One-Act Play Collection includes 6 one-act plays in the public domain.

William is a mischievous eleven year old who is puzzled by the adult world, which is no less puzzled by him. The humor is gentle and pleasing. The series of books is better known in the United Kingdom than in the U.S. (

If you're a Jane Austen fan, you'll enjoy Emily Eden's comic novels of manners, The Semi-Detached House (1859) and The Semi-Attached Couple (1860). At the opening of The Semi-Detached House, the beautiful (but rather petulant) Lady Blanche Chester, newly married and pregnant, is being installed in a suburban house while her husband is away. Her encounters with her neighbors, and the intrigues of the neighborhood, soon come to absorb and annoy her.

A parody of its famous predecessor, this short piece was written by Owen Wister for the Harvard Lampoon

Excerpted anecdotes from the biographies of Swift, Curran, O'Leary and O'Connell, relating humorous snippets of politics in 18th and 19th century Ireland. For some these may be poignant in addition to being humorous and for others they may be humorous in addition to being poignant. (

An outbreak of plague in London forces a gentleman, Lovewit, to flee temporarily to the country, leaving his house under the sole charge of his butler, Jeremy. Jeremy uses the opportunity given to him to use the house as the headquarters for fraudulent acts. He transforms himself into 'Captain Face', and enlists the aid of Subtle, a fellow conman and Dol Common, a prostitute. In The Alchemist, Jonson unashamedly satirizes the follies, vanities and vices of mankind, most notably greed-induced credulity...

The hero of the book is at a loose end, weary and bored of his old life after returning from the Great War. After an argument with his uncle and a railway strike he finds himself lost in the county of Norfolk at ten o’clock one night. When he seeks shelter in a country home, the butler immediately recognizes him as “Mr. Alfred”, the missing son of the house. From that point onwards, our hero, who gives his name as “James Smith”, finds himself in for an exciting time.Not only does he inherit the friends of “Mr...

Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Among Molière's best-known works is Tartuffe or The Hypocrite, written in 1664. Though Tartuffe was received well by the public and even by Louis XIV, its popularity was lessened when the Archbishop of Paris issued an edict threatening excommunication for anyone who watched, performed in, or read the play.Tartuffe, a pious fraud who pretends to speak with divine authority, has insinuated himself into the household of Orgon...

The Roaring Girl is a rip-roaring Jacobean comedy co-written by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker and first published in 1611. The play is a fictionalized dramatization of the life of Mary Frith, known as "Moll Cutpurse", a woman who had gained a reputation as a virago in the early 17th century. (The term "roaring girl" was adapted from the slang term "roaring boy", which was applied to a young man who caroused publicly, brawled, and committed petty crimes.) The play combines the exploits of the cross-dressed Moll with the amorous adventures of a trio of merchants' wives, and the forbidden romance between Sebastian Wengrave and Mary Fitzallard.

This 1895 farce inspired by the outlandish idea of women wearing pants, centers around the predicament of the three daughters of the eccentric Marchioness of Castlejordan, who determined to have sons, raised them like boys. She encouraged them to dress and act like boys at home, yet dress like ladies when out. As the girls come of age, they are conflicted. They want to please mother by acting as her sons, but, suddenly smitten with three gentlemen, they are compelled to grow up and be ladies. When their suitors secretly come to woo, they aren’t sure what to do……and what will mother do if she finds out?

Before he became a novelist, Dickens wrote several successful plays. This one from 1836, his first, he called, "A Comic Burletta in Two Acts". Characters arrive at a village inn called "The St. James Arms" and much confusion ensues.

A collection of comedic short stories from the perspective of an old country man.

The Imaginary Invalid is a three-act comédie-ballet by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed in 1673 and was the last work he wrote. The plot centers around Argan, the 'imaginary invalid' who is completely dependent on his doctors and wants to marry his daughter to a doctor against her will, so that he will always have medical care freely available to him. In an ironic twist of fate, Molière collapsed during his fourth performance as Argan on 17 February and died soon after.

The Miser is a comedy of manners about a rich moneylender named Harpagon. His feisty children long to escape from his penny-pinching household and marry their respective lovers. Although the 17th-century French upper classes presumably objected to the play's message, it is less savage and somewhat less realistic than Molière's earlier play, Tartuffe, which attracted a storm of criticism on its first performance.

Young Laroon plans to marry Isabel, but Father Martin manipulates Isabel's father, Jourdain, in order to seduce Isabel. However, other characters, including both of the Laroons, try to manipulate Jourdain for their own ends; they accomplish it through disguising themselves as priests and using his guilt to convince him of what they say. As Father Martin pursues Isabel, she is clever enough to realize what is happening and plans her own trap. After catching him and exposing his lust, Father Martin is set to be punished.

John Fletcher's comedy (probably written and performed around 1611) is a sequel to Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, in which, as the title suggests, the tamer will be tamed. Petruchio, the shrew-tamer, has been widowed, and marries a second wife, Maria, a "chaste witty lady." At the instigation of her cousin Bianca, and with the fellowship of her sister Livia, Maria decides to go on strike for equal rights, refusing to behave as a proper 17th century wife. Fletcher's play addresses the issue of men and women's roles within marriage, a controversial issue for his day.

Athens is in a sorry state of affairs. The great tragedian, Euripides, is dead, and Dionysus, the god of the theater, has to listen to third-rate poetry. So, he determines to pack his belongings onto his trusty slave, Xanthias, and journey to the underworld to bring back Euripides! Hi-jinks ensue.

Strepsiades is an Athenian burdened with debt from a bad marriage and a spendthrift son. He resolves to go to the Thinking Shop, where he can purchase lessons from the famous Socrates in ways to manipulate language in order to outwit his creditors in court. Socrates, represented as a cunning, manipulative, irreverent sophist, has little success with the dull-witted Strepsiades, but is able to teach the old man's son Phidippides a few tricks. In the end, the play is a cynical, clever commentary on Old Ways vs. New Ways, to the disparagement of the former.

