John Lowin and the English Theatre, 1603–1647: Acting and Cultural Politics on the Jacobean and Caroline Stage by Barbara Wooding (review)

If one evaluates a life purely in terms of the cultural and artistic experiences it contains, then John Lowin enjoyed arguably one of the most enviable lives in history. In a theatrical career spanning almost fifty years, he was present (one may assume) at the first performances of almost all Shakespeare’s Jacobean plays: indeed, he was on stage for those first performances, as one of Shakespeare’s leading men. But he was also the first Mammon in The Alchemist; the first Bosola in The Duchess of Malfi; and the creator of identifiable roles in plays by Fletcher, Massinger, and others. In fact, he was a member of the original cast of a large proportion of the masterpieces of Jacobean and Caroline drama. First recorded in Henslowe’s Diary working for Worcester’s Men, he worked his way up to become a senior figure in the King’s Men, the leading theater company of their day, and was for a long time their effective leader. For all these reasons, then, he is a pivotal figure in early modern English theater, and Barbara Wooding’s new biography of him is to be celebrated.

Born (probably) in 1576, John Lowin is first documented for certain in 1594, as an apprentice goldsmith. Chapter 1 of Wooding’s study documents this part of his career, uncovering, for instance, new archival evidence about the shady practices of his master, who was in repeated trouble with the authorities for using substandard metal. After completing his apprenticeship, he starts to appear in Henslowe’s Diary as a member of the relatively obscure Worcester’s Men in connection with such intriguing lost plays as “The Italian Tragedy,” “The Unfortunate General,” and “The Second Part of the Black Dog [of Newgate].” In 1603, Lowin transferred his services to the company soon to be known as the King’s Men. Wooding observes, “It was the best career choice he ever made” (10).

The second chapter, “Pamphlets, Plays, Pageants, and ’Prentices,” traces Lowin’s career up to around 1613. Wooding has intriguing material to go at, including the fascinatingly uninformative print pamphlet Conclusions upon Dances, written by Lowin around 1605; and The Maid’s Tragedy, in which Lowin is known to have played the part of Melantius. Wooding mixes this together with what is known of Lowin’s life story, and with the history of the period and the cultural history of the stage. She uses parish records, literary texts, and theater-history documents to weave the story together. There is a wealth of documentation, although Lowin himself remains an elusive figure. Wooding observes in a later chapter—and it is a recurring note through the book— that “Lowin’s opinion, as always, is not on record” (90).

From 1627 onwards Lowin was one of two “Housekeepers”—effectively, co-leaders—of the King’s Men. As his role as theater manager becomes more important, the book turns into an almost annalistic history of the company. There are long sections on, for instance, Massinger’s The Roman Actor and the challenges it might offer in performance; on the “second war of the theaters,” so called; and on the evolving history of the King’s Men up to the 1642 closure. The one exception to this basic chronological plan is provided by chapter 8, an in-depth discussion of the incomplete manuscript of the Caroline comedy The Soddered Citizen. The manuscript contains numerous signs of revision, in various hands, which, Wooding argues convincingly, demonstrates the input of the players themselves (and by implication of their leader Lowin). A final chapter reviews what is known about Lowin’s activities after the 1642 closure, finding him active in projects such as the attempts to revive playing during the Commonwealth, and the Beaumont and Fletcher publications.

The beauty of a chronological, biographical journey through the theatrical history of this...