Myself and others

A candid memoir from the golden age of British theatre, this book follows a performer raised amid journalism, literature, and the stage. Beginning with family history and early life in Liverpool, it recalls amateur theatricals, lively literary circles, and the influential people who shaped an emerging artistic world.

With warmth and self-deprecating humour, the narrator reflects on the personalities, productions, and backstage traditions encountered during a long career. Henry Irving, William Terriss, Charles Frohman, David Belasco, and many other celebrated figures appear alongside memories of the Lyceum, the Adelphi, Drury Lane, and theatrical life on both sides of the Atlantic. Personal recollection blends with vivid social history, offering listeners an intimate glimpse of acting, touring, friendship, ambition, and the changing fortunes of the stage. Throughout, the author remains alert to the awkwardness of writing about herself, inviting readers to look beyond the unavoidable “I” toward the brilliant and often surprising world surrounding it.