The Two Noble Kinsmen is a Jacobean tragicomedy co-written by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher, first published in 1634. Set in ancient Greece during a war between Athens and Thebes, the narrative follows the title characters, Palamon and Arcite, noble youths whose friendship is destroyed by their mutual love for the beautiful Emilia. The subplot deals with the love and eventual madness of the Gaoler's Daughter, who falls hopelessly in love with Palamon. The play is based on "The Knight's Tale" by Chaucer, but also has echoes of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, as two of the major characters are Theseus and Hippolyta, who also appear in the earlier play.

Whittington and his Cat, or Harlequin Lord Mayor of London was the 26th Grand Comic Christmas Annual, written by E. L. Blanchard for performance at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London in 1875. Pantomimes are a favourite Christmas entertainment in England, and in Victorian times were usually written in rhyming couplets. They featured a Principal Boy (played by a girl) and a Dame (played by a man). Over the years they became ever more elaborate with fantastic costumes, huge casts and spectacular transformation scenes...

Shakespeare's pastoral comedy was written and first performed around 1599, and presents some of his familiar motifs: a cross-dressing heroine, a wise-cracking fool, brothers usurping their brothers' power, a journey from the court to the country, and various romantic entanglements.

Young and beautiful Helen Eskdale and fabulously wealthy Lord Teviot seem to be the perfect match. But when they marry, they find that misunderstandings and jealousies continually drive them apart. The machinations and intrigues of a large supporting cast surround the central question of whether their marriage will survive. Emily Eden's comedy of manners is reminiscient of Jane Austen's witty and ironic novels.

The Law Against Lovers was a dramatic adaptation of Shakespeare, arranged by Sir William Davenant and staged by the Duke's Company in 1662. It was the first of the many Shakespearean adaptations staged during the Restoration era. Davenant was not shy about changing the Bard's work; he based his text on Measure for Measure, but also added Beatrice and Benedick from Much Ado About Nothing — "resulting in a bizarre and fascinating combination." He made Angelo from the former play, and Benedick from the latter, into brothers.

Much Ado About Nothing is generally considered one of Shakespeare’s best comedies, because it combines elements of robust hilarity with more serious meditations on honor, shame, and court politics. Much Ado About Nothing chronicles two pairs of lovers: Benedick and Beatrice (the main couple), and Claudio and Hero (the secondary couple). Benedick and Beatrice are engaged in a very "merry war"; they are both very witty and proclaim their disdain of love. In contrast, Claudio and Hero are sweet young people who are rendered practically speechless by their love for one another...

Mirandolina runs an inn in Florence alone with only the help of her loyal employee Fabricius, and all of her guests are in love with her. The wealthy but only newly aristocratic Count D’Albafiorita and the impoverished but noble Marquis di Forlipopoli vie for her affections while debating the respective value of wealth and nobility (and insulting each other a good deal along the way). The misogynistic Cavalier di Ripafratta scoffs at their shared infatuation and ridicules the idea of love, but will he too fall victim to the beautiful innkeeper’s charms? And can any of them win the heart of the independent Mirandolina?

A comic operetta which is a satire on the themes of fashion and pretension and hero-worship. Bunthorne is a poet who pretends to be highly "idealised" in order to impress the ladies. They all worship him, except for Patience, the dairy maid, who is the only one he loves. However, his grand plan goes awry with the arrival of Grosvenor who is more idealised and more poetical then he is. The ladies all flock after Grosvenor instead, until Bunthorne curses him with poor fashion sense and stoutness! But will the curse bring Bunthorne his Patience?

Ram Alley, or Merry Tricks, is a bawdy comedy by Lording Barry, a contemporary of Shakespeare. The production bankrupted Barry, landed him in debtor's jail, and set him off on a life of piracy. The action of Ram Alley takes place in a disreputable London lane where lawyers, lords, and ladies rub shoulders with prostitutes and vagabonds. One 19th century editor complained that it was "full of gross passages, allusions, and innuendoes," but more recent commentators have seen past the risque gags and recognised the play's wit, complexity, and intelligence...

Before he started writing novels, Charles Dickens tried his hand at theater. The Village Coquettes is a two act musical. Sadly the music was lost long ago so this will be a spoken version. This play completes the recording of the relatively unknown plays of Dickens in celebration of his 200th birthday!

The Changeling is a sensational 1622 tragicomedy by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley that comprises two intertwining plots. The first involves Beatrice-Joanna, daughter of the governor of Alicante, and her unruly passion for Alsemero, despite the fact that she is engaged to Alonzo de Piracquo. She enlists the aid of her father's servant De Flores to kill Alonzo so that she can marry Alsemero. However, she does not anticipate that De Flores, who is in love with her, will demand payment for the deed...

John Dryden and William D'Avenant's Restoration adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest preserves the main plot and characters of the original. Prospero, the former Duke of Milan, lives on an isolated island with his daughter Miranda, and plans to take revenge on his brother Antonio, who usurped his throne. He is aided by his servant, the airy sprite Ariel, and is hated by his other servant, the monster Caliban. Dryden and D'Avenant added in a number of characters: Dorinda, Prospero's other daughter, Hippolito, a young man who has never seen a woman, Sycorax, Caliban's sister, and more spirits and comic mariners...

In this recording, one person reads the entire play, all parts, including the stage directions. Even without the support of Arthur Sullivan’s music and the interpretation of actors, the consummate silliness of Gilbert’s libretto entertains. The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The story concerns Frederic, who, having completed his 21st year, is released from his apprenticeship to a band of tender-hearted pirates...

