TBS+PC

-Colleen Delany, Drew Eshelman and Rick Foucheux-The Shakespeare Theatre; PC: Carol Rosegg

“Charmed with the spirit of Archer and Aimwell, the reader may not, perhaps, immediately perceive that those two fine gentlemen are but imposters; and that the lively, though pitiable Mrs. Sullen is no other than a deliberate violator of her marriage vow. Highly delighted with every character, he will not, perhaps, at first observe that all the wise and witty persons of this comedy are knaves, and all the honest people fools.” Elizabeth Inchbald. British Theatre. 1808.



George Farquhar (1676/7–1707) was born in Londonderry, one of seven children of an Anglican clergyman. Though little is known about his childhood, in 1696 he joined the acting company in the Smock Alley Theatre (Dublin) in 1696, but stage fright and a weak voice hampered his performances. According to biographers, his friend Robert Wilks suggested that Farquhar leave acting and write comedy- and that’s precisely what he did. Frequent bouts of illness marked both his life and his writings. Farquhar perhaps suffered from rheumatic fever; he often wrote of long and debilitating fevers, rheumatism, and aching extremities, particularly his hands. He is famous for his creation of a new kind of rakish hero, less extravagant and foppish and more believably human. At twenty-one years old, he was by far the season's most successful playwright. Although his genius lay in comedy, he dabbled in many other genres. During the spring and summer of 1701 he published letters and poems in several miscellanies. By February 1706 Farquhar had a mere fifteen months to live, yet during this period he produced his two best-known, liveliest comedies, The Recruiting Officer and The Beaux' Stratagem. He died soon after and was buried at St Martin-in-the-Fields on 23 May 1707. With his last two plays, Farquhar finally got recognition appropriate to his achievements. His entire career had spanned a mere eight and a half years. Seven comedies, an afterpiece, a novella, a miscellany, a discourse on comedy, poems, songs, prologues, and epilogues, not to mention a military career, marriage, and parenthood were comprehended in that short span. He influenced comedy with believable characters, fallible and funny, humanly inconsistent, foolish yet endearing.

__Synopsis__ "...highwaymen, marriage-hunters, a French chaplain, a locked moneybox and a lot of odd disguises..." S et in 1707 in Lichfield, England, __The Beaux-Stratagem__ tells the story of two young bucks who, having spent all their money by living too well, leave London and roam from town to town in search of love and fortune. In order to find a wealthy heiress for at least one of them, they pose as master and servant – exchanging roles from one town to the next. In Lichfield, with Aimwell posing as his older brother Lord Aimwell and Archer becoming the servant, the two meet the lovely, wealthy Dorinda and her equally desirable sister-in-law, Mrs. Kate Sullen. They set their caps for these women, but problems abound. Kate is married to a drunken sot who despises her; the innkeeper’s saucy daughter, Cherry, has set her cap for Archer; Dorinda’s mother, Lady Bountiful, guards her daughter like a dragoness; and a band of highwaymen plan to rob the house of Lady Bountiful that very night, putting all schemes in jeopardy. The men fend off the robbers, but the love-struck Aimwell confesses their scheme to Dorinda only to find that his older brother has died, leaving him the title and the wealth. The two lovers agree to marry and, after the Sullens agree to dissolve their marriage, Kate and Archer are also free to wed. (Adapted from The Oxford Companion to English Literature and http://www.kenludwig.com)

Assumptions of Romantic Restoration comedy: that love will win out in the end, that the characters who spar with each other will end up together, that a little disguise and trickery is necessary to achieve a happy ending.

__History (General)__

The Beaux Stratagem opened on 8 March 1707 at the new Queen's Theatre in the Haymarket, It ran for ten nights only, owing to benefits. Robert Wilks (a brother-Irishman), who performed Archer, was the foremost actor of the day. He was Farquhar's lifelong friend, and appeared in almost all his plays. The comedy was immediately successful, and the theatres competed shamelessly by running other Farquhar comedies against it. It played 632 times during the eighteenth century, 194 times as benefits for actors and others, who picked the most popular plays to assure good receipts. It was published on 28 March 1707; more than fifty editions appeared during the eighteenth century. In its day, The Beaux’ Stratagem was a great success with the London audiences. It became part of the standard repertoire of Restoration comedies, and Boniface’s catchphrase “as the saying is...”, became part of English slang for a time. The name of Lady Bountiful is still used today, though generally to describe a condescending person.

In 2004 the play was adapted to modern times and put on at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C.. Besides language, the characters motivations were drastically changed to become more accessible.

"Streamlined and updated to satisfy contemporary comic sensibilities, George Farquhar's The Beaux' Stratagem is a delightful romp that seamlessly reaches across the centuries to combine the old with the new." -Michael Toscano of theatre media, 2006 (review of the modernized version). "Wrapped up with a happy ending, The Beaux' Stratagem sparkles with sharp wit that skewers the conventions of 300 years ago -- and a few of our own time as well."

-Christopher Innvar, Ian Bedford, and Veanne Cox in //The Beaux' Stratagem//

__Life in early 1700s Social Class__

Two hundred years ago, the barriers of the Victorian class system rigidly defined the role of a woman. Divided into four distinct classes, Nobility and Gentry, Middle Class, "Upper" Working Class, and "Lower" Working class, these women each had their own specific standards and roles. They were expected to adhere to these standards alone, and it was considered a high offense to adopt to the standards of another. The highest class was the Nobility and Gentry, who inherited their land, titles, and wealth. To the outsider, it might seem as if women of this class did very little--but their work was very important and sometimes very hard, as they were expected to manage the home and the household. As Etty Raverat, who was a young women in the late 1800s, said, "Ladies were ladies in those days; they did not do things themselves, they told others what to do and how to do it" However, this lifestyle left ample time for leisure. Social parties and balls were held often. Dancing was a favorite pastime among most upper-class women and men. An evening party often would end with a few sets among the four or five couples present. Unmarried women spent a great deal of time with other unmarried women. However, once a woman was married her role was considered manager of the household, and she had much less time than before to walk and talk with former friends. Though the life of an upper class woman might seem easier and more secure than that of a lower class woman, it was not always so. Land, titles, and money were inherited by the closest male relative--typically the older son, but if there was no older son then it would go to a more distant relation. Only the small amount of money set aside as a woman’s marriage dowry went to an unmarried woman after the death of her father. As a result, many mothers and daughters were left extremely poor after the death of their husband and father.

__Pictures__



-Veanne Cox and Christopher Innvar in The Beaux' Stratagem at The Shakespeare Theatre; PC: Carol Rosegg

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Laura Graham



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