She was known as the Queen of Drury Lane and the first truly respected female actor in theatre, achieving an astonishing level of celebrity at the end of the 18th century.
But despite her notoriety there are no contemporary biographies about Sarah Siddons, who was labelled by her contemporaries as “tragedy personified”.
Now, a new play – thought to be the first to be written about Siddons – is to receive its world premiere at Hampstead Theatre. The Divine Mrs S, written by April De Angelis, will run at the London venue from 22 March to 27 April.
Siddons was renowned for her roles in Shakespeare’s tragedies – especially Lady Macbeth, a character she made her own by depicting her with a strong sense of maternity and a delicate femininity.
The actor knew dramatists including David Garrick and Samuel Johnson, and was the subject of dozens of paintings by artists such as Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough.
De Angelis’ backstage comedy, which is directed by Anna Mackmin, celebrates Siddons’ sway over the public and critics alike. The extent of her fame is depicted in a scene from Dinah Mulock’s 1956 novel, John Halifax, Gentleman, in which a crowd reacts to a sedan chair-seated Siddons announcing her name by dividing instantaneously and setting up a cheer “that must have rang through all the town”.
But the play will also bring to light the powerlessness of women at that time. They lacked legal standing and were deprived of money, property, rights over their bodies and control over their children.
Siddons’ career was controlled by her brother, who chose the roles she should play, as well as her husband, who signed her contracts and collected her fees.
De Angelis, whose previous plays include Playhouse Creatures, My Brilliant Friend, and Jumpy, told the Guardian she was fascinated by Siddons’ ability to achieve fame and popularity despite the environment in which she lived.
“Women have always found ways to be self-determining and have control over their lives. They have found ways to self-expression and to exercise power if often in limited ways,” the playwright said.
“I was interested in ways in which Siddons negotiated power for herself and what the limits where. At the time she lived married women were ‘legally dead’ and unmarried women the property of their fathers. Women fought against this appalling state of affairs for women in many ways.
“Siddons was the most famous actress of her day. [But] for all her great fame – she has a statue and is name checked in [Oscar-winning film] All About Eve – there is no contemporary biography of her. No plays, films, novels, yet when I read her life I was amazed at her incredible story.”
De Angelis said despite women having legal rights now, some of the things Siddons had to negotiate would also be familiar today.
Meanwhile, other plays in Hampstead theatre’s new season include the UK premiere of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ Pulitzer prize-winning Between Riverside and Crazy, directed by Michael Longhurst; Oscar-winner Christopher Hampton’s Visit from an Unknown Woman, directed by Clare Lizzimore; and the world premiere of Richard Nelson’s An Actor Convalescing in Devon, co-directed by Clarissa Brown.
The theatre, which has nurtured emerging playwrights including Harold Pinter, Mike Leigh and Hanif Kureishi over its 60-year history, also announced the launch of a £1.25m fundraising appeal.
Last year the theatre lost 100% of its Arts Council funding, leading to the resignation of its director. A campaign to help fund it has been supported by the likes of Tamsin Greig, David Suchet, Jemma Redgrave and Roy Williams.
