Marie Litton (7 May 1846 – 1 April 1884) was the stage name of Mary Jessie Lowe,Marriage Banns, 1879, for Mary Jessie Lowe and William Wybrow Robertson

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

, accessed 28 December 2014 (pay to view) an English actress and theatre manager. After beginning a stage career in 1868, Litton became an

actor-manager An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used co ...

in 1871, producing plays for four years at the

Court Theatre A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts general ...

, including several by

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

. She also appeared in, and sometimes managed, other

West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes"West End"in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1195, ...

s. In the late 1870s, Litton managed the theatre at the

Royal Aquarium The Royal Aquarium and Winter Garden was a place of amusement in Westminster, London. It opened in 1876, and the building was demolished in 1903. The attraction was located northwest of Westminster Abbey on Tothill Street. The building was design ...

, where she had some of her biggest acting successes, including as Lady Teazle in ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling S ...

'' (1877), Lydia Languish in ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 List of Maverick ...

'' (1878), Miss Hardcastle in ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays ...

'' and Rosalind in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' (both in 1879).

Early life and career

Litton was born in Hartington, Derbyshire, but was raised in Lincolnshire, where her father Thomas Lowe was a clergyman. In 1868 she made her London stage debut at the Princess's Theatre as the title character in ''The Trial of Effie Deans'', a play by

Dion Boucicault Dionysius Lardner "Dion" Boucicault (né Boursiquot; 26 December 1820 – 18 September 1890) was an Irish actor and playwright famed for his melodramas. By the later part of the 19th century, Boucicault had become known on both sides of the ...

, adapted from

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

's novel ''

The Heart of Midlothian ''The Heart of Mid-Lothian'' is the seventh of Sir Walter Scott's Waverley Novels. It was originally published in four volumes on 25 July 1818, under the title of ''Tales of My Landlord, 2nd series'', and the author was given as "Jedediah Clei ...

''. She followed this with the leading role in Boucicault's ''Presumptive Evidence''."Death of Miss Marie Litton", ''The Era'', 5 April 1884, p. 6 Later in 1868, at the opening of the Gaiety Theatre, she played Mrs Cureton in a play by Alfred Thompson, ''On the Cards'', adapted from ''L'Escamoteur'' by Paulin Meunier.Knight, Joseph, revised by J. Gilliland
"Litton, Marie"
''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from History of the British Isles, British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') ...

'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 21 December 2014 She next appeared there as Alice Renshaw in ''Uncle Dick's Darling'', by

H. J. Byron Henry James Byron (8 January 1835 – 11 April 1884) was a prolific English dramatist, as well as an editor, journalist, director, theatre manager, novelist and actor. After an abortive start at a medical career, Byron struggled as a provincia ...

(1869). After this, she appeared for a year for Mrs Nye Chart at the

Theatre Royal, Brighton The Theatre Royal is a theatre in Brighton, East Sussex, England presenting a range of West End and touring musicals and plays, along with performances of opera and ballet. History In 1806, the Prince of Wales (later George IV) gave Royal Assen ...

."Miss Litton"
''The Drawing Room'', March 1882, pp. 443–444 From 1871 to 1874, Litton managed the

, beginning with a play by

, '' Randall's Thumb''. She also produced Gilbert's '' Creatures of Impulse'', ''Great Expectations'' (adapted from the

Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by many as the great ...

novel) and ''On Guard'', all in 1881, and '' The Happy Land'' and '' The Wedding March'', both in 1873. Litton appeared in most of the plays that she produced, receiving favourable critical reviews for the "grace of manner" of her acting. At times during her tenure at the Court, she also appeared at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...

; there she created the role of Zayda in Gilbert's '' The Wicked World'' (1873). She also briefly managed the Queen's Theatre. She created the role of Caroline Effingham in Gilbert's ''

Tom Cobb ''Tom Cobb or, Fortune's Toy'' is a farce in three-acts (styled "An Entirely Original Farcical Comedy") by W. S. Gilbert. The story concerns Tom, a young debtor who pretends to be a recently deceased man to avoid his debts. A family claims to i ...

'' at the

St James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham (tenor), John Braham; it lost mone ...

in 1875, and played Mrs Montressor in ''Unequal Match'' by

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...

at the

Prince of Wales's Theatre The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772; the last was demolished in 1969, after a catastrophic fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was known as th ...

