The Cave at Machpelah
In this verse drama, Ishmael and Isaac arrange to bury Abraham, exploring the intertwined origins of Arab and Jewish peoples, humanity's relationship with God, and faith.
Plays
8284 shows
Clear filtersThe Cenci
In Rome, Beatrice Cenci and her family endure the tyrannical Count Francesco Cenci. After he abuses Beatrice and blocks appeals for help, she joins a plot to kill him; the conspirators are tried and sentenced, and Beatrice walks to her execution.
The Cenci
Artaud's adaptation of Shelley's tragedy foregrounds cruelty, violence, incest, revenge, and familial murder. It replaces extended reflection with abrupt transitions and sensory action, using sound and stage effects to make the Cenci family's violence palpable.
The Chair Plays
Edward Bond’s trilogy comprises Have I None, The Under Room, and Chair, dramatizing a dystopian, totalitarian society.
The Chairs
An elderly couple summon guests to hear the Old Man's message for humanity, but the guests are invisible. As they fill the stage with chairs and address the absent audience, the Old Man and Old Woman leap to their deaths; the Orator arrives but can only make unintelligible sounds and leave a garbled message.
The Chalk Cycle
Claire Conceison’s play reworks the original Yuan Chalk Circle drama and Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle alongside the custody case of Anna Mae He.
The Chalk Garden
Imperious Mrs St Maugham cares for her troubled granddaughter Laurel, who has been setting fires. She hires Miss Madrigal, an enigmatic governess and expert gardener with no references; the Judge's visit reveals that Madrigal was imprisoned for murder, while her past is gradually uncovered.
The Champion of Paribanou
Young prince Ahmed is drawn into an epic quest against his childhood friend Murganah, who has sold her soul to the devil-like Schaibar.
The Chances
In Bologna, Don John takes in a mysterious baby and Don Frederick shelters Costantia, who is fleeing danger. When the child's parentage and the lovers' precontract emerge, misunderstandings among the two friends, the Duke and Costantia's brother lead to suspicion and confusion before the parties reunite.
The Changeling
In Alicante, Beatrice-Joanna recruits De Flores to murder her unwanted fiancé so that she can marry Alsemero; the crime entangles them in a tragic cycle of coercion and deceit. A parallel comic plot follows impostors and inmates in a madhouse.
The Changing Room
At the play's core is a semi-pro Northern England rugby league team. During the week, its members are peaceable men toiling away at mindless, working class jobs. On Saturday, they prepare for gory combat on the playing field. The changing room is where they perform their pre-game initiation rites, strip down, loosen muscles, and get into their uniforms. After the match they return, often broken, muddy, and bloody, regretting their loss or giddy with victory in the communal shower. There is little in the way of plot, but Storey engages his audience with his ability to dissect his characters' hurts, hopes, desires, and fighting instincts.
The Chaos of the Ghost Cat of Arima
In a courtly world threatened by jealousy and murder, a monstrous cat protects Otaki, a maid who once saved it, and later avenges her death by attacking those responsible. Its rampage spreads through the Arima clan until warriors climb a watchtower and kill it.
The Chapel Perilous
An Expressionist, picaresque portrait of Sally Banner, moving from schoolgirl to poet as she searches for love and freedom while confronting authority figures and unsatisfactory lovers. A chorus, songs, poems, rapid shifts of scene and recurring figures dramatize her successive roles across the 1940s to 1970s.
The Chaplet of Pan
On May Day, Pan leaves a magical chaplet in Prince Ugolino’s garden. Its influence renews love and revelry among the mortals who wear it, while the bored prince sets schemes against the people who irritate him.
The Chapter of Accidents
The Chapter of Accidents is a 1780 comedy play by Sophia Lee. It was inspired by the play by Le Père de famille by Denis Diderot. The prologue was written by George Colman the Elder. It premiered at the Haymarket in London on 5 August 1780. The original cast included John Palmer as Woodville, Robert Bensley as Lord Glenmore, Richard Wilson as Governor Harcourt, Charles Bannister as Captain Harcourt, Francis Aickin as Grey, John Edwin as Jacob, Sarah Maria Wilson as Bridget and Elizabeth Farren as Cecelia.
The Charm
Unhappily married Kirrie seeks help from Pyee, a travelling dealer in charms. A herb reverses the couple’s roles and makes Jem experience Kirrie’s unreasonable demands; a second charm restores their affection.
