Peg of Old Drury

Synopsis: Feature film based on the life of the eighteenth-century actress Peg Woffington. Born in Dublin, she came to London and became a famous actress under David Garrick’s guidance. She suffered from a weak heart and died at Drury Lane following a performance of As You Like It. Contains passages, in eighteenth century performance, from The Merchant of Venice, Richard III and As You Like It.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Film
Technical information: Black-and-white / Sound
Year of release: 1935
Notes: Stuart Robertson, the brother of Anna Neagle, shot some footage on the set of ‘Peg’ which shows that scenes were also shot featuring Hardwicke in Hamlet (brief clips from the ghost scene and the graveyard scene) and King Lear. Neagle also apparently acted in the latter. Neither of these plays made it to the final cut. The Robertson footage is mute and is held by the BFI National Archive (master preservation material only (9/2007).
Keywords: Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Wooffington, Peg