Lives of Shakespearian actors II : Edmund Kean, Sarah Siddons and Harriet Smithson by their contemporaries

During the eighteenth century, theatrical writing developed as a genre. The publishing market responded to a seemingly insatiable appetite for accounts of the personalities, social lives and performances of celebrated entertainers. This new series builds on the success of previous "Pickering Lives" series. It features actors who were significant in their development of new and innovative ways of performing Shakespeare. Extracts from diaries, memoirs, private letters, obituaries and other rare ephemera are drawn together to build a contemporary account of their acting achievements and personal lives.Edmund Kean has been considered one of the greatest actors ever to have taken to the stage. His debut at Drury Lane brought the theatre renewed popularity and rescued it from near bankruptcy. He specialized in tragic roles which brought him success on both the English and American stage. Sarah Siddons and Philip Kemble were brother and sister. Siddons was famed for her portrayal of Lady Macbeth while Kemble was most noted for his Roman characters due to his imposing physical presence. Between them they helped to make the stage a more respectable profession, Kemble becoming manager of Covent Garden. Harriet Smithson became the first wife of the composer Hector Berlioz after her success on the Paris stage