The Shoemaker's Holiday is an Elizabethan play written by Thomas Dekker. It was first performed in 1599 by the Admiral's Men. It falls into the sub-genre of city comedy (depicting ordinary London life).Aristocrat Rowland Lacy falls in love with middle class girl Rose Oateley, but Rose's father and Lacy's uncle refuse to approve the match because of the class difference and Rowland's spendthrift lifestyle. Rowland is told to redeem himself by joining the army fighting in France. To avoid going, he persuades someone else to take his place and disguises himself as a Dutch shoemaker, Hans...

Albert, a handsome French pirate, and his crew get shipwrecked on a barren, rocky island after a severe storm. They encounter another pair of castaways who reveal a quite unusual secret- yet another strange group of people inhabit the island. Albert soon learns that these people are actually an Amazonian-like tribe of women, and proposes an alliance for the benefit of both parties. Love and hijinks ensue in a battle of the sexes.Notable for imitating many elements of William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the collaborators also consulted nonfictional traveler's accounts to bring their vision to life...

Written sometime between 1592 and 1594, Comedy of Errors is certainly the exact recipe for a Shakespearean Comedy. Two sets of identical twin boys are born on the same day but separated when a freak tempest destroys their boat. Fast forward many years and by some twist of fate, the sets of twins are set to be reunited! But not before some false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, demonic possession, angry wives, nuns, merchants, lectures and genuine mistaken identities. This play was recorded...

When local drunkard Christopher Sly walks into a tavern, the last thing he expects is a complex trick where, to the amusement of many others, he is tricked into believing that he's a nobleman! And so begins the Taming of the Shrew, one of Shakespeare's earlier comedies. For the enjoyment of this "lord", a group of players perform a tale of love and devotion, where the beautiful Bianca is pursued by many suitors. But there's a catch. Before her father will allow Bianca to marry, he must find a suitable match for his older daughter, the fiery "shrew" of the title, Katherina...

In the town of Titipu, flirting is punishable by death on the command of the Mikado himself! But what happens when the Lord High Executioner is himself condemned to die? And what secret does the wandering minstrel Nanki-Poo hide, that the Mikado and his entire entourage come to witness his execution? "The Mikado" premiered in 1885, when it broke all records for the longest-running musical. It remains arguably the most popular of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. Occasionally described as "English ladies with knitting needles in their hair", Gilbert disguised his criticism of British politics by the Japanese setting...

The Princess Zoubaroff is a witty, subversive, and unbelievably suggestive play, far ahead of its time. Through razor-sharp dialogue and outrageous scenarios, Ronald Firbanks takes aim at all of the sacred cows of polite English society: matrimony, motherhood, religion, and sexuality. Enid and Eric are newlyweds, although neither is particularly happy with this new arrangement. While honeymooning at their friends’ vacation home in Florence, Eric and his friend Adrian leave for the mountains. The...

Based on Aphra Behn's 1688 novel , Thomas Southerne's Oroonoko is seen by scholars today as the driving force that kept Behn's work from fading into obscurity. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it was considered even more popular than the novel, presenting theatergoing audiences with a highly touching tale of pathos and tragedy involving the eponymous prince-turned-slave and his undying devotion to his beloved wife, Imoinda. However, in this version, unlike in Behn's novel, Imoinda is a white woman, and there is also a comic subplot involving the husband-hunting Welldon sisters that caters to Restoration tastes ...

Cupid's Whirligig is a city comedy: a play in colloquial language dealing with the everyday life of London's citizens. A knight, Sir Timothy Troublesome, suspects his wife of cheating on him and, to prove that any children she bears are not his own, decides to 'geld' himself. Meanwhile, the young Lord Nonsuch dreams of bedding the knight's wife, and in disguise enters the Troublesomes' employ as a servant. Cupid descends from the heavens to cast a love spell on the citizens of London and, by the last act, one character loves another, who loves another, and so on until the last loves the first: a "Cupid's whirligig"...

Amends for Ladies falls within the genre of Jacobean city comedy. Three women debate which has the better lot: a maid, a wife, or a widow. Lady Honour, the maid, is loved by her servant, Ingen, and disguises herself as a boy to become servant to him. Lady Perfect, the wife, is suspected by her husband, Love-all, of infidelity; Love-all tries to trap his wife by having his devious friend, Subtle, seduce her. A young citizen, Bold, disguises himself as an old woman to enter into the service of the widow, Lady Bright, in the hopes of gaining access to her bed...

Rollo Webster, slightly eccentric, has a consuming ambition to play Hamlet. Escaping the restraining influences of his family, he spends his own money in engaging a company, hiring a theater and staging a production of the tragedy. His Ophelia is Goldie MacDuff, who would have been a success in a midnight frolic if she could only keep awake after twelve o’clock. It seems he has everything to finally bring his lifelong ambitions to fruition: a troupe of actors, a gamesome leading lady, a somewhat unscrupulous stage manager, and buckets upon buckets of cash...

Knowell, an old man - rumor says Shakespeare originally played this part - tries to spy upon the doings of his potentially wayward son. Meanwhile, Kitely, a merchant, worries so much about being cuckolded by his wife that perhaps it has to happen. All this while a swarm of other interesting characters surround them. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: KNOWELL, an old Gentleman: ToddHW EDWARD KNOWELL, his Son: Rob Marland BRAINWORM, the Father's Man: Zames Curran GEORGE DOWNRIGHT, a plain Squire: Algy...

One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres...

"Any man who doesn’t want to get on in the world, to make a million dollars, and maybe even park his toothbrush in the White House, hasn’t got as much to him as a good dog has—he’s nothing more or less than a vegetable."Such is the preface of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s only outing as a playwright. The action begins when 35-year-old railway clerk Jerry Frost gets drunk off a bootlegger’s potent hooch on the eve of Warren G. Harding’s presidential nomination. As a result, the second act takes place entirely within Jerry’s intoxicated fantasies, where he has become the new U...

