Part 1: Beginnings - Was ever a man possest
Kitty Clive was the most famous singer- actress of the mid- eighteenth century and sought after by the managers of Drury Lane theatre. Composers such as Pepusch, Arne and Handel composed arias specifically for her and she even collaborated with them on rewriting music to make it fit her style and persona, leading and creating new forms of English musical theatre.
Clive championed women’s rights at the playhouse throughout her career, defined her own image and, after her voice started to change in older age, she reimagined herself as the first female comedian.
Part 1 follows Kitty Clives early days - from her discovery, to her self-invention and the possessiveness and infatuation the most influential men of the Beggar’s opera - composers and managers alike – hold for her.
Exploring her rise to fame, with star roles in cantatas and operatic arias, she establishes herself as THE star of Drury Lane, picking the most fitting roles for her character as well as new or reworked compositions dedicated specifically to her.