Keeley, Mary Ann

1805

1899

Born Mary Ann Goward at Ipswich in 1805, she was trained as a singer and made her debut at the Lyceum on 2 July 1825 in the title role of “Rosina”. She appeared on 28 November, at Covent Garden as Margaretta in “No Song, No Supper”. After marrying the low comedian Robert Keeley (q.v.) in 1829, she appeared with him regularly at Covent Garden and the English Opera (the Lyceum), and in June 1833 they were engaged at the Coburg, renamed the Victoria. After a journey to America, they joined Madame Vestris at the Olympic in 1838 and in 1841 were with Macready at Drury Lane. In 1844 they took over the management of the Lyceum with Strutt, playing there in many farces and burlesques until 1847. Subsequently they engaged with Charles Kean at the Princess’s Theatre, with Webster at the Haymarket, and then at the Adelphi for five years. After her husband’s death in 1869, Mrs Keeley retired from the stage, lived another 30 years, and died in 1899. In addition to the title role in “Jack Sheppard”, she excelled in such characters as Dame Quickly in “Henry IV”, Mrs Page in “The Merry Wives of Windsor”, Nydia in “The Last Days of Pompeii” and Smirke in an adaptation of “Nicholas Nickleby”. (DNB, OCT)