In 1709, playwright John Dennis staged a production of Appius and Virginia, a tragedy set in ancient Rome. Critics didn’t like the show but were impressed by a new ‘thunder machine’ that had been built to create sound effects for stormy scenes. Appius and Virginia ran for only a few nights and was soon replaced by a production of Macbeth. When Dennis turned up to watch the Scottish Play, he was shocked to hear his distinctive sound effect being used: they had literally stolen his thunder.
