Spotted on 'In the Spotlight'...

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Spotted on 'In the Spotlight'...

mia

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!

mia

From May 1843, 'War in Affghanistan' http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589096.0x000002#?cv=59

mia

http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589092.0x000002#?cv=269

A masonic address 'in which reasons will be given why Ladies are not admitted into the Lodge', followed by a Sailor's Hornpipe. It's hard to imagine those fitting into the same night's entertainment, let alone following the earlier play...

mia

Child performer, only six years old! http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589092.0x000002#?cv=298

christian

'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

A few of these Perth playbills have mentioned a 'national drama' or 'national opera' (e.g. http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589180.0x000002#?cv=6 and the page before) - any suggestions for what this meant at the time?

mia

Spotted on twitter, this conversation about 'Flitch of bacon':
https://twitter.com/edward_mills/status/928967007621537794 and https://twitter.com/edward_mills/status/928972237402705920 which led me to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flitch_of_bacon_custom

And finally, we have some real life winners of the flitch! https://twitter.com/alisonmkrae/status/928985444272009222

christian

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

Like the playbill's compositor has emphasized, 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

christian With 'cracking jokes'!

mia

I always wonder if this Mr Barrymore is part of the famous acting dynasty? http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589158.0x000002#?cv=115

christian

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

mia

Speaking of the cheap seats...

second-prices-of-admittance-https-wwwlibcrowdscom-collecti.png

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

mia

I love these images collected by Emma Stanford on twitter https://twitter.com/e_stanf/status/931267656291938304

doygo-mx0ayye8x.jpeg

doygo-jx0aabchc.jpeg

doygo-fxcaexmc4.jpeg

mia

Interesting find in https://www.libcrowds.com/collection/playbills/projects/105/iiif-annotation - the 'Grand Chinese Spectacle' of... Aladdin

20180228-a-collection-of-playbills-from-theatre-royal-bath-1812-1818-collection-item-access-bl-uk-item-viewer-ark-81055-vdc-100022589024-0x00-008.png

mia

Volunteer Raphael H spotted 'the first of Mrs Siddons's nights' in Nottingham, playing her signature role of Lady Macbeth. Great timing for Twitter's ShakespeareWeek!

firefox-screenshot-2018-03-15t21-27-06616z.png

http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589154.0x000002#?cv=128

mia

More finds by volunteers in the Nottingham 1806-1831 volume http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589154.0x000002#?cv=138&c=0&m=0&s=0&xywh=-780%2C2567%2C3447%2C1731 and http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589154.0x000002#?cv=139&c=0&m=0&s=0&xywh=-80%2C4433%2C2708%2C1731 … - treats for fans of spectacles and fonts alike!

mia

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

vdc-1000225891530x000091-crop2.jpeg

mia

Mr Kean has appeared in your comments twice lately. This amazing public notice from Dublin http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589298.0x000002#?cv=202&c=0&m=0&s=0&xywh=275%2C2077%2C1817%2C2344 … and a bout of gout in another!

mia

@christian spotted Ira Aldridge in this playbill http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589096.0x000002#?cv=45&c=0&m=0&s=0&xywh=-1%2C7%2C2399%2C3730

mia

Someone asked if the 'Mr Sheridan' here http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589096.0x000002#?cv=347&c=0&m=0&s=0&xywh=-237%2C298%2C2806%2C1795 could be Richard, but given the date (1836) and the works listed (William Tell) it's probably his cousin James https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Sheridan_Knowles Thoughts?