Author Description

This unique book contains the never-before-published script of the first ever one-woman show, written by Fanny Kelly. The script was performed in Britain in the 1830s and '40s, based on Kelly’s own experiences and offers a picture of the exuberant and often bizarre Georgian entertainment world. The performance text is introduced, edited, and explained by Gilli Bush-Bailey, who focuses 21st-century revisionist scholarship on Kelly’s story. It is an innovative contribution to the modern debate on biographical and autobiographical writing, while also serving as a valuable text for those who wish to study comedy and women’s performance. The materials and methods of the modern stand-up routine are already to be seen in this unusual text. This book will appeal to students and scholars who are involved in performance, theater history, or biography. It is also an accessible text for the interested general reader.