.Boase, Frederic
"Litton, Marie"
''Modern English Biography: I–Q'' (Vol 2), Netherton and Worth, 1897

Royal Aquarium and later years

Litton played Lady Teazle in ''

'' in 1877 at the

's theatre. In 1878, she became the manager of that theatre (renamed the Imperial Theatre in 1879), succeeding her husband. Her company there, which included the veteran actor

Samuel Phelps Samuel Phelps (13 February 1804 – 6 November 1878) was an English actor-manager. He is known for reviving the fortunes of the neglected Sadler's Wells Theatre and for his productions of Shakespeare's plays which were presented with attenti ...

and such other notable actors as Hermann Vezin,

Kyrle Bellew Harold Kyrle Money Bellew (28 March 1850 – 2 November 1911) was an English stage and silent film actor. He notably toured with Cora Urquhart Brown-Potter, Cora Brown-Potter in the 1880s and 1890s, and was cast as the leading man in many s ...

and

Lionel Brough Lionel "Lal" Brough (10 March 1836 – 8 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. H ...

, produced revivals of classic English comedies. There, she played Lydia Languish in an 1897 revival of ''

'' and Miss Hardcastle in ''

'', in 1879, for a long run. She also produced there a revival of Gilbert's ''Great Expectations'' in 1877, the farce ''Fun in a Fog'' and ''Family Honour'' by Frank Marshall (both in 1878), ''

The Beaux' Stratagem ''The Beaux' Stratagem'' is a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty's Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on 8 March 1707. In the play, Archer and Aimwell, two young gentlemen who have falle ...

'' by

George Farquhar George Farquhar (1677The explanation for the dual birth year appears in Louis A. Strauss, ed., A Discourse Upon Comedy, The Recruiting Officer, and The Beaux' Stratagem by George Farquhar' (Boston: D.C. Heath & Co., 1914), p. v. Strauss notes t ...

and '' The Poor Gentleman'' (1879). She also played Olivia in ''

The Vicar of Wakefield ''The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale, Supposed to Be Written by Himself'' is a 1766 novel by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith (1728–1774). It was written from 1761 to 1762 and published in 1766. It was one of the most popular and widely read 18 ...

'' at the Imperial. She played Rosalind in ''

'' at the Imperial in 1879 before transferring to the

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 ...

, earning "universal" critical praise. At the Gaiety in 1879, while still managing the Imperial, she managed the matinees, at which she played Peggy in

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...

's '' The Country Girl''. Litton also briefly managed the new Theatre Royal 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 and also toured the north with her Imperial company, but returned to the Drury Lane in 1881, playing Eve de Malvoisie in the melodrama ''Youth'' by

Augustus Harris Sir Augustus Henry Glossop Harris (18 March 1852 – 22 June 1896) was a British actor, impresario, and dramatist, a dominant figure in the West End theatre, West End theatre of the 1880s and 1890s. Born into a theatrical family, Harris brief ...

and Paul John Meritt. In 1882, she played the female lead in ''Son of the Soil'' and Daisy Bret in

Herman Merivale Herman Merivale CB (8 November 1806 – 8 February 1874) was an English civil servant and historian. He was the elder brother of Charles Merivale, and father of the poet Herman Charles Merivale. He was born at Dawlish, Devon to John Her ...

's ''The Cynic'', among other works, and created the role of Vere Herbert in ''Moths'', an adaptation by Henry Hamilton of

Ouida Maria Louise Ramé (1 January 1839 – 25 January 1908), going by the name Marie Louise de la Ramée and known by the pseudonym Ouida ( ), was an English novelist. Ouida wrote more than 40 novels, as well as short stories, children's boo ...

's novel of the same name, at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

, her last major success. An obituary in '' The Era'' noted her generosity with aid, advice and friendly help to others in the theatrical profession and commented: "Her vivacity and versatility were associated with a refinement and intelligence commanding not only the admiration of playgoers, but the esteem and respect of all acquainted with her in private life." Litton had a long affair with the married theatre manager, William Wybrow Robertson (1831–1908), beginning by 1865, and after his wife died, they married in 1879. By mid-1882 Litton's health was declining with the cancer that would eventually kill her, and she was forced to retire, making only a few more appearances on stage. She moved with her husband and two children to

Ascot, Berkshire Ascot () is a town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is south of Windsor, east of Bracknell and west of London. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the Royal Ascot meeti ...

, and she died in

South Kensington South Kensington is a district at the West End of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with the advent of the ra ...

, London, in 1884, at the age of 37."Death of Marie Litton", ''Edinburgh Evening News'', 2 April 1884

Notes

References

*Adams, William Davenport (1904).
''A Dictionary of the Drama''
Chatto & Windus

External links

Portrait; cabinet card
{{DEFAULTSORT:Litton, Marie People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan British women theatre managers and producers Actor-managers 1846 births 1884 deaths People from Hartington, Derbyshire 19th-century English theatre managers 19th-century English businesswomen