Life on the Victorian Stage by Nell Darby

Life on the Victorian Stage by Nell Darby ISBN-13: 9781473882430 Paperback: 176 pages Publisher: Pen & Sword Released: Nov. 19, 2017

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
The expansion of the press in Victorian Britain meant more pages to be filled, and more stories to be found. Life on the Victorian Stage: Theatrical Gossip looks at how the everyday lives of Victorian performers and managers were used for such a purpose during the nineteenth century. Viewed through the prism of Victorian newspapers, and in particular through their gossip columns, this book looks at the perils facing actors from financial disasters or insecurity to stalking, from libel cases to criminal trials.

The book looks at how technological developments enabled the press to expose the behaviour of actors overseas, such as when actor Fred Solomon's' bigamy in America was revealed. It looks at the pressures facing actors, which could lead to suicide, and the impact of the 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act on what the newspapers covered, with theatrical divorce cases coming to form a significant part of their coverage in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Other major events, from theatre disasters to the murder of actor William Terriss, are explored within the context of press reportage and its impact.


My Review:
Life on the Victorian Stage looked at newspaper coverage and court case records regarding actors, actresses, and theatre-related disputes in Victorian (1837-1902) England. Many of the cases were from the 1880s and 90s, partly because of better communication about incidents that happened outside of Britain. The author also talked about changes in newspaper coverage, communication technology, and laws that impacted what was reported.

The book initially looked at court cases involving things like licensing theatres, libel against actors/actresses, bankruptcy, and breach of (acting) contracts. The author then relayed stories involving fan letters, stalkers, threats by audience members to make noise and ruin a performance, violence or theft in and outside of the theatre, charges of prostitution occurring at a theatre, and murder of or by actors. He then talked about the personal lives of the actors and actresses: sex, seduction, breach of promise (to marry) cases, child support cases, marriages, divorce, bigamy, deaths, and theatre disasters (like fire).

I found some of these sections a little repetitive as the cases cited were rather similar. Other sections were more varied or contained more information, which made them more interesting to read. Overall, though, it was an interesting book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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