Sir Henry Irving was the greatest actor of the Victorian age and was thought of by Gladstone as his greatest contemporary. He transformed the theatre, in Britain and America, from a disreputable and marginal entertainment into a respected, civilising and uplifting art form. Irving's enthusiastic supporters, eager to see his every appearance, ranged from Queen Victoria to working men and housewives. At the Lyceum Theatre from 1878 to 1902, he set new standards in acting, often partnered by Ellen Terry, and in production. In 1895, he became the first actor to receive a knighthood. His tours to America brought a revolution in acting practice to the New World. In "Sir Henry Irvine: A Victorian Actor and his World", published to mark the centenary of Irving's death, Jeffrey Richards gives an account not only of Irving himself but also of his impact on the Victorian theatre and on Victorian life as a whole.
- ISBN10 1852855916
- ISBN13 9781852855918
- Publish Date 20 November 2006 (first published 13 October 2005)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Imprint Hambledon Continuum
- Edition Annotated edition
- Format Paperback
- Pages 508
- Language English