The Cheats of Scapin
The Cheats of Scapin is a 1676 comedy play by the English writer Thomas Otway. It is an adaptation of the French play Scapin the Schemer by Molière. It premiered at the Dorset Garden Theatre performed by the Duke's Company as an afterpiece to Otway's new tragedy Titus and Berenice. The original cast included Anthony Leigh as Scapin, Samuel Sandford as Thrifty, James Nokes as Gripe, Henry Norris as Octavian, Thomas Percival as Leander, John Richards as Shift, Elizabeth Barry as Lucia and Anne Shadwell as Clara.
The Cherry Orchard
Indebted landowner Lyubov Ranevskaya returns to her family estate, where Lopakhin proposes cutting down the celebrated cherry orchard and developing the land to pay the mortgage. Ranevskaya and her brother Gayev fail to act, and Lopakhin buys the estate at auction. As the family departs, the elderly servant Firs is accidentally left behind in the empty house while axes are heard cutting the orchard.
The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil
A political history of economic change in the Scottish Highlands, from the Highland Clearances through the contemporary North Sea oil boom. The touring company combines narration, songs, sketches, filmed reconstructions and interviews to connect land evictions, sheep farming, emigration and oil-industry exploitation.
The Chickencoop Chinaman
Chinese American filmmaker Tam Lum travels to Pittsburgh to make a documentary about Black boxer Ovaltine and visit the boxer’s supposed father. Staying with his Japanese American childhood friend Kenji, Tam encounters a family crisis and reassesses the stories and heroes that shaped his identity. Fantasy sequences include Tam meeting the Lone Ranger.
The Chief
Set in 1976 in his Three Rivers Stadium office, Art Rooney speaks to the audience while preparing for dinner and reminisces about his youth and founding the Steelers; the play ends with footage of the Immaculate Reception.
The Child Dreams
A mother and her son flee oppression and search for refuge in a world of violence and indifference. Their journey becomes a four-part theatrical fable about death, compassion and the need for safety.
The Child Murderess
Evchen, a young bourgeois woman, is raped and impregnated by an aristocratic officer who abandons her after falsely promising marriage. Ashamed and desperate, she kills her newborn child; Wagner's social tragedy condemns the class and gender conditions surrounding her situation.
The Child of Nature
The Child of Nature is a 1788 comedy play by the English writer Elizabeth Inchbald, adapted from a French work by the Countess de Genlis. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 28 November 1788. The original cast included Thomas Ryder as Duke Murcia, William Farren as Marquis Almanza, William Thomas Lewis as Count Valantia, James Fearon as Seville, William Macready the Elder as Granada, Francis Aickin as Peasant, Isabella Mattocks as Marchioness Mérida and Ann Brunton Merry as Amanthis. The Dublin premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre on 13 February 1789.
The Children
The Children is a play written by Lucy Kirkwood which premiered in London in 2016 and then on Broadway in 2017.
The Children in the Wood
The Children in the Wood is a 1793 two-act musical play with a libretto by English playwright Thomas Morton and music by Samuel Arnold. It was derived from the children's story Babes in the Wood, and was very popular into the early 19th century. The play debuted at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on October 1, 1793. The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure called it "one of the most interesting trifles that has been lately exhibited." "The subject is the old legendary tale of the Babes of the Wood; and though the author has necessarily departed from the anecdote in the ballad, by saving the infants, he has imparted much tenderness and simplicity to the fable, and in the gayer scenes thrown much cheerfulness into his characters." The review also praised the performance of actor John Bannister.
The Children's Hour
At a girls' boarding school, student Mary Tilford invents a story that headmistresses Karen Wright and Martha Dobie are lovers to avoid returning to school. The accusation drives away students and parents, ruins the women's school and court case, and strains their relationships. After the lie is exposed, Martha's feelings for Karen and the community's damage culminate in tragedy.
The Chiltern Hundreds
Set during the 1945 general election, Tony, son of the Earl of Lister, loses his family’s long-held seat to Labour candidate Cleghorn. When Cleghorn enters the Lords, Tony’s American fiancée secretly backs the family butler Beecham as Conservative candidate; amid changing party loyalties and broken engagements, Beecham wins the seat and later returns to service after applying for the Chiltern Hundreds.
The Chimera
The Chimera is a 1721 comedy play by the British writer Thomas Odell. The original Lincoln's Inn Fields cast included Anthony Boheme as Lord Gracebubble, William Bullock as Selfroth, Christopher Bullock as Ninnyhammer, George Pack as Teartext and Anna Maria Seymour as Lady Meanwell.
The Chinese Bungalow
The Chinese Bungalow is a 1925 play by Marion Osmond and James Corbet, based on Osmond's 1923 novel; it is a three-act melodrama set in the Far East. It was adapted for film in 1926, in 1930, and again in 1940.
