Book Description

"Actor, director, impresario, author, David Garrick (1717-1779) is the most legendary man of the theatre of modern times. He reformed English theatre practice, established a 'natural' style of acting, and made the profession socially acceptable. As his great friend Dr. Johnson remarked, no actor before Garrick had made so much money nor achieved such an eminent position in society. Not for nothing is the most exclusive club in London named after him: Garrick was the first international 'megastar'." "Garrick's circle of friends was enormous and covered the social spectrum, from lawyers and wine merchants to the most famous men of letters and statesmen of his time: Pope, Boswell, Edmund Burke, Lord Burlington, Lord Chesterfield, the Prime Minister Pitt the Elder, the Lord Chancellor: the Duke of Devonshire, Lord Spencer. In France he counted Diderot, d'Alembert, Baron d'Holbach and the philosophes among his acquaintance. Though never honoured, he was at the very centre of his world." "Drawing on the large amount of source material available - from the accounts of Johnson's friendship with Garrick by James Boswell, through descriptions of his acting by English, French and German critics, to his own diaries and letters - Jean Benedetti has written a lively and fascinating account of Garrick's style and reforms, clearly establishing his pivotal role in the development of acting and directing."--Book Jacket.