page_title: Kitty Loftus
section_title: Peak career and later years
hierarchical_section_title: Kitty Loftus / Peak career and later years
caption_attribution_description: English: 'Miss Kitty Loftus as 'Trilby' - The Sketch, 22 January 1896, pg. 659
context_page_description: Kitty Loftus was an English dancer, singer and actor-manager. A leading soubrette of the 1890s and 1900s in comedies, burlesque, pantomime and musical plays, at the height of her career she performed with her Kitty Loftus Company. One critic praised her as "a tricky sprite and a fantastic elf." In her last years, she performed in variety in music halls and on tour.
context_section_description: In 1893 Loftus created the title role of Phyllis in the touring production of the most successful of the early variety musical comedies, The Lady Slavey, and in 1894 she was Eric in the pantomime Santa Claus at the Lyceum Theatre. Loftus appeared as Emma opposite Arthur Roberts in Gentleman Joe at the Prince of Wales Theatre (1895), Janet in Biarritz (1896) and Mrs. Bailey in The White Silk Dress (1896). In early 1896 she was playing the title role in Trilby at the Prince of Wales. She starred as Dora Selwyn in the supposedly Armenian musical The Yashmak (1897) and appeared in The Swineherd and the Emperor's New Clothes at Terry's Theatre (1898). She was Princess Petula in Her Royal Highness by Basil Hood and Walter Slaughter at the Vaudeville Theatre (1898), played the Maid-Servant in A Good Time at the Opera Comique (1899) and was a replacement player in the title role of The French Maid at the Vaudeville Theatre (1898). 
  She made her first appearance in America as Denise in the musical In Gay Paree at the New York Theatre (1899). Back in England, she played Harriet in Shock-Headed Peter at the Garrick Theatre (1900), Lucy in The Rivals at the Haymarket Theatre (1900), and the title role on tour in English Nell in 1901. She went to court to make a legal challenge against her old partner Arthur Roberts when he dropped her as co-star for his West End season of HMS Irresponsible (1900) after the pre-London tour in favour of Kate Cutler; on losing the case she played in Shakespeare with Frank Benson, and appeared as Maude Sportington in a revival of Morocco Bound (1901) and in the title role of the musical comedy Bébé (1901). 
  She produced and starred in the musical comedy Naughty Nancy at the Savoy Theatre (1902), was Margery Goring in her own production of the three-act comedy A Maid from School at Terry's Theatre (1904), and played the title role in her own production of the burlesque The Duchess of Silliecrankie (1904), again at Terry's Theatre. Loftus was in the pantomime at the London Pavilion from December 1905. In 1906 she made a tour of South Africa with George Robey.
  The latter part of her career was spent in variety, with Loftus appearing in music halls such as the Holborn Empire in 1908, at the London Coliseum and touring the provinces. From 1910 to 1911 she was in The Critic at Her Majesty's Theatre.
caption: In the title role in Trilby at the Prince of Wales Theatre (1896)
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