CONTENTS

List of figures

Acknowledgements

Introduction

  1    Dawn of an era

  2    Garrick in love

  3    The cultural context

  4    The Licensing Act

  5    The actors’ strike

  6    An Irish interlude

  7    A visit to the theatre

  8    A community of friends and rivals

  9    Garrick onstage

10    The actor as celebrity

11    Garrick rules at Drury Lane

12    Shakespeare mania

13    The English Aristophanes

14    Foote and the dangerous duchess

15    A turbulent spirit

16    The Macbeth riots

17    End of an era

Epilogue

Bibliography

Index