Marie Loftus (24 November 1857 – 7 December 1940) was a British

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

entertainer of the late

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

often billed as "The Sarah Bernhardt of the Music Halls" and "The Hibernian Hebe". She became one of the leading stars of music hall from the 1880s to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.Paul Mahoney
''Scotland and the Music Hall, 1850-1914''
Manchester University Press (2003) - Google Books pg. 102

Biography

Loftus was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in 1857 to Irish parents. Her early years were spent living near to the Scotia Music Hall where she danced as a young girl. Her first appearance was at Brown’s Royal Music Hall in her native city in 1874 before moving south to the

Oxford Music Hall Oxford Music Hall was a music hall located in Westminster, London, at the corner of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. It was established on the site of a former public house, the Boar and Castle, by Charles Morton, in 1861. In 1917 the m ...

in London in 1877. Here she became known as "The Sarah Bernhardt of the Music Halls" and quickly became a popular performer leading to tours of the United States and South Africa. By the end of the 19th century she was earning the then immense sum of £100 a week.Paul Mahoney
Biography of Marie Loftus: The Glasgow Story website
/ref> In her native Glasgow Loftus was incredibly popular, and this was reciprocated in her many charitable acts in the city. While appearing at the Britannia Music Hall in Glasgow in 1894 she bought 150 pairs of boots for the poorest children in the city.Janet Muir
''Masks and Faces: The Life and Career of Harry Braham''
Chaplin Books (2014) - Google Books As a

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

principal boy In pantomime, a principal boy role is the young male protagonist of the play, traditionally played by a young actress in boy's clothes. The earliest example is Miss Ellington who in 1852 appeared in ''The Good Woman in the Wood'' by James Planc ...

she wore costumes that enhanced her buxom figure; this was displayed to great effect when Loftus played the title role in ''

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' ( ) is an English adventure novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. Written with a combination of Epistolary novel, epistolary, Confessional writing, confessional, and Didacticism, didactic forms, the ...

'' at the

Theatre Royal, Glasgow The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow and the longest running in Scotland. Located at 282 Hope Street, its front door was originally round the corner in Cowcaddens Street. It currently accommodates 1,541 people and is owned by Scott ...

in 1889 and 1900, and '' Sindbad the Sailor'' in 1895. Such was her fame that in 1892 Loftus appeared in the popular

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

alongside

Marie Lloyd Matilda Alice Victoria Wood (12 February 1870 – 7 October 1922), professionally known as Marie Lloyd (), was an English music hall singer, comedian and musical theatre actress. She was best known for her performances of songs such as "The Boy ...

Ada Blanche Ada Blanche (born Ada Cecilia Blanche Adams; 16 July 1862 – 1 January 1953) was an English actress and singer known early in her career for vivacious performances in Victorian burlesque and pantomime and later in character roles in Edwardian m ...

Dan Leno George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall a ...

Herbert Campbell Herbert Campbell (22 December 1844 – 19 July 1904), born Herbert Edward Story, was an English comedian and actor who appeared in music hall, Victorian burlesques and musical comedies during the Victorian era. He was famous for starring, for ...

and Mabel Love. Making the most of her Scottish and Irish background, Loftus' act ranged from Scottish songs and Irish songs such as 'Kilkenny Kate' to more coquettish songs like "Sister Mary wants to Know". Such risqué numbers occasionally attracted criticism such as that from a critic in the 1890s Glasgow magazine ''The Quiz'' who wrote: "A man in the pit last night thought some of them were 'no verra proper'" Perhaps as a result of this criticism, when performing at the Britannia Music Hall in Glasgow in 1894 her contract stipulated that the management had the right to stipulate which songs and material she would perform and that she would obey the stage manager "in all matters concerning the Stage, Encores, or Addressing the Audience" and should conduct herself "soberly and respectably." Loftus was more famous for such sentimental ballads as "One Touch of Nature Makes the Whole World Kin". An attractive woman with the hour-glass figure popular at the time, she became a favourite

pin-up A pin-up model is a model (person), model whose mass-produced pictures and photographs have wide appeal within the popular culture of a society. Pin-up models are usually glamour photography, glamour, actresses, or fashion models whose pictures ...

beauty among young men during the 1880s and 1890s. Loftus married Benjamin Brown (1848-1926), part of the successful variety group, Brown, Newland & Le Clerc.Frank Cullen (2004) ''Vaudeville Old & New: An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America'', Routledge, Taylor and French, New York The 1891 Census lists the couple as living at 20 Trent Road in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

with Loftus recorded as a "Music Hall Artist", while in 1901 they were living at 3 Maida Vale Mansion in

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district in North West London, England, north of Paddington, southwest of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn, on Edgware Road. It is part of the City of Westminster and is northwest of Charing C ...

in London. Their daughter, Marie Cecelia Brown (1876-1943), like her mother Glasgow-born, was herself a talented mimic and actress who found fame as Cissie Loftus, appearing on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

and the

West End of London The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, Central London, England, in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden and the City of Westminster. It is west of the City of London an ...

. Marie Loftus died in London in December 1940 aged 83.'Mother of Cissie Loftus; Marie Loftus, a Retired Music Artist, Dies in England at 83' - ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' 8 December 1940

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loftus, Marie 1857 births 1940 deaths Musicians from Glasgow 19th-century Scottish women singers Scottish people of Irish descent Women of the Victorian era British stage actresses 19th-century British actresses 20th-century British actresses British music hall performers British vaudeville performers 20th-century Scottish women singers