Stored in the chairman's office of the National Theatre in London is a bust of Lena Ashwell with the caption “Actress and Pioneer of a National Theatre.” Other than this small remembrance, Ashwell's contributions to British theatre have been almost overlooked. Margaret Leask's Lena Ashwell: Actress, Patriot, Pioneer is an impressive, well researched, and thoughtful biography that seeks to bring to light the magnificent work of this almost-forgotten theatre artist. Leask's book portrays Ashwell as an important innovator who was “influential in changing attitudes and providing positive examples through her commitment to improving the conditions of work and status of actors” (226). Scholarship of the Edwardian era typically focuses on the most well-known personalities: Ellen Terry, Henry Irving, Charles Wyndham, or George Bernard Shaw, among others. Leask's biography, however, reminds us that alongside the glamour of the early nineteenth-century London stage there was also controversial and selfless hard work, by Ashwell and others, which formed the foundation for an upcoming century of experimentation and innovation in English theatre.

Ashwell began her career as a successful actress on the West End stage, and in the first chapter of the book, Leask details her collaborations with some of the most famous figures of the time. Using contemporary reviews, the book characterizes Ashwell's life on the stage as full of highs and lows. She was often described by theatre critics as too modern and “neurotic” to be a great Shakespearean actress, and subsequently Ashwell became a representative of the “new woman” in Edwardian theatre. Known for her roles in contemporary plays such as Mrs. Dane's Defence (1900) or Diana of Dobson's (1908), her performances were associated with “realism” on the stage.

That said, it is not really her legacy as an actor that is the central focus of this study. Much of Leask's book details, instead, the meticulous and exhausting work Ashwell and her troupe did to entertain British soldiers stationed abroad with musical entertainments and comedies, work that resulted in her being one of the women who received an inaugural Order of the British Empire in 1917—the first time women were included in an order of chivalry. In the pamphlet “Laughing to Hide Our Tears,” Ashwell developed the idea that entertainment is a necessary way to cope with tragedy. She lived this idea, bringing entertainment to thousands affected by World War I. She tirelessly threw YMCA concert parties and toured extensively at home and abroad. Using newspaper clippings, Ashwell's own journals, photographs, and theatre advertisements, Leask gives an impressive account of her subject's devotion to the troops and her incredible patriotic work as an entertainer.

Leask's book also traces Ashwell's work as a theatre manager. She was, after all, one of the few women to step into this traditionally male-dominated profession. Her story begins after an unsuccessful tour in America, when Ashwell returned to Britain, somewhat disappointed. Instead of dwelling on her experience in North America, she forged ahead, leasing the Great Queen Street Theatre and renaming it the Kingsway. It is this work that finally allowed Ashwell to, as Leask describes it, “relish[ ] her reputation as an individual” (71). Harley Granville-Barker's productions at the Savoy Theatre in 1912 and 1914 were highly influential as were his ideas about the merits of ensemble work, and Ashwell shared his views. Both artists strongly advocated for a state-supported theatre, knowing that it was not only necessary but one of the only ways really meaningful drama could survive in England. Though the origins of the Arts Council of Great Britain began in 1930, Leask describes Ashwell's groundbreaking work with local councils in the 1920s as an important (and overlooked) forerunner to the beginnings of publicly funded theatre. Ashwell's long commitment and painstaking legwork on this issue led to a National Theatre. Leask details the ways in which Ashwell sought new playwrights (particularly women), created repertory companies, and cultivated her relationship with the community.

In conclusion, this biography is meticulously written with an almost overwhelming amount of information on the life and work of Lena Ashwell. Leask's book includes little about her subject's personal relationships or family life, emphasizing instead the professional accomplishments and failures of a unique, gifted, insightful, and always hard-working theatre artist. A welcome companion to Ashwell's own version of her life in the theatre, Myself a Player (1936), Leask's biography is comprehensive and an important addition to the history of British theatre.