We'd love to see the curiosities you uncover and talk about the discoveries you make! This thread is a central place you can share links to interesting playbills. You can copy and paste the link to a specific playbill via the 'share' icon. Add a comment to your forum post and off we go!

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    'The Monkey Who Had Seen the World' a song by Miss Rosalie Corri, performed in 1821.
    http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589060.0x000002#?cv=2
    So many song titles on these playbills that leave you wanting to see the lyrics! After a cursory search it might be that there is no printed edition of the song. Rosalie, a songstress of Neapolitan descent. lived in Edinburgh and was the niece of Mr D. Corri who was a composer. Perhaps the Monkey song might be in a collection of Airs ...?

    At any rate, I now want to release a hit album called, 'The Monkey who had seen the World'!

    • mia likes this.
    6 days later

    http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589044.0x000002#?cv=17

    Like the playbill's compositor has emphasized, _____WB$wombat$check$this$function_____(this) particular entertainment of Tom and Jerry: or Life in London, staged in Bristol in 1822 is really quite NEAT. This playbill is a great example of how the notices began to feature descriptions of the theatre sets, doing justice to all the work and effort put into creating spectacular environments for the plays. It's a nice little detail here that one of the sets being described is a famous venue for entertainment itself - The Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

    What is the most unusual or impressive set you have seen described on playbills on In the Spotlight?

    • mia replied to this.

      mia clearly intended for the greater appreciation of the, let's say, cheaper seats.

          • mia

          • Post #12

          Speaking of the cheap seats...

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          http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589180.0x000002#?cv=17 has a long note on late admission ticket pricing and the cost of London performers. Lower down it notes that the second price begins after the third act of the tragedy, so they don't get Shakespeare but they do get a melodramatic romance

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          Thanks Barbara G and Sharon E for pointing out this 1803 Nottingham playbill with circus acts and fireworks (plus ace pictures).

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