author
Mrs. (Catherine) Clive
1711–1785
A comic star of 18th-century London, she became famous for lively performances that blended acting and song. Best known as Kitty Clive, she was one of the great entertainers of the Drury Lane stage and a favorite with audiences for decades.
1 Audiobook
The Case of Mrs. Clive
by Mrs. (Catherine) Clive
About the author
Born Catherine Raftor in about 1711, she is usually remembered as Kitty Clive. Reliable reference sources describe her as a leading British comic actress and singer, active from the late 1720s and closely associated with Drury Lane Theatre in London, where she rose to become one of the best-known performers of her day.
She built her reputation on comedy, quick character work, and musical performance. Sources also note her connection with major figures of the period, including David Garrick, and emphasize that she helped shape English musical theatre at a time when the boundary between spoken drama and song was still wonderfully fluid.
Clive’s personal life was not always easy—she married George Clive and later separated from him—but her public career remained remarkably strong. She died on December 6, 1785, near London, leaving behind the image of a performer celebrated for wit, stage presence, and an ability to make audiences laugh with apparent ease.