Lady Truman received word fourteen months ago that her husband, Sir George Truman, has died in battle. Now a very eligible widow with a large estate, she has more suitors than she knows what to do with. As if that wasn't enough, her house is now being haunted at night by the horrible and ghostly sound of a drum, apparently caused by the restless spirit of her husband. When an old man arrives who claims to be able to lay the spirit to rest, she is so desperate for relief that she determines to give him a chance...

Edward Hargraves, a young author, is encouraged by his mother and friend, Billy, to marry a woman in order to understand the fairer sex better and thereby characterize them better in his next book. While he attempts to follow their advice and marry Evangeline, a pleasant but rather uninteresting woman, a daring American reporter has set her eyes on him. She will stop at nothing to interview him and attract his attention. - Summary by Elsie Selwyn Cast List: Rev. Samuel Hargraves: ToddHWEdward Hargraves: Campbell SchelpWilliam “Billy” Lloyd: RHelfmannMrs. Hargraves: Anita Sloma-MartinezEvangeline Lipscomb: thestorygirlAnn Anning: EmmaHattonStage Directions: Elsie Selwyn Edited by: linny

"The history of Amphitryon and Alcmene, or rather the myth of the birth of Hercules, is certainly very old, and is to be found in the literature of different nations." Under Moliere's touch, it becomes "One of the most charming and natural comedies composed in French verse.... Sprightliness and vivacity abound in this comedy...." - Summary by Translator Henri Van Laun Cast list: Mercury, in the form of Sosia: Nemo Night: Eva Davis Jupiter, in the form of Amphitryon: Larry Wilson Mercury, in the...

Subtitled "An Original Fantastic Comedy in Three Acts", this should be another enjoyable farce by Pinero, including memory loss, mistaken identity, crime and detection, romance, and many other of life's various complications. "Your husband?" "My husband!" "Begorra! It's not bigamy, but trigonometry, he's been attempting". - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Captain Dionysius McCafferty : Larry Wilson Dr. Titus : Steven Fellows Montague Joliffe: ToddHW Mr. Hinxman: alanmapstone John : Tomas Peter Mr. Buzzard : Adrian Stephens Mr...

"The cold, historical fact is that at about 9:15 o’clock on the evening of August 29th, 1922, five or six hundred average New Yorkers, two or three hundred friends of the management, and about fifty sophisticated first-nighters were in grave danger of rolling off their seats in hysteria because of The Torch-Bearers." How can you resist a play with a review like that? - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Mr. Frederick Ritter: Adam Bielka Mr. Huxley Hossefrosse: larryhayes7 Mr. Spindler: KHand Mr. Ralph Twiller: Matthew Reece Teddy Spearing: DrewStarmer Mr...

Gentlemen out away from London, looking for wives. "I'm going to settle down, hearthrug and slippers and all that sort of thing." "So a lot of us have made up our minds to marry and retire from public life, and as I couldn't find any suitable partie in London - ." Add lost relatives, over protective fathers, a rich widow or two, and you have all the ingredients for a first rate farce. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Lord Leadenhall: Adrian Stephens The Chevalier Walkinshaw: Rob Marland John Mable:...

In the month of May 1664, Louis XIV entertained the Queen-mother, Anne of Austria, and his own wife , Maria Theresa, with a brilliant and sumptuous fete at Versailles.... The second day was distinguished by the representation of The Pricess of Elis [by Moliere].... The Princess of Elis, a comedy-ballet, was intended to represent the struggle between the affections of the male and female sex, a struggle in which victory often remains with the one who seems the furthest from obtaining it.... The author's natural flow of wit and humor was checked by the necessity of accommodating himself to the conventionalities of courtly propriety...

About two dozen comedies of the Roman playwright Plautus have survived the years, with many of them ending up rewritten and recast by other playwrights such as Moliere. This one, Pseudolus, was part of the source for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Simo, an old gentleman of Athens: ToddHW Calidorus, his son, in love with Phoenicium: Tomas Peter Charinus, the friend of Calidorus: Adam Bielka Callipho, the friend of Simo: Alan Mapstone Pseudolus, the servant...

When his younger brother incurs a large betting debt, what could be easier than for a man to borrow the money to save him from the factory he runs while his employers are away. Whoops; his employers are coming back before he has repaid the money. Ah, perhaps his wife can get the money from a friendly Lord who was once her suitor.... A friendly card game perhaps. What could go wrong? - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Lord Kengussie: Son of the Exiles Baron Croodle: ToddHW Harold Boycott: Mark Nelson Jules Faubert: Alan Mapstone Millicent Boycott: Sonia Dorinda Croodle: Jenn Broda Margot: Adrian Stephens Stage Directions: MichaelMaggs Editing: ToddHW

This comedy is by Gilbert on his own without Sullivan. "Listen to me. You love this girl?" "I love her sir, a'most as weel as I love mysel' !" "Then reflect how you are standing in the way of her prosperity." "Sir, I'm puir on pocket, but I've a rich hairt." - Summary From The Play Cast list: Cheviot Hill, a young man of property: Matthew Reece Belvawney, his friend: skypigeon Mr. Symperson: Alan Mapstone Angus Macalister, a Lowland peasant lad: ToddHW Major McGillicuddy: Craig Franklin Belinda Treherne: Emmi Kranz Minnie, Symperson's daughter: Jenn Broda Mrs...

A man's wife is caught up in Philanthropy, generously supporting all sorts of good causes. But that does not include her husband's interests in "the Turf or the Stable - no feeling except one of positive distaste." So what is he to do? How about somehow getting her to "endow a Home for about twenty decayed jockeys and stablemen ... who have outlived their chances on the turf and fallen on bad days?" Sounds very noble, but of course that is not quite what he has in mind.... - Summary by ToddHW Cast...

