Toward the end of the eighteenth century, a major transformation took place in British dramatic culture with the emergence of an illegitimate theater and the struggle between London's patent playhouses (Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and the Haymarket) and the new, so-called minor theaters. This is the first book to explore the institutions, genres, and performance history of this illegitimate theater. Jane Moody's lively account considers the prohibition of tragedy and comedy at London's minor theaters, interpretations of Shakespeare, and describes the ingenious ways in which performers circumnavigated the law.