The Chinese Lady
Brought to the United States in 1834, Afong Moy is exhibited to paying audiences as a curiosity. Across decades, her changing perspective exposes the limits of the role others have assigned her.
The Chinese Must Go: A Farce in Four Acts
In 1870s California, the Blaine family argues with Chinese workers over wages and labor. Their son Frank disguises himself to trick a Chinese businessman who has acquired a wife, in a farce that uses racial caricature to dramatize anti-Chinese politics.
The Chip Woman’s Fortune
In a poor family’s home, Liza worries that debt will force her husband to evict Aunt Nancy, a ‘chip woman’ who keeps savings hidden for her son. When Jim returns from jail and gives part of Nancy’s savings to the family, he helps Silas repay his debts and reunites with his mother.
The Chocolate Frog
In a prison cell, two seasoned inmates explain the code of honour and eye-for-an-eye justice to a new first offender. When an infraction brings one of the men before an inmate tribunal, the play exposes the violence and rigid hierarchy sustained by prison life.
The Choleric Man
The Choleric Man is a 1774 comedy play by the British author Richard Cumberland. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 10 December 1774. The original cast included Thomas King as Andrew Nightshade, James Aickin as Manlove, John Hayman Packer as Stapleton, Samuel Reddish as Charles Manlove, Thomas Weston as Jack Nightshade, Robert Baddeley as Dibble, John Moody as Gregory, Francis Godolphin Waldron as Frampton. Roger Wright as Frederick, Elizabeth Hopkins as Mrs Stapleton, Frances Abington as Laetitia and Jane Pope as Lucy. The play's Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 14 April 1777. It also appeared later at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
The Christian
The 1898 version follows Anglican priest John Storm and music-hall singer Glory Quayle, whom he urges to leave her career. In a Soho slum parish, Storm resists corrupt efforts to buy the church; scandal and mob violence threaten him, but Glory clears his name and joins his work among the poor.
The Christian Brothers
A one-man drama about a teacher at a Christian Brothers school, drawing on Ron Blair's own experience as a student at the Lewisham school in Sydney.
The Christian Hero
The Christian Hero is a 1735 tragedy by the British writer George Lillo. It is based on the life of Skanderbeg who led a rebellion against the Ottoman Empire in the fifteenth century. Two years earlier William Havard had written Scanderbeg, another work based on his life. The original Drury Lane cast included William Milward as Scanderbeg, James Quin as Amurath, William Mills as Mahomet, Edward Berry as Osmyn, Sarah Thurmond as Hellena, John Mills as Aranthes, Richard Winstone as Paulinus and Theophilus Cibber as Amasie.
The Christmas Market
Three Caribbean migrant workers experience their first Canadian winter. Working through the holiday season, they seek friendship, comfort, and a sense of belonging far from home.
The Christmas Party
Jeronimus, a grumpy old man, refuses to host a Christmas party because he considers the custom tasteless and inappropriate. His sister cannot persuade him, but a master shoemaker's appeal to natural law eventually changes his mind.
The Christmas Princess
In a modern fairy tale blending European and Japanese folklore, a spoiled princess disguises herself as a maid to escape an arranged Christmas wedding. A witch sends her to find three magical gifts, while a bumbling prince mistakes the maid for the princess and the court jester struggles to make the king laugh.
The Christmas Truce
A historical drama based on the real Christmas truce during the First World War.
The Church
In a loosely autobiographical satire, Dr. Bardamu moves through colonial Africa, New York’s entertainment industry, the League of Nations headquarters in Geneva, and a small clinic outside Paris; the play criticizes colonialism and the League.
The Churchill Play
In a dystopian England under authoritarian rule, inmates of an internment camp named for Winston Churchill stage a play in which soldiers guard Churchill’s catafalque before he rises from the dead.
The Circle
A young married woman considers leaving her husband for another man and seeks advice from an older couple who eloped thirty years earlier. Their romantic history proves less idealized than she imagined, while the older generation becomes entangled in the younger couple's decision.