A Comedy in Three Acts The Young Idea is a play about two siblings, Gerda eighteen and Sholto twenty-one, who attempt to engineer the reconciliation of their divorced parents. It is full of laughs, love-triangles, and a lot of DRAMA! - Summary by Ambsweet13 Cast List: George Brent: dgulinoGerda : Amanda MehlSholto: BucksawJennifer: JennPrattCicely: Claire ButlerPriscilla Hartleberry: JennPrattClaud Eccles: skypigeonJulia Cragworthy: ambsweet13Eustace Dabbit: Matthew ReeceSibyl Blaith: Jody LebelRodney Masters: Mike ManolakesHuddle : Larry WilsonHiram J. Walkin: skypigeonMaria : April6090Stage Directions: ToddHW Edited by: ambsweet13 and David Olson Proof Listening by: superk and Yangxu

"Sweet Lavender" must be regarded as one of the most successful stage-plays of modern times, and there can be no question that it has proved so far the most popular of Mr. Pinero's works. Its representations may be counted by the thousand, and its popularity has extended over many latitudes. The reason of this is not far to seek: it proclaims itself in the gentle humanity and genial humour of the play. ... a sort of modern fairy tale." - Summary by Malcom C. Salaman, October 1893 Cast list: Horace Bream : Matthew Reece Geoffrey Wedderburn : ToddHW Clement Hale : Karsus Richard Phenyl : Andrew James Dr...

Donna Isabella does not want to marry Don Guzman, her father's choice. Donna Violante's father wants her to become a nun. Isabella is attacked on the street and carried insensible into Violante's house. What will happen next? Confidential letters, secret identities, conniving servants, disguises and other fallderoll await! Supposedly Jane Austen put on a family performance of this play. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Don Felix: Greg Giordano Colonel Briton: skypigeon Frederic: Adrian Stephens Don...

Matthew Hopkins, a renowned witch-hunter, has his sights set on the quiet village near Pendell Manor. However Cecile Howard and her friends are determined to put an end to his superstitious nonsense, put an end to his reign of terror, and teach him a lesson he won't soon forget! - Summary by Kelly S. Taylor Cast list: The Witch Wife: A Tale of Malkin Tower by Henry Spicer BC/Editor for this play is Kelly S. Taylor Sir Gerald Mole: Mike Manolakes Marchmont Needham: Cavaet Antony Gabb: Parsa2020 Harry...

Subtitled "An Original Dramatic Contrast", the play presents two neighbors, Harry and Jenny, parting in Act 1 and then meeting again 30 years later in Act 2 after Harry's return from India. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Mr Harry Spreadbrow: Rob Marland Wilcox, a Gardener: ToddHW Miss Jenny Northcott: Jenn Broda Ruth, a Maidservant: Sonia Stage Directions: MichaelMaggs Editing: ToddHW

Moliere, on the way to the Ballet of the Muses, a court festival, started to write a new Heroic Pastoral. "He chose for his subject a similar one to the history of Florizel and Perdita in Shakespeare's Winter's Tale…. The charm of his writing, the exquisite delicacy of the sentiment, and the freshness of the pastoral scenes, cause us to regret that Moliere wrote only the first two acts of this play and never finished it." Though it was performed this way in Dec 1666 - so maybe there is enough here to enjoy...

Buried treasure, reckless son, exile, young love, betrayal, detection - all as relevant today as when this comedy was written 2200 years ago. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Luxury: Sonia Poverty: Availle Charmides, an Athenian merchant: ToddHW Lesbonicus, the son of Charmides: Rémi Callicles, a friend of Charmides: Mike Manolakes Megaronides, a friend of Callicles: David Purdy Stasimus, the servant of Charmides and Lesbonicus: Adrian Stephens Philto, a wealthy Athenian: Algy Pug Lysiteles, the son of Philto, and a friend of Lesbonicus: VocalPenguin A Sharper: Alan Mapstone Stage Directions: Wayne Cooke Editing: ToddHW

What happens when wartime romance and talents encounter the post-war civilian world? "I'm going to take you to - " "Racine?" "If you're my wife you'll go with me to Hell!" "I'd rather go there than Racine." "Did anybody ever tell you that you were a snob?" - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Billy Arkwright, Twenty-five, late Lieutenant, A. E. F.: Andrew Gaunce Nora, Maid: Annie Mars General McInerny, U. S. A, fifty: ToddHW Jack Rutherford, Late Lieutenant, N. A.: DavyDave Florence Lanham, Twenty-one: Jenn Broda Mrs...

Who knows what might be going on in Miss Buzby's boarding house, where she accepts theatrical types? - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Jerome Townsend, a lover somewhat in the background: Tommy Hersant Felix Marden, who is not afraid to come to the front: Adrian Stephens Mr. Smith, a mysterious individual: ToddHW Alexander Pettifer, a worm that finally turns: Alan Mapstone Jimmie Spangler, a song and dance artist: David Purdy Marguerite Marr, a star in vaudeville: JennPratt Lillian Wendale, by the villian still pursued: ashleighjane Pansy Purple, Jimmie's professional partner: Kelly S...

Pleusicles loves Philocomasium, but she is kidnapped by Pyrgopolinices. Palaestrio, faithful servant to Pleusicles, witnesses this and goes to tell his master, but is captured by Pirates and ends up a servant to Pyrgopolinices as well. Palaestrio still gets word to Pleusicles, who arrives on scene. Palaestrio then invents a complex and daring plan involving mistresses, supposed twin sisters, disguises, family friends in the right places, and a monkey to try to escape Pyrgopolinices and reunite Pleusicles and Philocomasium...

The Beaux Stratagem, already in the catalog , was written by George Farquhar in 1707. The Belle's Stratagem, "a Ladies' response" to the Beaux Stratagem play with strong female characters, was written by Hannah Cowley in 1780. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Doricourt: A D Latheron Hardy: Alan Mapstone Sir George Touchwood: ToddHW Flutter: Larry Wilson Saville: Mike Manolakes Villers: Marya James Courtall: Greg Giordano Silvertongue: Son of the Exiles Crowquill: qthemusic123 First Gentleman: Adrian Stephens Second Gentleman: Tomas Peter Mountebank: Sandra Schmit French Servant: Rémi Porter: Sonia Dick : David Purdy Letitia Hardy: Jenn Broda Mrs...

