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Theater individuals have always possessed a unique aura. Whether they perform onstage or work behind the scenes, there’s an undeniable allure that sets them apart. Immersed in fictional realms and characters, they often offer a raw, unfiltered perspective on reality—one that the real world sometimes struggles to accept.
10. Charlotte Charke
In her memoirs, Charlotte Charke (depicted in pink above) remarked, 'I am certain no one in the world is more deserving of ridicule than myself.' Eighteenth-century London was baffled by Charke and her persona, Charles Brown. While cross-dressing on stage was not uncommon, Charke took it further by embodying Charles Brown in her daily life. As Charles, she adopted male attire and embraced roles and behaviors typically associated with men.
Charke, a playwright and actress, was famous for wearing trousers, horseback riding, and mocking those who deemed her scandalous. On stage, she excelled in 'breeches roles,' portraying male characters not as a woman pretending to be a man, but as the character himself. Her writings mirrored this duality, leaving her audience uncertain about her true identity.
She was often labeled a lesbian, whore, deviant, and prostitute. Her memoir, branded a 'scandal memoir,' contained stories deemed inappropriate for 18th-century society. Outspoken and financially independent, Charke celebrated her friendships with women, including those working in Covent Garden. While her sister Catherine blamed her lifestyle and attire for family discord, Charke embraced her identity, blending femininity and masculinity with confidence. There was nothing inherently scandalous about her—only her ability to defy norms and wear trousers.
9. The Great Lafayette
Sigmund Neuberger, known as the Great Lafayette, was born in Germany in 1872. By the early 20th century, he had captivated London with his magic performances, earning what would now equate to roughly $2.75 million annually. His bond with his pit bull, Beauty (a gift from Harry Houdini), was legendary, but his harsh treatment of his staff and assistants was notorious and deeply unsettling.
Reports claim he demanded that his employees salute him as a greeting. He required absolute transparency in their personal lives, even demanding access to their financial records. Amid such enforced loyalty, it was no surprise that when Beauty passed away, he insisted she be buried like a human in consecrated church grounds. The church agreed only on the condition that he would be buried beside her.
This condition was soon fulfilled. Just a week after Beauty’s death, one of Neuberger’s performances ended in disaster. A fire broke out on stage, and the audience was saved by a quick-witted conductor who played exit music instead of causing panic. Lafayette, however, tragically perished while trying to rescue a horse from the flames. Adding to the mystery, his lawyer raised questions about the disappearance of the rings he always wore.
The truth was shockingly simple. The initial body prepared for burial was not Lafayette but one of his doubles. Once the correct body was identified, Neuberger was finally laid to rest beside Beauty.
8. Isle of Dogs Scandal
A truly memorable scandal involves mass arrests and the confiscation—and eventual destruction—of private property. Even today, the exact nature of the controversy remains shrouded in mystery.
In 1597, the play Isle of the Dogs debuted at London’s Swan Theatre. Penned by Ben Jonson and Thomas Nash, the play has since vanished, likely destroyed in the aftermath. It’s speculated that the play cast Queen Elizabeth in an unfavorable light, with the title’s “dogs” believed to represent her court and courtiers.
Following the play’s premiere, the Privy Council issued several decrees, which provide the primary insight into the events that unfolded. These documents included bans on future performances of Isle of the Dogs and directives to Richard Topcliffe, the royal heretic hunter and torturer, to interrogate the arrested actors. Arrest warrants were also issued for Jonson and Nash, along with orders to seize copies of the play and related materials.
Some records hint at the play’s content, suggesting it alluded to inappropriate relationships involving the Queen and other royals. Several noble families were reportedly offended, and the play’s explosive popularity and audience reaction were seen as deeply humiliating.
Ultimately, the Swan Theatre was completely closed, Jonson was imprisoned, and Nash fled the country to escape a similar fate. Nash’s home was raided, and all his personal documents were confiscated and destroyed. The authorities were thorough in eradicating the play, as not a single line or fragment of its dialogue survives today.
7. Adah Menken
Nearly every aspect of Adah Menken’s life is steeped in legendary scandal.
