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In the first book-length study of the work and legacy of West End actor-manager George Alexander since the 1930s, George Alexander and the Work of the Actor Manager examines the key part this figure played in presenting new drama by authors including Oscar Wilde and Henry James. The book sheds new light on the figure of the actor-manager, assessing in detail the influence of Alexander within and beyond his time.
At the St. James's Theatre in London between 1891 and 1918, through a range of strategies including the support of new writers, and adaptation of fiction to the stage, Alexander sustained professional status through practices that continue to be reflected in the cultural industries today. A range of evidence is employed including production reviews, anecdotal accounts, financial records, and personal correspondence, to reveal how he operated as a business entrepreneur as well as an artistic innovator.
List of contents
1. Introduction.- 2. George Alexander and the St. James's 'brand'.- 3. The actor-manager system: autonomy and collaboration.- 4. The actor-manager system: the role of the playwright.- 5. Managing risk: cross-sector adaptation.- 6. The Legacy of Alexander at the St. James's Theatre.
About the author
Lucie Sutherland is Assistant Professor in Drama at the University of Nottingham, UK, based within the School of English. As a researcher, she is particularly concerned with British, commercial theatre from the late-nineteenth century to the present day.
Report
"Sutherland's book captures an important period in the development of the West End. In tracing the web of interrelations between audience and stage and by exploring the wider creation of a burgeoning consumer culture and Alexander's tight management of actors, playwrights, and gentlemanly financial backers, the author helps us to understand the complexities of James's career in the theater. ... The literary playwright would find his home more easily today." (Sarah Chambré, The Henry James Review, Vol. 42 (2), 2021)