The Citizen
Philpot, a wealthy skinflint, has bargained with Sir Jasper Wilding, a fox hunter, for his son Young Philpot, a buck and wastrel, to marry Maria Wilding, and for his daughter Sally to marry Wilding's son, for settlements and twenty thousand pounds paid to Sir Jasper. Young Philpot has lost a fortune, but borrows money from his father and embarks on an insurance fraud involving shipwrecked goods. Maria plans to marry Beaufort, who loves her. As Young Philpot tries to propose, she convinces him she is half-witted, and he spurns her. In the second act, Philpot senior is visiting Corinna, a lady of loose virtue, but hides under the table when his son calls upon her. He overhears as Young Philpot tells her how he has cajoled the money out of his father. Maria's brother surprises them, and old Philpot is also discovered, to their mutual shame. In the final scene Sir Jasper with a lawyer obtains Philpot's signature to the agreements, but meanwhile Maria, an educated girl, shows her strong character to Young Philpot and he again refuses to propose. Having signed away his rights old Philpot offers to marry her, but the lawyer reveals himself as Beaufort, and explains that he has swapped the deeds, so that Philpot has unwittingly signed his agreement for Maria to marry Beaufort.
The Citizen Turned Gentleman
The story centers on Mr. Jorden, a prosperous but deeply naive London draper who is utterly obsessed with shedding his middle-class roots to become an aristocratic gentleman. To achieve this, he foolishly hires a small army of expensive, bickering tutors in music, dance, fencing, and philosophy. They happily drain his bank account while privately mocking his complete lack of rhythm, coordination, and intellect. Jorden’s desperate vanity makes him an easy target for a bankrupt courtier named Dorant, who extravagantly flatters the merchant to borrow massive sums of money. Dorant promises to use the cash to woo a wealthy widow on Jorden's behalf, but secretly pockets the money and courts the lady for himself. The plot takes a farcical turn when Jorden’s daughter, Lucia, wants to marry Cleverwit, a witty young man of humble status. Because Jorden refuses to let his daughter marry anyone below the rank of nobility, Cleverwit and his servant launch a wild, low-budget hoax. Cleverwit disguises himself as the wealthy son of the Grand Signior of Turkey. He dazzles the starstruck Jorden by "ennobling" him in an absurd, entirely fake, grand backyard ceremony, complete with a chorus of chanting, fake Turkish paladins, bestowing upon the ecstatic merchant the completely fictional, nonsensical title of "Mamamouchi". Totally blinded by his ridiculous new "aristocratic" status, Jorden eagerly grants the fake Turkish prince his daughter’s hand in marriage, completely unaware that he has been swindled by his own family.
The City Bride
The City Bride; Or, The Merry Cuckold is a 1696 comedy play by the English writer Joseph Harris. It premiered at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre, staged by Thomas Betterton's company. The plot was inspired by John Fletcher's A Cure for a Cuckold. The original Lincoln's Inn Fields cast included John Bowman as Bonvile, John Thurmond as Friendly, George Bright as Justice Merryman, Samuel Bailey as Mr Spruce, John Freeman as Compasse, Elizabeth Bowman as Arabella, Elizabeth Boutell as Clara and Abigail Lawson as Nurse.
The City Directory
A modern description of the New York production describes the plot as focusing on the confusion caused when Chicago detective John Smith (played by Charles Reed) travels to New York to arrest a crook, also named John Smith. A bunch of other "John Smiths" get into the act as they travel around Manhattan. Not atypical of farces of the period, the content of the show and musical numbers were subject to updating over time. On its 100th performance in New York, the show was advertised as being "rejuvenated" with new parts and music.
The City Lady
The City Lady; Or, Folly Reclaim'd is a 1696 comedy play by the English writer Thomas Dilke. It was staged by Thomas Betterton's Company at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre with a cast that included George Bright as Grumble, Cave Underhill as Bevis, John Bowman as Bellardin, John Hodgson as Lovebright, Joseph Harris as Pedanty, John Freeman as Burgersditius, William Bowen as Jasper, Elizabeth Barry as Lady Grumble, Elizabeth Bowman as Lucinda, Elinor Leigh as Secreta and Abigail Lawson as Fidget.
The City Madam
Merchant Sir John Frugal's wife and daughters disdain his impoverished brother Luke, who secretly schemes to gain control of the family fortune. Disguises and reversals eventually expose the household's greed and vanity, while Sir John restores order and sends Luke to Virginia to atone.
The City Nightcap
Jealous Lorenzo tests his faithful wife Abstemia by asking his friend Philippo to seduce her; when the plot backfires, false testimony separates them and a sequence of disguises, mistaken identities and confessions eventually reunites them. In a comic subplot, the trusting Lodovico discovers that his wife Dorothea has been unfaithful and pregnant by their servant.