A Western from 1918, that ran over a 1000 shows on Broadway and was made into movies twice. Lightnin' and his wife run a seedy hotel that straddles the Nevada-California state line, making for an interesting legal situation. When some out-of-town businessmen come to town to try and take advantage of the locals, they discover that there is more savvy in them thar hills than they first thought. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Lightnin' Bill Jones: ToddHW John Marvin: Andrew Gaunce Raymond Thomas:...

Tom Cobb: "Why, there's a squalid old pauper idiot, a patient of his, who's got no name of his own, and Whipple [Doctor] christened him "Tom Cobb", because he says he's the ugliest old lunatic he ever saw and reminds him of me. And all the boys in the neighborhood have taken it up, and he's been known as Tom Cobb for the last two years. That's pleasant of Whipple.... One Tom Cobb's enough at a time!" What happens to young Tom if the old Tom dies and all young Tom's bills are now erased since he be dead...

A rich widow or two. An owner of 1000 acres of fine land. An heiress to the 1000 acres. Nefarious visitors of various sorts after the land, jewels, or whatever else they can get. Meddlers and neighbors. Faithful retainers and stalwart protectors. Comedy abounds. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Joshua Wicks, owner of "close onto 1,000 acres": Wayne Cooke Mr. Peter Schultz, sometimes vendor of sausages: Greg Giordano Mr. Barry Bland, an Englishman possessed of a shady reputation and a talkative...

"It is so sad when relations don't get on together." "Sadder still when they think they've got a right to trample on you, just because you happen to be an orphan and - I don't want to talk about my relations. I want to forget them. I stood them for nearly six months. I don't want to be reminded of them. I want to forget that they ever existed." She is not going to have her wish. Oh, no, not at all. A comedy. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Fanny: Devorah Allen Vernon Wetherell, Lord Bantock...

This fast-paced Victorian farce is at heart a comedy of manners. Dion Bouciault’s witty dialogue ridicules the pretensions of society as the plot sets up the unpleasant initial situation of the aging, vain Sir Harcourt Courtly being set by a special provision of her father’s will to marry 18-year-old Grace Harkaway. The situation quickly escalates upon their arrival at Oak Hall to seal the engagement as more increasingly zany minor characters are added and romantic complications ensue. Double courtship and comic deception abound in this high-spirited comedy...

Ye lords and ladies who have gathered here to see our little comedy of cheer, I bid you welcome to the Sunshine play, And hope 'twill drive your troubles all away. This delightful comedy is sure to brighten your day as we join an amusing group of characters while they recover from various ailments at the Sunshine Sanitarium. - Summary by Prologue and Jenn Broda Maudelia McCann, aged ten: Annie Mars Mrs. Bunch McCann, of Detroit, the mother: mleigh Mrs. Sol Whipple, of Whipple's Corners, Conn...

Betting that he can write 10,000 words in 24 hours, a novelist locks himself into a snowbound summer resort on Baldpate Mountain with what he believes is the one and only key to Baldpate Inn. Yet his work is interrupted by a number of colorful characters who have arrived for various shady enterprises, each thinking they had the only key to the inn. Soon it is clear there must be seven keys to Baldpate. The mystery deepens as the novelist finds himself entangled in an improbable series of schemes and plans...

In this delightful farce/comedy of manners, the eccentric and theatrical Bliss family invites four hapless guests to their English country house for the weekend. Hijinks ensue. - Summary by WendyKatzHillerCast List: Judith Bliss: WendyKatzHiller David Bliss: ToddHW Sorel Bliss: Jenn Broda Simon Bliss: Tchaikovsky Myra Arundel: Kelly S. Taylor Richard Greatham: Mike Manolakes Jackie Coryton: Jvisi Sandy Tyrell: CassiopeiaSparks Clara: C. Roxanne Maxwell Stage Directions: Jim Locke

Subtitled "An American Drama in Three Acts. A Play with a Punch." "A comedy drama of American life depicting the joys and sorrows, the heartaches and struggles and temptations of a small group of government employees working in a post office in a small city in the middle west. There is the stern inspector, the officious postmaster, the busybody mail clerk, the ambitious young clerk..., the kind hearted old man who carries the rural route, the raw recruit and the noble hearted, plucky little stamp clerk, who bravely stifles her own feelings and lives for the advancement of her friends...

"A Woman's Way" belongs to a class of comedy curiously rare on our native stage in recent seasons, the comedy of smart people, with a flavor of character study to give it dignity." "In this comedy, it is "inevitable" that the wife and the other woman should meet in the presence of the husband, and that they should come to open grapple under the very eyes of the audience. The joy of [Buchanan's] comedy, of course, in no small measure is due to the fact that the other woman is not at all the sort of antagonist the wife expected; that she is, in fact, charming, with worldly poise equal to the occasion...

Alexis Pointdextre gets his family sorcerer to brew up a love potion. But what happens when it gets out of control? This two act operetta was a success and convinced Gilbert and Sullivan to go ahead and collaborate on H.M.S. Pinafore the next year. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre, an elderly Baronet: Andrew Kennedy Alexis, of the Grenadier Guards - his son: rwraptor Dr. Daly, Vicar of Ploverleigh: Scotty Smith John Wellington Wells, of J. W. Wells and Co., Family Sorcerers: ToddHW Notary: Tchaikovsky Lady Sangazure, a Lady of ancient lineage: April Mendis Aline, her daughter - betrothed to Alexis: Annie Mars Mrs...

