Charlotte

A portrait of Charlotte Charke traces the life of the controversial eighteenth-century British actress whose comedic talent and identity as the daughter of celebrated actor and playwright Colley Cibber was compromised by her preference for dressing in men's clothing and her suspected homosexuality.
Eighteenth-century London was a theatre writ large: Fielding's satires mocked the Prime Minister, The Beggar's Opera drew raves, and riots broke out over dueling divas of the stage. Spectacle abounded: aristocratic ladies paraded past fire-eaters, prostitutes, and public hangings. Mrs Mapp, the bone-setter, realigned butchers' kneecaps for happy crowds. Yet Charlotte was rarely overlooked. Every day of her life was a grand performance. Born into the famous, sometimes scandalous, theatrical clan