The City Ramble
The City Ramble is a 1711 comedy play by the British writer Elkanah Settle. It should not be confused with the 1715 play A City Ramble. The original Drury Lane cast included Barton Booth as Rinaldo, Henry Norris as Count, John Mills as Carlo, William Bullock as Don Garcia, Benjamin Johnson as Common Councilman, Christopher Bullock as Chevalier, Thomas Elrington as Valerio, George Pack as Antonio, Lacy Ryan as Young Gentleman, Lucretia Bradshaw as Viola, Jane Rogers as Lucia, Elizabeth Willis as Old Woman and Frances Maria Knight as Common Councilman's wife.
The City Wit
London merchant Master Crasy, facing bankruptcy and betrayal by debtors, feigns departure while remaining in the city in disguise. He joins forces with confidence tricksters to recover his money, manipulate suitors pursuing his wife, and restore his fortune and reputation through a tangle of deceptions.
The City-Heiress
Tory rake Tom Wilding schemes against his Whig uncle, Sir Timothy Treat-all, while both pursue London heiress Charlot. Through disguises, a staged offer of the Polish throne, and a contrived burglary exposing Treat-all's treason, Wilding wins Charlot and is restored to his inheritance; a subplot concerns Lady Galliard and a drunken suitor.
The Clancy Name
After her husband's death leaves her impoverished, Mrs Clancy borrows from neighbours to keep the family farm and protect its name. Her son returns, confesses that he has killed a man, and says he will surrender; after she tries to stop him, he dies saving a child.
The Clandestine Marriage
Merchant Mr Sterling seeks to marry his elder daughter to Sir John Melvil, who loves her younger sister Fanny. Fanny is secretly married to the clerk Lovewell, and her efforts to avoid Melvil lead to her being proposed to his uncle Lord Ogleby; when the truth emerges, she and Lovewell are forgiven.
The Clean House
Brazilian cleaning woman Matilde would rather tell jokes than clean. When her employer Lane's husband leaves for cancer patient Ana, Matilde, Ana, Lane and Lane's sister Virginia form an unusual household shaped by love, illness, humor and loss.
The Clean Up Woman
Journalist Terri Adams takes a high-paying news-anchor job and begins neglecting her home and newlywed husband. To keep both her marriage and career, she hires a cleaning service recommended by a coworker, but the “Clean Up Woman” may bring more than cleaning into the household. The play blends domestic comedy, gospel music and a spiritual turn.
The Climate Monologues
An episodic one-woman play built from monologues and original songs in the voices of people affected by climate change or working to address it. The pieces explore subjects including health, mountaintop removal, energy, fossil-fuel transport and activism, with recurring emphasis on individual action.
The Climbers
The Climbers is an American play in four acts by Clyde Fitch. The play premiered on Broadway at the Bijou Theatre on January 21, 1901. It ran for 163 performances, closing on June 1, 1901. Produced by Amelia Bingham, the production was directed by the playwright. It used scenic designs by Ernest Albert and Joseph A. Physioc. The production starred Bingham as Mrs. Sterling, Frank Worthing as Richard Sterling, Harry Wright as Richard Sterling, Jr., Clara Bloodgood as Miss Godesby, George C. Boniface as Dr. Steinart, Madge Carr Cook as Mrs. Hunter, Minnie Dupree as Clara Hunter, Maude Monroe as Jessica Hunter, Robert Edeson as Edward Warden, Ferdinand Gottschalk as Johnny Trotter, Henry Woodruff as Edward Warden, Thomas F. Fallon as Godesby, and John Flood as Frederick Mason. The Climbers was revived by Bingham on Broadway at the Princess Theatre in 1904. The play was adapted into a film three times, The Climbers (1915 film), directed by Barry O'Neil; The Climbers (1919 film), directed by Tom Terriss; and The Climbers (1927 film), directed by Paul L. Stein. The play was parodied in the 1901 Broadway musical The King's Carnival.
The Clouds
To escape household debts, farmer Strepsiades enrolls in Socrates's Thinkery to learn persuasive argument, then sends his son Pheidippides when he proves unable to learn. After Pheidippides returns transformed and beats his father, Strepsiades attacks the school.
The Club
An Australian rules football club struggles through a season as a high-priced recruit disappoints, a coach faces dismissal, and board members maneuver for control. The satire was inspired by the Victorian Football League's Collingwood Football Club.
The Coal Strike
A political and social drama set in Newcastle that depicts conflict between labor and capital.