Born in Louisiana in 1835, she earned the nickname 'The Naked Lady' for her daring burlesque performances. At a time when such shows were confined to specific venues and audiences, she brought them to the mainstream stage. In 1863, Mark Twain, then a journalist, witnessed her act in San Francisco and wrote about the uproar it caused. (His signed article about her is one of the earliest instances where he used the name 'Mark Twain.') Her performances were so captivating that men tossed bags of gold dust onto the stage, while women eagerly collected her photos and followed her life story.
Her stage performances were nothing short of sensational, particularly her role as Mazeppa, where she appeared naked (wearing a flesh-toned bodysuit) and was strapped to a horse that galloped up a four-story mountain on stage. While others tried to replicate the stunt, at least one performer died attempting it.
Offstage, her life was just as scandalous. She kept her early years a mystery, and it wasn’t until the 1930s that it was revealed she was the illegitimate child of a French-Creole woman, with her father’s identity never confirmed. She married at 21, but the union ended when she refused to stop smoking in public. She later married a boxer, had a child with him, and divorced him. Menken faced legal trouble when it was discovered she hadn’t properly divorced her first husband, claiming she assumed he had handled it. After her child’s tragic death, Menken pushed forward, conquering stages in San Francisco, London, and Paris. She mingled with the Dumases and charmed Charles Dickens. Menken passed away at the age of 33.
6. Richard II and a Failed Rebellion
Theater has existed for centuries, but it wasn’t until the end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign that the English truly began to recognize its potential as a powerful medium. This period saw the rise of major theaters and the formalization of theater as an organized institution.
Among the most celebrated playwrights was Shakespeare, whose works often carried risky undertones given the era’s religious and political tensions. In 1601, the Earl of Essex approached Shakespeare’s troupe, requesting a performance of Richard II. (This play, the first in a series chronicling the rise of the Lancaster house, depicts a self-indulgent Richard who prioritizes luxury over his people’s welfare.)
The parallels between Richard and Elizabeth were striking enough to make the play unsettling. Both monarchs relied heavily on close advisers and lacked a direct heir. By 1601, with the Queen’s death looming, the play’s depiction of a monarch relinquishing the throne without formally resigning struck a sensitive chord.
This was precisely what the Earl of Essex intended. He scheduled the play’s performance for the night before his planned rebellion against the Queen. The play was staged, and the following day, the Earl and 300 supporters attempted to seize the throne by force.
The rebellion failed, and the Earl was captured. Unlike the fallout from the Isle of the Dogs, Elizabeth chose to engage with Shakespeare’s play—albeit in her own way. She requested the same actors to perform it for her on the eve of the Earl’s execution.
5. The Golden Rump
In the 1730s, Henry Fielding was a prominent figure in English theater. (He is also the author of The Female Husband, or the Surprising History of Mrs. Mary, alias Mr. George Hamilton, which we’ve previously discussed.)
While his early works were lighthearted and relatively harmless, his growing popularity led him to tackle more political themes. By 1737, his plays openly mocked irrational politicians and criticized the government. That same year, the Licensing Act was introduced, drastically altering the theater landscape. Only Covent Garden and Drury Lane remained open, and the act banned political satire as well as any content deemed disrespectful to the monarchy.
The play that triggered this crackdown, The Golden Rump, has been lost to history. Its existence has been debated, but there are references to its production during the 1735–36 theater season. While Fielding is often linked to the play, some speculate it was a government ploy to justify the Licensing Act. The play was labeled obscene, with one scene allegedly implying that a king enjoyed receiving enemas from his queen.
4. Louisa Fairbrother and the Duke of Cambridge
Louisa Fairbrother, the ninth child in her family, defied her father’s wishes to pursue acting. In the mid-19th century, actresses were often viewed with suspicion, seen as only a step away from scandal. Despite this, she performed in prominent London theaters, including Covent Garden and Drury Lane.
Ignoring her father’s advice proved fortunate, as it was on stage that she attracted the attention of Prince George, Duke of Cambridge. She gained fame for her role as Abdullah—complete with a fake beard—in a burlesque adaptation of Open Sesame, based on The Forty Thieves. After George became infatuated with her, he was often seen waiting outside the Lyceum’s stage door. While royal figures having stage actresses as mistresses wasn’t uncommon, marrying one was a different story. Yet, George married her while she was pregnant with their third child. The union was kept secret, especially since he hadn’t sought the Queen’s approval, as required by royal tradition and law.
