In the late nineteenth century, London theatres staged
productions designed to entertain the working and middle
classes. Operettas, comedies, melodramas and Shakespearean drama
offered theatregoers "an escape from the dreary monotony and
daily discomfort of lives spent mostly in the business of
survival."1 Despite its appeal to the lower classes, theatrical
entertainment was also popular among the elite. Queen Victoria
and Prince Albert frequently attended the London theatre and had
a particular interest in Shakespearean productions. Naturally,
theatrical productions required talented performers. With some
exceptions, men filled most of the roles required to stage
plays, including writing scripts, managing theatrical troupes,
directing and producing. Popular actresses, however, frequently
surpassed their onstage roles, becoming internationally known
celebrities. This celebrity was only tangentially related to
acting skill. Instead, it depended on the attributes that still
define twenty-first century celebrity