Madge Kendal
Dame Madge Kendal
She was born in Great Grimsby, of a theatrical family, being the sister of T. W. Robertson, a dramatist and one of 22 children of William Robertson.
She appeared as a child in several roles, but made her adult début in 1865 as Ophelia at the Haymarket Theatre in London. She was married in 1869 to W. H. Grimston Kendal, and the two thereafter acted together. In the early 1870s, the Kendals starred in a series of "fairy comedies" by W. S. Gilbert, and they appeared for a number of seasons at The Prince of Wales's Theatre.
From 1879 to 1888, they managed St. James's Theatre and presented a large number of Pinero plays, among many others. Their reign there was noted for its taste, and the theatre became very fashionable again. The Kendals helped to improve the respectability of the Victorian theatre, which had fallen into disrepute among the middle classes. They imposed a high moral code both on stage and behind the scenes. They also managed the Court Theatre for a time.
Mr. and Mrs. Kendal made their American debut in A Scrap of Paper in 1889, and the success of their first tour in the United States was repeated in several successive seasons. They continued to appear in popular plays without interruption till 1908, when they both retired, though Mrs Kendal reappeared at the gala performance at His Majesty's Theatre in 1911, playing Mistress Ford.
The Kendals had five children. She was created a
References
- Archer, "Mr. and Mrs. Kendal", in Matthews and Hutton, Actors and Actresses of Great Britain and the United States (New York, 1886)
- Scott, The Drama of Yesterday and To-Day (London, 1899)
- T. E. Pemberton, The Kendals: A Biography (New York, 1900)
- Profile of Kendal
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