The English-born Princess Pannonia had spent the twenty years of her marriage isolated in the Prince's remote Hungarian castle. Now widowed, she returns to London to re-engage with former friends, all fearfully facing middle-age. Can romance be rekindled with a former flame? Or will it be found with someone new or perhaps someone overlooked before? - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Princess Pannonia: awonski Sir George Lamorant, Bart.: Greg Giordano Fay Zuliani: Jenn Broda Edward Oriel: Tomas Peter Blanche Oriel: Michele Eaton Lady Ringstead: Sonia Mr...

Twin sisters, separated at birth to different lands. Later, Mnesilochus falls in love with one of them, only to see his friend Pistoclerus apparently with her. Great complications abound. Eventually all is explained and everyone joins together to carouse. - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Silenus, the Divinity, who speaks the Prologue: ToddHW Nicobulus, an aged citizen of Athens: Adrian Stephens Mnesilochus, his son: Greg Giordano Philoxenus, another aged citizen of Athens: Alan Mapstone Pistoclerus,...

"I will discuss this matter in an allegory: ... There was once upon a time a man, and he had a sister; and this said sister, she had a brother; and so this sister fell in love with another brother, and he had another sister; and one day what should she do, but take it into her head to run away with him? So then, after that, the brother, from whom the sister had been stolen, stole the sister of the thief. Now will you be pleased to tell us whether it would be best, in such a case, that each man should...

Daniel Dowlas a chandler from Gosport, transmogrified into a baron, naturally enough demands, in what consists the mighty difference between drinking his tea out of a cup, or a saucer. He has the good sense to feel his insufficiency; and, aspiring to shine as an orator, engages a professor to teach him culture. Opposed to my lord, stands my lady, Dowlas; wife, a full-blown hollyhock of the aristocracy of Mammon. She affects to amend her spouse's cakelology, admits that an oath may now and then be suffered to garnish polite discourse, but then, it must be pronounced with an air to one's equals, and with a kind of careless condescension to menials...

An early screwball comedy, the plot revolves around a Soap Manufacturing Mogul's attempt to get his idle-rich son to make something of himself. This involves a Countess who speaks only French ; the son's sweetheart ; a hard-sell theatrical press-agent , and a new soap company set up by the son in competition with his father. “No. 13 Soap ... It's Unlucky for Dirt.” - Summary by Son of the Exiles Cast list: MARY GRAYSON : Annie Mars JOHNSON : Alan Mapstone COMTESSE DE BEAURIEN : Sonia RODNEY...

By the author of Cyrano de Bergerac, this comic-romance formed the basis for the long-running 1960's musical "The Fantasticks". - Summary by WendyKatzHiller Persons in the Play: Sylvette: Jenn Broda Percinet: Joanna Michal Hoyt Straforel: Larry Wilson Bergamin: ToddHW Pasquinot: Wayne Cooke Blaise : Rebecca Brown Stage Directions: WendyKatzHiller Edited by: WendyKatzHiller Proof-listened by: sanved23, WendyKatzHiller and Rapunzelina

Monty Brewster has just inherited a million dollars from the grandfather he has never met. The newly acquired wealth staggers young Monty Brewster, and he is about to launch into his new life when an attorney in the west advises him that his uncle, George Brewster, has left him seven million dollars, contingent upon his getting rid of the million dollars left him by his grandfather. "He mistreated your mother and father and I do not want you to touch a dollar of his money. If you spend the million...

The "Wives' Welfare Club" is meeting together so they may air grievances about their husbands and the inequality that women experience.  During this meeting the wives decide to "go on Strike" and nominate Jane Spink to be the test case.  Betty, who is a newlywed of only 30 days, boasts of her husband's perfect qualities and is amused at the other wives' complaints.  However, as she returns home she realizes she just might end up on strike as well! - Summary by Jenn BrodaCast List: Betty Albright,...

"Beginning with the girl of yesterday and a lawyer of uncertain age, stranded in a railway station, half starved and uncertain of the future, because a hurricane wrecked railway hopes on both the main and branch line, it carries the audience to the home of the girl, where, with delicious comedy, the blasé lawyer is tortured into submission, after he has dared doubt the age of the girl whose hand he kissed the night before. Having expressed a sharp opinion of "brazen young huzzies in breeches," he is subjected to the siege of a young woman "in breeches", who longs for an adventure with an elderly man...

Captain Robert Jinks has formed a marching club with some friends to promote a political candidate, earning him the moniker Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines. When they discover that opera diva Madame Trentoni is arriving from Europe, Jinks and his buddies go down to the dock to meet her. Jinks bets his pals a large sum that he can romance her, but when Jinks finally encounters Madame Trentoni, he is so taken by her that he immediately concedes the bet and gives his friends his IOU for the wager money so he can court her without what he now sees as an unseemly wager...

You could be forgiven upon reading that title, not to mention auditing the opening scene, for thinking that this is a play of a simple country girl fallen among aristocratic Victorian-era swingers in the big city. But this Country Mouse is anything but innocent. - Summary by Son of the Exiles Cast list: The Duke of St. Kitts : Alan Mapstone Lord Robert Wyckham : Greg Giordano John Bowlby, M.P. : ToddHW The Hon. Archibald Vyse : ksb013 Jephcot : Wayne Cooke Servant: James R. Hedrick Lady Sylvia Bowlby : Matea Bracic Violet Aynsley : Jenn Broda Angela Muir : TJ Burns Mrs. Cropper : WendyKatzHiller Stage Directions: Michele Eaton Editing: Michele Eaton

There are a number of subplots going on in this play. The Professor has unearthed a play that he wrote back in his University days. He has read it to his housekeeper while his wife was away at the expensive spa ... she disapproves of the theatre ... and said housekeeper was so fascinated by it that when a travelling dramatic troupe manager lobs into town, the Professor is receptive to the manager's manipulative and unscrupulous offer to put on his play. Meanwhile, one of the Professor's daughters has chanced across a page from Balzac which states "Every bride that lives if she could but know the past and secret life of her husband would renounce him even at the steps of the altar...