The specifics of the marriage remain shrouded in secrecy, even from the prince’s official biographer. Based on correspondence, it’s believed they wed on January 8, 1847. However, the wedding was kept under wraps, with conflicting letters and rumors of forged documents. The biographer uncovered an unusual detail: the marriage record from 1847 bore the signature 'George Cambridge,' suggesting the prince intentionally misspelled his name to conceal the union. The entire affair remains deeply enigmatic.
3. The Catholic Church’s Excommunication of Actors
As previously mentioned, theater people have always been viewed as distinct, and at one point, they were considered outright sinners. So much so that simply being an actor or actress led to automatic excommunication from the Catholic Church.
In the 19th century, Church doctrine explicitly condemned acting. Cardinal Manning described it as 'the prostitution of a body purified by baptism.' As a result, actors were excommunicated, denied sacraments, barred from burial in consecrated ground, and prohibited from engaging with anything sacred. They couldn’t marry in a church, testify in court, or hold public office.
These laws originated long before the 19th century. In 1789, a petition was presented to France’s National Assembly to repeal certain restrictions and restore public office rights to previously excluded groups, including Jews, Protestants, and actors. Although the laws were abolished and equality was theoretically granted, in practice, many funeral processions for actors still faced locked and barred church doors.
Theater, much like today, was primarily a domain for the young. As a result, many actors struggled to escape the stigma of their profession upon retirement. Noah Ludlow, a theater manager in the 1820s, documented scandals involving former actors trying to integrate into ordinary society. One such case was Charles Parsons, who attempted to become a Methodist minister. When his congregation discovered his acting past, the backlash forced him to step down.
2. Christopher Marlowe
Today, Shakespeare dominates Elizabethan poetry, while Christopher Marlowe is often relegated to a minor footnote, typically mentioned alongside Shakespeare as a potential author of his plays.
This is unfortunate, as Marlowe’s life was nothing short of extraordinary—a tale of scandal, rebellion, and a mysterious death in a bar fight at just 29. In his short life, he lived more intensely than many modern tabloid celebrities.
A contemporary of Shakespeare, Marlowe was far more popular at the time (though Shakespeare was just beginning his career). His works, such as Doctor Faustus and Tamburlaine, were groundbreaking and perfectly timed for the era. Born to a shoemaker, Marlowe earned multiple degrees at Cambridge. Despite his education, his humble background limited his opportunities, leading him to the theater, where he fearlessly critiqued societal injustices.
During his time at Cambridge, it’s believed he was recruited as a spy, though the exact nature of his role remains unclear in an era of religious turmoil. After Cambridge, he spent time in Newgate Prison following a fatal bar fight. There, he connected with a counterfeiter and briefly joined the trade, only to end up jailed again, this time in the Netherlands. His ability to escape consequences suggests he either possessed crucial information for the Crown or held a significant position—or perhaps both.
Marlowe regularly reported to the Privy Council and associated with loan sharks and spies. In a time when religion was sacrosanct, he openly declared Jesus a bastard and Mary a liar. His life ended violently and prematurely at the home of Eleanor Bull, a relative of Queen Elizabeth’s governess. Officially, the cause was a dispute over a bill, but with uncooperative witnesses and the Queen pardoning the killer, the circumstances remain deeply suspicious.
1. The Old Price Riots
In 1808, Covent Garden Theatre was devastated by a fire. After its reconstruction the following year, the owner, John Philip Kemble, sought to recoup the substantial costs by increasing ticket prices.
Kemble announced the price hike at the debut performance in the rebuilt theater, which was a production of Macbeth with him in the lead role. Surprisingly, he underestimated the backlash. The crowd erupted in furious heckling, drowning out the actors to the point where they had to mime the entire performance, as no one could hear them.
The price increase sparked 67 nights of riots, with box seats rising from six to seven shillings and non-gallery seats from three shillings, six pence to four shillings. People from all walks of life, from laborers to professionals, united under the rallying cry of “Old Prices!” and demanded a return to the previous rates.
The issue went beyond higher ticket prices. Kemble was accused of eroding national identity, denying citizens access to the works of their literary heroes, and even stifling actors’ paths to fame. Dubbed “King John,” he became the target of satirical songs and posters, while rioters staged nightly performances casting him as the villain.
When Kemble finally conceded, the public celebrated it as their own Magna Carta moment.
