite become the person he thought he should, and he stuck with Charlotte when no one else did.
He deserved better, as did Charlotte - I’m beginning to think Colly deserved less. Thankfully though, Charlotte has received fair, even glowing treatment in this utterly readable and very interesting biography.
December 12, 2021
'Charlotte' - Brilliant book about 18th Century actress who was famed for playng the male role. Interesting read also gives an insight into late 17th and early to mid 18th century theatre focusing mainly but not exclusively on Drury lane theatre.
One of the most famous satirical quotes was born from Drury lane's theatre competitors, the Lincoln's Inn field theatre's production of 'The Beggars Opera' , written by John Gay and produced by John Rich, as follows: 'The play, the most successful of the 18th century, made Gay rich and Rich guy!'
Other notes of worth mentioned in the opening chapters: The restoration of Charles 2, the plague, the great fire of London. Even John Mott, the second earl of Rochester makes an appearance. ... Otherwise known as 'The Libertine'.
One of the most famous satirical quotes was born from Drury lane's theatre competitors, the Lincoln's Inn field theatre's production of 'The Beggars Opera' , written by John Gay and produced by John Rich, as follows: 'The play, the most successful of the 18th century, made Gay rich and Rich guy!'
Other notes of worth mentioned in the opening chapters: The restoration of Charles 2, the plague, the great fire of London. Even John Mott, the second earl of Rochester makes an appearance. ... Otherwise known as 'The Libertine'.
August 26, 2025
An interesting subject as people-subjects go, however a little thin for me for content. The book is obviously well-researched but I was not sure if the subject herself was worthy of an entire book and this particular tome is extensive. I do applaud the writer for doing a good job of bringing out his subject character. She performed a virtual miracle with the material with which she dealt.
June 15, 2022
One of those books that, when I had to step away from it, I kept thinking about and wanting to dive into again! A well-researched and vivid immersion into London's theatre world at the turn of the 18th century.
April 21, 2009
A woman of rare talents and high spirits, Charlotte Charke (1713-1760) was an actress who delighted in scandalizing proper society — whenever she could. Her London was a stage writ large where bejeweled ladies rode in carriages past prostitutes and pickpockets, crowds munched on ginger-bread while watching hangings, and Mrs. Mapp the bonesetter realigned kneecaps for fascinated crowds. On street corners, fire-eaters, contortionists, tumblers, and dancing dogs competed for attention. Yet even among the spectacles of her stylish, savage metropolis, Charlotte stood out as a self-described "Nonpareil of the Age." Every day of her life was a grand performance.
The daughter of Colley Cibber, a brilliant comic actor famous for foppery, Charlotte was unconventional—even by the standards of her theatrical family. She raised eyebrows with her disdain for needlework and her taste for guns, but when she stepped on stage, none of it mattered. Charlotte seemed destined for greatness. But she would rebel. After making her reputation by playing men, she began dressing in breeches offstage as well. When her father and family disowned her, her life became a picaresque adventure extending from the pinnacles of posh London to its dangerous depths.
In this fascinating work of socio-cultural history, Kathryn Shevelow captures Charlotte—the artist, survivor, mother, wife, and, ultimately, husband as well—in all her guises, from her time among the dueling divas of the glamorous Drury Lane Theatre to her trials as a strolling player and puppeteer, to her comeback as the author of My Unaccountable Life, one of the first autobiographies ever written by a woman. Set against the culture and history of eighteenth-century London—where Hogarth painted, Fielding's satires mocked the prime minister, and The Beggar's Opera drew raves—Charlotte is a tale of pluck and perseverance, enlivened endlessly by the wit, courage, and creativity of its ever-surprising heroine.
The daughter of Colley Cibber, a brilliant comic actor famous for foppery, Charlotte was unconventional—even by the standards of her theatrical family. She raised eyebrows with her disdain for needlework and her taste for guns, but when she stepped on stage, none of it mattered. Charlotte seemed destined for greatness. But she would rebel. After making her reputation by playing men, she began dressing in breeches offstage as well. When her father and family disowned her, her life became a picaresque adventure extending from the pinnacles of posh London to its dangerous depths.
In this fascinating work of socio-cultural history, Kathryn Shevelow captures Charlotte—the artist, survivor, mother, wife, and, ultimately, husband as well—in all her guises, from her time among the dueling divas of the glamorous Drury Lane Theatre to her trials as a strolling player and puppeteer, to her comeback as the author of My Unaccountable Life, one of the first autobiographies ever written by a woman. Set against the culture and history of eighteenth-century London—where Hogarth painted, Fielding's satires mocked the prime minister, and The Beggar's Opera drew raves—Charlotte is a tale of pluck and perseverance, enlivened endlessly by the wit, courage, and creativity of its ever-surprising heroine.
