Burlesque has been a powerful and enduring weapon in the critique of legitimate Shakespearean culture by a seemingly illegitimate popular culture, particularly in the nineteenth century. This first study of nineteenth-century Shakespeare burlesques explores the paradox that plays obviously not Shakespearean appear to be the most genuinely Shakespearean of all. The book brings together archival research, rare photographs and illustrations, studies of burlesque scripts, and an awareness of theatrical, literary, and cultural contexts.

This book explores the revivals of Shakespeare's history plays as staged by actor-manager Charles Kean in mid-Victorian London.

A fresh and intimate portrait of Queen Victoria 'at the play'. Through Victoria's diary, artwork and correspondence we see her as enraptured spectator, bountiful patron and tyrannical director of private theatricals. At times she appears formidable. More frequently she is impudent, high-spirited and unruly; a woman who delights in gory melodramas and circus acts. Queen Victoria and the Theatre of Her Age gives readers a deeply personal account of her lifelong devotion to the stage. It will appeal to anyone interested in monarchy's place in popular culture.

Burlesque has been a powerful and enduring weapon in the critique of legitimate Shakespearean culture by a seemingly illegitimate popular culture, particularly in the nineteenth century. This first study of nineteenth-century Shakespeare burlesques explores the paradox that plays obviously not Shakespearean appear to be the most genuinely Shakespearean of all. The book brings together archival research, rare photographs and illustrations, studies of burlesque scripts, and an awareness of theatrical, literary, and cultural contexts.

This is the first book to explore the revivals of Shakespeare's history plays, Henry V, Henry VIII, King John, Macbeth, and Richard II, as staged by the actor-manager Charles Kean in mid-Victorian London. These celebrated productions, renowned for their attention to antiquarian detail, provided an opportunity for audiences to participate in the Victorian obsession with history. Many illustrations are previously unpublished and the book will be of interest to scholars and students of theater history, Shakespeare studies and Victorian culture.