Difference between revisions of "Baby Benson"
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
== Biography == | == Biography == | ||
| − | A product of the 19th interest in child actors, she was a "child phenomenon" from the USA, who made a name for herself, ''inter alia'' performing to some acclaim at the Adelphi Theatre in London in about 1877. | + | A product of the 19th interest in child actors, she was a "child phenomenon" from the USA, who made a name for herself, ''inter alia'' performing to some acclaim at the Adelphi Theatre in London in about 1877. |
| + | |||
| + | She was a member of the [[Benson Combination Troupe]] who toured Australia in 1876 and South Africa in 1878. | ||
==Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance== | ==Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance== | ||
Revision as of 12:50, 12 June 2026
Baby Benson (fl. 1870s) was a celebrated child performer.
Contents
Biography
A product of the 19th interest in child actors, she was a "child phenomenon" from the USA, who made a name for herself, inter alia performing to some acclaim at the Adelphi Theatre in London in about 1877.
She was a member of the Benson Combination Troupe who toured Australia in 1876 and South Africa in 1878.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
Having apparently gone on an international tour, she appeared in a production of Beauty and the Beast in The Athenaeum Theatre, Cape Town for a short season (22 April to 4 May 1878). Billed as the Baby Benson Pantomime, it was directed by Monsieur Frigerio, using a libretto in part written by St John Knight. The production was done in association with the local Dramatic Recital Society.
Sources
Dennis Denisoff (ed). 2016. The Nineteenth-Century Child and Consumer Culture, Routledge[1]
F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1916. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp. 367
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/37139043
Go to the ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to ESAT Personalities B
Return to South African Theatre Personalities
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