Mollentrave has written a “Love Doctor” book for men entitled “Mollentrave on Women” which purports to give any man the “Midas Touch” with the fairer sex. But as King Midas could’ve told us, these things have a way of backfiring… - Summary by Son of the Exiles Cast list: Mr. Mollentrave: azureblue Sir Joseph Balsted, K.C., M.P.: Mike Manolakes Everard Swenboys: Ethan Hurst Lord Contareen: Adrian Stephens Mr. Dexter: ToddHW Mr. Noyes: Alan Mapstone Peters, Sir Joseph’s Butler: Cavaet Martin, Mollentrave’s Butler: David Purdy Lady Claude Derenham: JennPratt Margaret Messilent: Nichole James Miss Treable: Joanna Michal Hoyt Mrs...

When Mrs. Herrick's brother Charlie dies, he leaves his money in trust for members of the circus he used to own under the name of "Segantini's World Renowned Mammoth International Hippodrome and Museum of Living Marvels". When five of the Extraordinary Mortals of the circus show up to visit with the Ordinary Mortals at Mrs. Herrick's country house, there is a clash of cultures.... - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Ordinary Mortals: Mrs. Herrick, nee Smith : Linda Webster Ronald : Adrian Stephens Sheila : Matea Bracic Lady Ball-Jennings : Sonia Sir Norton Ball-Jennings : Alan Mapstone Reverend Stephen Glyn : Greg Giordano Mr...

"Antipho, a wealthy and jovial old gentleman of Athens, has two daughters, Pilumena and Pamphila. They are married to two brothers, Epignomus and Pamphilus, who, having run through their property in the company of idlers and Parasites, have, with the view of retrieving their fortunes, taken to merchandize [overseas trade]." The brothers have, in fact, been gone so long trying to regain their riches that Antipho is getting ready to marry off the daughters again. Will the brothers arrive back in time...

This is Thomas Holcroft's English translation, obtained by attending Pierre Beaumarchais' French play nine times in Paris during its original official staging in 1784. Beaumarchais' play was the basis for Mozart's 1796 opera, and is a satire about lovers' misdoings and French society. Because of its rebellious themes, presented during the troubling times leading up to the French Revolution, Beaumarchais had a very difficult time getting his play past the censors. Once staged, the play was enormously popular with audiences, including the aristocracy despite their understanding of the underlying themes...

"Plays, where the scene is placed in a foreign country, particularly when that country is Spain, have a license to present certain improbabilities to the audience, without incurring the danger of having them called such; and the authoress, by the skill with which she has used this dramatic permittance, ... has formed a most interesting plot, and embellished it with lively, humorous, and affecting incident.... Here is contained no oblique insinuation, detrimental to the cause of morality—but entertainment and instruction unite, to make a pleasant exhibition at a theatre, or give an hour's amusement in the closet...

No, not the famous “Of Mice and Men” you’re thinking of. Instead, we have a sweet romantic comedy that tells the story of a bachelor, Mr. Embury, who decides to conduct an experiment to see if he can create the perfect wife for himself. To do so, he chooses an orphaned girl named Peggy to become his ward and ultimately his wife. Peggy, however, thinks that Mr. Embury has plans for her to become the wife of his nephew, Captain Lovell, whom she believes is in love with another woman . A critic who was not fond of sentimental stories called this play a fairy story with a sincere spirit and one they could actually believe in...

Lady Frederick is a comedy by the British writer W. Somerset Maugham, written early in his career. The play was first seen in London in 1907, and was very successful, running for 422 performances. The title role was played by Ethel Irving. In New York it was first performed in 1908, with Lady Frederick played by Ethel Barrymore, who reprised her role in the play's film adaptation, The Divorcee. In the play, Lady Frederick is an Irish widow, seriously in debt; she must deal with suitors who have various motives for proposing marriage, and with the man with whom she once had an affair...

Don Manuel and Cosmo are visiting town to stay with Don Manuel's friend Don John de Toledo for the young Prince's christening, when suddenly a a veiled lady begs for their aid and protection. "My honour and my life are forfeit if I am overtaken or discovered by the person that comes yonder in pursuit of me." And so the intrigue of this farce begins.... - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Don Manuel Enriquez: Adrian Stephens Don John de Toledo: Greg Giordano Don Lewis de Toledo, his brother: ToddHW Cosmo,...

Menaechimus was carried away as a child to Epidamnus. Years later his twin-brother arrives also in Epidamnus, where because of his resemblance to his brother, he is mistaken for him by everybody. "This play was the foundation of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors." - Summary by ToddHW and Translator Cast list: Menaechimus of Epidamnus: Greg Giordano Menaechimus Sosicles, his twin-brother: Wayne Cooke Peniculus, a Parasite: Alan Mapstone Messenio, the servant of Menaechimus Sosicles: Rémi Cylindrus,...

Count Almaviva's heart is stolen when he lays eyes on Rosine, but he worries that she will only love him for his money. Can Figaro help him? This comedy is the first play in Beaumarchais' Figaro trilogy. It was written in 1773, but because of political and legal problems, Beaumarchais could not stage the play until 1775. The Barber of Seville was adapted into at least five operas, the best-known being by Rossini. The other plays in the trilogy are The Follies of a Day: or the Marriage of Figaro and The Guilty Mother...

Mr. Rippingill can not get his wife to relax her stony features and smile. Maybe even laugh. "Avis - Lady Whitstable and the pickled salmon. Now consider for a moment, my pet - reflect. What a grotesque contrast! A fine, crusted specimen of our English aristocracy and - pickled fish! The mere contemplation of two images so violently opposed in itself makes for mirth. Doesn't it dearest?" But it is tough going. So he tries to.... - Summary by ToddHW Cast list: Seymour Rippingill: Greg Giordano Haynes Webbmarsh: Alan Mapstone Vivian Trood: Tomas Peter John Pullinger: ToddHW Foley: James R...