March 5, 2009
Before picking up this book, I knew nothing about Charlotte Charke, but I'm really glad I read this because now she ranks right up with Aphra Behn as one of my favourite ladies involved in the theatre. Born into a prominent theatrical family, the Cibbers (her father was the famous comedic actor, playwright and poet laureate Colley Cibber), Charlotte debuted onstage at Drury Lane at the age of 17, making her mark playing snarky ladies' maids in comedies. She was poised to become one of the leading ladies of Drury Lane when a power shift left her on the wrong side of theatre managers more interested in financial gain than artistry, and with the primary management decisions taken out of the hands of Charlotte's brother Theophilus, who had up until then done everything he could to encourage his sister's career, Charlotte soon severed ties with Drury Lane. She joined a company headed by the author Henry Fielding, a move which caused her father to disown her after her appearances onstage for Fielding in which she parodied her father's most famous role, Lord Foppington. She also ran her own company for a time, becoming the first Englishwoman to manage a theatre troupe, and managed to find a way around the laws prohibiting companies without royal approval by setting up a puppet theatre that was very successful until her poor health forced her to quit. She was known for dressing publicly and on the stage in mens' clothes, and even acted for a time under the name of Charles Brown, thus also becoming a prominent early transvestite. Charlotte's life was a constant struggle against the expectations of women in her society and bucking conventions, and she did it all with a theatrical flair that certainly guarantees her a spot among the women I consider personal heroines of mine.
November 24, 2013
I've had this book on my shelf for a few years now. I'm not sure what prompted me to buy it; the weird creepy cover is far from compelling. It's a biography of Charlotte Charke, an actress who had brief success on the London stage in the 18th Century and also experience notoriety for her preference to dress in mens' clothing.
There are many gaps in surviving accounts of Charlotte's life; a reader can sometimes sense the author's frustration in not being able to know more about her subject. Since reading Barbara Tuchman's introduction to The Guns of August I'm more prone to notice the use of "must have" in biographies and history books, and this book has many "must haves" throughout.
I have to say I wasn't that captivated by Charlotte Charke as the subject of a biography. The reason this book worked for me is because of the portrayal of the world that Charlotte lived in. I've never spent even a moment wondering what the theater scene was like in London in the 1730s, but I found it very interesting to learn about. Also, later in Charlotte's career, when times got tough, it was interesting to learn some of the details about what poverty was like in that time and place.
There are many gaps in surviving accounts of Charlotte's life; a reader can sometimes sense the author's frustration in not being able to know more about her subject. Since reading Barbara Tuchman's introduction to The Guns of August I'm more prone to notice the use of "must have" in biographies and history books, and this book has many "must haves" throughout.
I have to say I wasn't that captivated by Charlotte Charke as the subject of a biography. The reason this book worked for me is because of the portrayal of the world that Charlotte lived in. I've never spent even a moment wondering what the theater scene was like in London in the 1730s, but I found it very interesting to learn about. Also, later in Charlotte's career, when times got tough, it was interesting to learn some of the details about what poverty was like in that time and place.
August 18, 2012
Good historians are often dismal writers, but Shevelow's narrative is engaging without veering off into conjecture or baseless fluff. The story of the actress Charlotte is an interesting skeleton which the author uses to support more general historical detail about the period. This context adds greatly to the story. Another strength is that Shevelow never falls prey to the twin failings of biographers - slavering adoration or spiteful condemnation. She also doesn't accept uncritically the image of Charlotte offered by either Charlotte herself or her contemporaries.
The book does tend to drag a bit when Charlotte's official stage career ends, but that is more due to the factual circumstances of the woman's life than the author's fault. In fact people who want insight into the lives and lifestyles of England's less fortunate citizens may find this section very rewarding. Personal preference really.
Overall a well-researched, compellingly-written biography.
The book does tend to drag a bit when Charlotte's official stage career ends, but that is more due to the factual circumstances of the woman's life than the author's fault. In fact people who want insight into the lives and lifestyles of England's less fortunate citizens may find this section very rewarding. Personal preference really.
Overall a well-researched, compellingly-written biography.
March 30, 2010
I finished my first biography!!
Her story is amazing. She was born to the stage, and struggled all her life to keep it that way, but along the way she was a doctor, a groom, a valet, a shop owner, a waiter, restaurant owner, a puppeteer and puppet theater manager, a sausage seller, a writer and of course an actress, prompt book keeper, and theatrical manager.
And a lot of the times she did it while wearing breaches. She was disowned by her family because she wanted to wear men's clothing and play male roles on stage.
The writer mixes literary licence and historical fact so well, you feel like you know her. And though she conjectures quite a lot, she never presents what she guesses as pure fact.
She's a pioneer and marvel that everyone should know about!
Her story is amazing. She was born to the stage, and struggled all her life to keep it that way, but along the way she was a doctor, a groom, a valet, a shop owner, a waiter, restaurant owner, a puppeteer and puppet theater manager, a sausage seller, a writer and of course an actress, prompt book keeper, and theatrical manager.
And a lot of the times she did it while wearing breaches. She was disowned by her family because she wanted to wear men's clothing and play male roles on stage.
The writer mixes literary licence and historical fact so well, you feel like you know her. And though she conjectures quite a lot, she never presents what she guesses as pure fact.
She's a pioneer and marvel that everyone should know about!
January 23, 2008
I wasn't able to get far. It sounded like something I would love, but I hated that it wasn't written from the main character's point of view. It didn't feel like the reader would ever get a chance to know Charlotte.
January 9, 2009
Kathryn Shevelow was my favorite professors at UCSD. She sparked my love of all things 18th century. While I found the narrative difficult to follow at times, I loved the fact that my favorite professor is still bringing that time period to life.
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