Charlie Chaplin grew up in and around the music hall. His parents, aunt, and their friends all earned their precarious livings on the stage and Chaplin himself started his career as a member of the Eight Lancashire Lads dance troupe. His experiences of the culture of the music hall were a significant influence, shaping his style of acting and the films he made. Chaplin's family and the circle of fellow performers whose life stories are told in this book were appearing at a time when music hall was in a state of transition, changing from an entertainment still reminiscent of its tavern-based...
Charlie Chaplin grew up in and around the music hall. His parents, aunt, and their friends all earned their precarious livings on the stage and Chapli...
Drawing on many previously unused sources, this is first, authoritative, biography of Dan Leno. In telling the full story of Dan's life and career on the stage and screen, Barry Anthony brings to life the everyday life of Victorian Britain, as well as Dan's unique brand of humour and its resonance with later comedians.
Drawing on many previously unused sources, this is first, authoritative, biography of Dan Leno. In telling the full story of Dan's life and career on ...
The Strand is one of London's most iconic streets - today the bustling and thriving home of West End theatres and the luxurious Savoy hotel; in the Victorian era, the Strand was a much more seedy and destitute part of the city. Barry Anthony here explores the criminal and socially subversive behaviour which abounded in and around the Victorian Strand. He introduces us to a vast range of personalities - from prostitutes, confidence tricksters, vagrants and cadgers to the actors, comedians and music hall stars who trod the boards of the Strand's early theatres. With a cast of colourful...
The Strand is one of London's most iconic streets - today the bustling and thriving home of West End theatres and the luxurious Savoy hotel; in the Vi...