THE fascinating story of 18th century soprano and actress Kitty Clive will be brought to life in a concert by the award-winning early music ensemble Apollo’s Cabinet.
The Comic Muse: The Theatrical World of Kitty Clive is at The Hub at St Mary’s on Tuesday (15th July) as part of Lichfield Festival.
A celebrity of her time, Kitty was a figure of fame inside and outside the playhouse.
In 1743, she was engaged by Handel – composer of Messiah – to lead his oratorio compositions, and from the early 1740s, shewas the top-paid player at London’s Theatre Royal ing Drury Lane.
She played 184 theatre roles in a career spanning over 22 years, until she was defamed by male colleagues, lost her popularity and was subsequently forgotten by historians.
A spokesperson said:
“Apollo’s Cabinet’s are setting the record straight, delving into Kitty’s life and featuring English theatre music of the time together with arias she would have performed herself.
“With a signature mix of acting, dancing, poetry and drama to bring historical performance to modern audiences, the group have won many awards and they’ve performed at the London Handel Festival, Konzerthaus Vienna, Felix Festival Köln and the Brighton Early Music Festival.
Tickets are available from www.lichfieldfestival.org.