The Coast of Utopia
The Coast of Utopia is a 2002 trilogy of plays: Voyage, Shipwreck, and Salvage, written by Tom Stoppard with focus on the philosophical debates in pre-revolution Russia between 1833 and 1866. Having won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Play, it ended up becoming the most Tony-winning play of all time in this ceremony, a record it holds to this day. The title comes from a chapter in Avrahm Yarmolinsky's book Road to Revolution: A Century of Russian Radicalism (1959). The trilogy, nine hours in total, premiered with Voyage on 22 June 2002 at the National Theatre's Olivier auditorium in repertory, directed by Trevor Nunn. The openings of Shipwreck and Salvage followed on 8 July, and 19 July, completing its run on 23 November 2002. In 2006, directed by Jack O'Brien, the plays debuted on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center, New York City, where it closed on 13 May 2007 after a combined total of 124 performances. The trilogy has also been performed in Russia; it opened at Moscow's Russian Academic Youth Theatre in October 2007, directed by Alexey Borodin. The trilogy received its Japanese premiere at Theater Cocoon, Bunkamura in Tokyo on 12 September 2009 and completed its run (including 10 one-day marathon performances) on 4 October 2009. The production was directed by Yukio Ninagawa.
The Cobbler of Preston
A short farce built around the Induction’s practical joke, omitting the Petruchio and Katherina story. Johnson renames the tinker Kit Sly.
The Cobbler of Preston
The Cobbler of Preston (first published as The Cobler of Preston) is a 1716 comedy play by Christopher Bullock, although a separate play of the same title was written by Charles Johnson the same year. A one-act afterpiece is the origin of the phrase "Tis impossible to be sure of anything but Death and Taxes". In the preface to the published version Bullock suggested that he had begun writing the play just four days before its premiere. It takes inspiration from The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare and is set in Preston, Lancashire. The town had recently been scene of fighting during the 1715 Jacobite Rebellion at the Battle of Preston. Bullock's play does not overtly reference the rebellion, but has undertones supportive of the Hanoverian Dynasty. It first appeared at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre as the afterpiece to a revival of The Confederacy by John Vanbrugh. The cast included John Ogden as Sir Jasper Manly, James Spiller as Toby Guzzle, Christopher Bullock as Snuffle and William Bullock as Grist and Benjamin Griffin as Dorcas Guzzle.
The Cobblers on the Heath
Topias and Martta try to marry their underage son Esko to a wealthy heiress before an inheritance is claimed, while the orphan Jaana loves the blacksmith Kristo; Esko's chaotic journey, a disguised father mistaken for a highwayman, and mistaken wedding plans ultimately reunite Jaana with her father and lover.
The Cocktail Hour
In a 1970s upper-class home, Bradley and Ann share cocktails with their adult children John and Nina. Their son John has written an unflattering play about the family, prompting arguments over the work and the family life it exposes.
The Cocktail Party
After Lavinia leaves her husband Edward just before their cocktail party, a mysterious guest brings her back. The guest, psychiatrist Sir Henry Harcourt-Reilly, urges the couple to accept their superficial but companionable life together. Their friend Celia chooses a path to sainthood and is martyred abroad; two years later, Edward and Lavinia host another party and learn of her fate.
The Coffee House
The Coffee House is a 1738 comedy play by the British writer James Miller, written as an afterpiece. After being performed at Drury Lane, it was published later that year with some alterations to the play's original text. The original Drury Lane cast included Benjamin Griffin as Harpie, Charles Macklin as Bays, John Harper as Booswell, William Havard as Hartly, Richard Winstone as Gaylove, Theophilus Cibber as Cibber, a Comedian and Kitty Clive as Miss Kitty. The role of the poet played by Macklin was apparently intended as a caricature of Richard Savage.
The Cold Wind And The Warm
The Cold Wind And The Warm is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright S. N. Behrman. The play premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre in 1958. The play is semi-autobiographical and based on Behrman's memoirs originally published in The New Yorker and his book The Worcester Account that was published in 1954.
The Coleorton Masque
In the antimasque, the house’s buttery spirit Bob and Puck lament declining hospitality and housekeeping as ostentation consumes the estate. Favonius praises masculine chivalry, then Iris leads six female masquers in a display of virtues; six male masquers join them in a concluding dance.
The Collaboration
In 1984 New York, Andy Warhol’s career is declining as he and emerging artist Jean-Michel Basquiat agree to collaborate on a new exhibition.
The Collection
James confronts Bill after his wife Stella says she had a one-night affair with Bill. Bill first denies it, then gives shifting accounts, while Harry claims Stella invented the story. James returns home and asks Stella whether the final version is true, but she never answers, leaving the affair unresolved.
The Colleen Bawn
Hardress Cregan secretly marries Eily O'Connor but is pressured to marry heiress Anne Chute to save his family's estate. A mistaken order leads servant Danny Mann to try to kill Eily; Myles na Coppaleen rescues her, the plot is exposed, and Eily and Hardress stay together while Anne marries Kyrle Daly.
