Following a run at the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum in the summer, Johnson & Garrick: A Friendship in Constant Repair is now on display at Samuel Johnson’s House. In celebration of the tercentenary of Garrick’s birth (1717-1779), the exhibition follows his life from his early days in Lichfield (where he met Johnson) and their journey to London together.

The exhibition is spread throughout the house with the themes divided into Acts and Scenes on each level: Act I – Early Life & Lichfield; Act II – The London Stage; Act III – Shakespeare (including dedicated space to Garrick’s Jubilee); Act IV – Legacy. Red-topped labels distinguish exhibition items from those in the permanent collection. Except for one minor issue (the festive decorations over fireplaces blocked the view of some labels) the layout was clear. At times this spread compromised the coherency of the exhibition themes, rendering it a little disjointed, but overall it lent itself to the sense that Garrick and Johnson were closely linked and that theatre bled into all aspects of both their lives.

Although this small exhibition does not offer many new insights to those already familiar with the topic, it does showcase an impressive array of material, from prints and playbills to books and personal effects, drawn from the Garrick Club, Potteries Museum, Dr. Johnson’s House and the Birthplace Museum. Particularly striking is Garrick’s exquisite gold and enamel ring that features a miniature portrait of Shakespeare set into the band. Other highlights include Garrick’s powder puff, the walking sticks of both men, the Shakespeare Mulberry Wood Cup, Garrick’s snuff box – I could go on.

The curator successfully uses the objects as more than just a catalogue of items belonging to the pair; they are used to gain an insight into the otherwise intangible concept of friendship. Johnson’s punchbowl, for example, allows for a sweet anecdote about Garrick’s ‘party piece’ in which he delighted in gently mocking his friend’s Staffordshire accent by shouting out ‘Who’s for poonsh!’.

Friendship therefore provides a fresh perspective into the lives of these well-known men. The exhibition title plays on the meaning of ‘repair’ as restorative, but also the now rare definitions meaning gathering together or journeying. All are fitting to Johnson and Garrick. Though their friendship was lifelong, the exhibition highlights fractious moments, for example, due to their conflicting ideas about Shakespeare (which saw Johnson’s absence from the Shakespeare Jubilee in 1769) or Johnson’s disapproval of Garrick’s display of wealth.

Nevertheless they are shown to be a constant in each other’s lives from their time in Lichfield and journey to London onwards. It was Johnson, for instance, who wrote the prologue for Garrick’s first night as manager of Drury Lane theatre in 1747 (which contains the oft-quoted line ‘The drama’s laws, the drama’s patrons give’).

There are poignant moments highlighted too: amidst the outpouring of public grief following Garrick’s death in 1779 (a ticket to his funeral is on display) we read of Johnson’s personal grief – having refused to believe that Garrick had been ill. It is at moments like this that the exhibition touches upon some of the key ideas in celebrity studies – the elusive ‘real’ person as opposed to the ‘public’ man.

For the most part, however, the exhibition offers an enjoyable introduction to the world of eighteenth-century theatre. Given its general audience it would benefit from some more background information. For example, although both Johnson and Garrick played important parts in popularising Shakespeare, it is important to contextualise them alongside others – Fiona’s Ritchie’s work on women and Shakespeare offers a helpful counterpoint to the Garrick-centric focus that tends to dominate stories of Shakespeare’s rise in popularity. In fact there are only passing references to and a few images of Garrick’s female co-stars – inevitably in a small exhibition there will be absences, but making more of Garrick’s leading ladies would give greater depth to our understanding of Garrick’s success in comparison to his contemporaries – an opportunity, perhaps, for future work.

Despite these minor drawbacks, this is a pleasant exhibition that showcases the richness of eighteenth-century theatrical culture, friendship and fame. It will be of particular interest to those with only a little knowledge of Garrick and eighteenth-century theatre – but the objects on display are a treat for all.

Johnson and Garrick: A Friendship in Constant Repair is currently at Dr Johnson’s House, London.