Marie Lloyd Stole My Life

A true story that is a bit “Eastenders” and a bit “Ripper Street”; with songs! A tale of tempestuous relationships, a scandalous divorce, infamous jewel heist and a rescue at sea – all set against the backdrop of the Victorian Music Hall. And all absolutely true! Nelly Power was a male impersonator and headliner at all the major theatres, not to mention a wealthy property owner in her own right. But life was not a bed of roses for our heroine; the melodrama that was her life was played out under the watchful eye of the popular press and, finally usurped by the next teenage sensation, her end was both sad and premature. That “teenage sensation” was, of course, Marie Lloyd! Nelly tells her story with amusing anecdotes and a wry sense of humour. It is a funny and poignant real-life tale of female empowerment in a patriarchal society. Whilst the suffragists are politely protesting outside her place of work, Nelly is on stage using Music Hall’s own brand of subversity to mock the male establishment.