The College Widow
The play is a cheerful and lightweight comedy. Set at fictional Atwater College, Jane Witherspoon (played by Dorothy Tennant) is the daughter of the college president, and she works to prevent star football player Billy Bolton (Frederick Truesdell) from attending rival Bingham College.
The Colonel
Two aesthetic impostors try to control a family fortune by converting a man's wife and mother-in-law to aestheticism. An unhappy husband seeks escape with a widow, but his American colonel friend intervenes to restore domestic harmony and marries the widow.
The Colored Museum
In eleven satirical sketches presented as museum exhibits, the play examines prominent themes and identities in African American culture, including history, stereotypes, racial identity, and theatrical conventions.
The Colours
The play centres around the lives of four people with varying types of illness, and their interactions with those around them. It also focuses on the conversations with healthcare professionals, in particular those who work in palliative care. The actors on stage in this verbatim play, voice the actual transcripts of interviews held with patients and doctors in South Wales in two sites: Velindre Cancer Hospital in Cardiff and Ty Olwen Hospice in Swansea. The play opens on a South Wales beach. We meet Jill and Joe in their home in South Wales. Jill, 60, has had a cancer scare, but the lumps in her breast turned out to be benign; Joe's prostate cancer is inoperable. Jill is cheerful, still thinking of future days, fussing over her vinyl collection, while Joe is anxious, but also resigned to what lies ahead. The play engaged a gender-blind casting approach, and Ché Francis plays Jill, his eyes perfectly matching the mischief in the voice he hears in his ears, whilst Joe is played by Morfydd Clark, who communicates the fear of a 65-year-old man entering the very last days of his life. Erica, played by Claire-Marie Hall, is a single woman, cheerful to the last, regaling with stories of her past as a teacher. We also meet Ray, played by Mark Knightley, who is dying from motor neurone disease, but copes using gallows humour and candour. Joe, Erica and Ray meet and become friends at a hospice, which provides activities such as meditation, painting and Tai Chi. A clinician appears throughout the play, voiced by several of the actors and giving information about the diagnoses and on what palliative care can offer.
The Columnist
Set between 1954 and 1968, American journalist Joseph Alsop finds his relevance fading as attention shifts from the Cold War to the Vietnam War.
The Combined Maze
The Combined Maze is a 1927 British play by Frank Vosper It is based on the 1913 novel of the same title by May Sinclair. It ran for 40 performances at the Royalty Theatre in London's West End between 30 May and 2 July 1927. The cast included Edward Chapman, Gordon Harker, Richard Bird, Anthony Ireland, Clare Greet and Jean Forbes-Robertson.
The Comeback
The Comeback is a comedy play by Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen (also known as the comedy double-act The Pin).
The Comedy About a Bank Robbery
The year is 1958. Convict Mitch Ruscitti, currently imprisoned at the British Columbia Penitentiary, hatches an escape plan with Neil Cooper, one of the guards, with the intent of traveling to Minneapolis to steal a diamond worth half a million dollars. Unfortunately, due to Cooper's big mouth, word gets out about the plan, and the whole prison wants to join the heist. Mitch and Cooper are able to escape, however, and they drive down to the Twin Cities to find the diamond. Meanwhile, at the Minneapolis City Bank, manager Robin Freeboys oversees preparations to ensure the bank is secure enough to store the diamond in question, owned by Prince Ludwig of Hungary. This proves tough, as the bank is victim to more crimes than any other bank in the state (in fact, Mr. Freeboys' car and furniture are stolen by robbers who were mistaken as bank staff). Luckily, Ruth Monaghan, a teller at the bank (who always says "everyone in this town's a crook"), persuades bureau officer Randall Shuck to allow the bank to store the diamond, much to his superiors' anger. Over the next few days, Caprice Freeboys, Mr. Freeboys' daughter and Mitch's ex, starts dating Sam Monaghan, Ruth's son and a pickpocket, in the hopes of sweet-talking some money out of him (the money she currently gets from her father and other three suitors will barely cover her rent). While at her apartment, however, Mitch and Cooper arrive with the tools needed to pull off the bank heist (including ventilation blueprints and an electric drill), along with the codes for the diamond case. The two crooks rope Sam and Caprice into joining them, mainly because the former can pose as Mr. Freeboys, and the latter as Prince Ludwig's attaché. Before they leave for the night, however, Mitch privately tells Caprice that he's not cutting Sam in, noting "as soon as we got the diamond, Sam's dead." The next several days pass with the bank finishing preparations, Ruth and Randall