Ada Reeve: Difference between revisions

Adelaide Mary Reeve was born in London on 3 March 1874. Her father was Samuel Isaacs, an actor who changed his name to Charles Reeves, and her mother was Harriet née Seaman, a dancer. She was of [[Jews|Jewish]] descent.<ref>[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12632-reeve-ada "Ada Reeve",] ''The Jewish Encyclopedia''</ref><ref>[https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0017_0_16559.html Jewish Virtual Library]</ref> She made her first appearance on the stage at the age of four in the [[pantomime]] ''Red Riding Hood'' on [[Boxing Day]] 1878 at the [[Pavilion Theatre, Whitechapel]] and continued to play in pantomimes. As a young child, she toured for several years with the Frederick Wright Dramatic Company, performing with the young [[Huntley Wright]] and his family. Her first role with them was "Little Willie" in ''East Lynne''.<ref name=Girls>[http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10166223 "Girls and the Stage",] ''The Argus'' (Melbourne, Australia), 11 July 1908, p. 5. Reeve said she was six years old when she joined Wright's company, while other sources say she was ten.</ref><ref name=Lipton>Lipton, Martina. [http://www.its-behind-you.com/adareeve.html "Ada Reeve: A 'True Artist' of Pantomime"], It'sBehindYou.com-Ada Reeve 19 March 2008</ref> A series of pantomime and dramatic roles followed, many at the Pavilion. When she was 14 years old, Reeve's father's health failed, and she was left to support her family, so she began working as a [[music hall]] performer, finding immediate success.<ref name=Girls/> As a child, she performed under the name "Little Ada Reeves", but she shortened her surname to Reeve by 1886.