ROBERT V. KENNY is a former lecturer in French Language and Literature at the University of Leicester, England. He has published widely on French poetry and theatre, and British film comedy. He received STR research grants to help with his research on Francisque Moylin and has published one of our Occasional Essays on an aspect of this.

The “inimitable Monsieur Francisque” (François Moylin, c. 1690-1770), was an extraordinary actor-manager and key figure in the early eighteenth-century theatre world of both England and France. Leader of a family of gifted performers, including his niece, the famous dancer-choreographer Marie Sallé, he took them to every corner of France and beyond, playing before Louis XV as well as George I and II of England.

However, despite his fame among his contemporaries, Francisque’s career has been largely overlooked. Robert V. Kenny resurrects Moylin from the footnotes of theatre history with this detailed case-study of an entrepreneurial actormanager, his troupe and their repertory. Following them from the Paris fairs to the courts of Europe, via one of the worst riots in English theatre history, the book showcases the giddying range of activities and performances undertaken by this family and their associates.

Through the careful piecing together of diverse and fragmentary historical records, Kenny reveals the crucial role played by Francisque and his troupe in the conflict between Parisian fairground players and the established theatres, stressing Francisque’s major contribution to the development of opéra-comique. This book not only revives Moylin’s legacy but enriches our understanding of cross-cultural theatrical exchanges in eighteenth-century Europe.

This book will be published in April 2025 by Boydell and Brewer. Use code BB135 for 35% off!