An age of happy endings

A small but beautifully staged exhibition is now on show in the garret of Dr Johnson’s House in London. It was in this room that Johnson worked on his mammoth Dictionary of the English Language. A large roof-space with eaves and heavily charred roof timbers (the roof was set on fire by the Germans a couple of times during the second world war), it’s been taken over temporarily by the personality of his friend (and former pupil) David Garrick. For almost 30 years, from 1747 to 1776, Garrick as actor-manager was in charge of the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, thrilling audiences with his performances as Richard III, or reducing them to helpless laughter as Don Felix in The Wonder (by Susannah Centlivre).

Behind the Scenes: The Hidden Life of Georgian Theatre takes us backstage, with exhibits ranging from Garrick’s powder puff (like a miniature conch made of rippled leather) to the notebook in which he listed the time taken for each act of all the major plays in the repertoire.