dating, the heist team going over their plan, and Sam asking Ruth for relationship advice. On the night of the heist, things don't go according to plan (Cooper initially sedates Sam instead of Mr. Freeboys, for one), but the team is able to shut down the AC and access the air ducts. As they crawl past the back office, they're forced to knock out and bring along intern Warren Slax as he attempts to check the vents. Eventually, Mitch and Cooper get separated from the rest of the team, and find themselves directly over the vault. Unfortunately, the vent below Cooper buckles, and Mitch, having no further use for Cooper, shoves him into the still-running fan below, killing him. Once Sam and Caprice arrive, Mitch convinces them that he tried to save Cooper, and they continue with the heist. Once inside the vault, the team is able to access the casing containing the diamond, but Mr. Freeboys (who was planning on stealing the diamond himself to cause a stir in the newspapers) walks in on them, forcing Mitch to shoot him and Prince Ludwig (who was hoping to resolve the situation). With the diamond in hand, Mitch tells Caprice to shoot Sam, but she refuses out of love for Sam; Mitch responds by shooting Caprice, but Sam dives in front of her and takes the bullet in his shoulder. Before Mitch can kill either of them, however, Warren falls out of the vent and lands on Mitch, allowing Sam and Caprice to escape. The two of them make it to Caprice's apartment, where she attempts to patch up Sam's shoulder. Before she can get started, though, Mitch catches up to them and attempts to shoot Caprice, but Randall shoots him first. At Ruth's persuasion, he misdirects the police, patches up Sam's wound, and gives him and Caprice his car to cross over into Ontario and lie low (it's a good thing Caprice knows someone there). Once they leave, Ruth takes the diamond from the dead Mitch, handcuffs Randall to Caprice's bed, and spills a trail of liquor onto the ground. She then warns Randall to be careful who he trusts, before holding up a lighter and giving one last remark: "It's like I always say; everyone in this town's a crook." (This ending was changed about a month into the run of the show as it was seen as quite a dark ending to a funny show. Ruth takes the diamond from the dead Mitch and handcuffs Randall to Caprice's bed. She then warns Randall to be careful who he trusts, giving one last remark: "It's like I always say; everyone in this town's a crook." She leaves and does not set fire to the apartment.)
The Comedy about Spies
After the existence of a new top-secret weapon, codenamed Project Midnight, is leaked to the Russians, MI6 prepare to have the plans transferred to a safehouse. However, a bomb explodes and the plans are stolen, with the agents unsuccessfully chasing the rogue agent across London. KGB Agents Sergei Ivanov and Elena Popov are dispatched to retrieve the files at a handover in the Piccadilly hotel. They masquerade as a married English couple - Tim and Annabel Plank - with Elena becoming frustrated with Sergei's cheerful demeanour, complicated fake backstories, and his attempts to befriend her. CIA Agent Lance Buchanan is also instructed to go there and find the turncoat MI6 agent. His mother, the retired CIA Agent Janet Buchanan, also shows up unannounced to assist him. Also present at the hotel is the struggling actor Douglas Woodbead, who mistakenly believes the Buchanans are Hollywood producers for the new James Bond movies. Banker Rosemary Wilson checks into the hotel for a work conference, and is in turn surprised when her boyfriend, hapless baker Bernard Wright, shows up to join her. The two pairs of spies attempt to identify the informant and the other spies through a series of manoeuvres. Bernard, meanwhile, prepares to propose to Rosemary, who in turn wants to break up with him and seems to be having an affair with her tennis instructor Marco. The hotel manager, Mr Tipton, attempts to help Bernard and placate the increasingly annoyed guests, as well as preparing for a secret shopper that is staying at their hotel. Sergei and Elena mistakenly believe Bernard is a CIA agent, and repeatedly break into his room impersonating hotel employees. Lance and Janet initially believe the same thing, before then believing Douglas is the informant. The confusion culminates in Sergei, Elena, and Lance bursting into the same room whilst Janet comforts a heartbroken Bernard. The three quickly identify each other as the real spies, and retreat back to their rooms. Lance and Janet, with their covers blown, decide to recruit a fearful Bernard. Bernard attempts to learn the real location of the handover from Sergei and Elena, but they deduce that the Buchanans sent him. They in turn send him back with false information, which the Buchanans quickly realise as well. The two sets of spies repeatedly use Bernard as a go-between until he becomes frustrated and flees to find Rosemary. Sergei and Elena head to the lobby to meet with their informant, whilst Lance and Janet search every spot that Bernard told them. Due to a mishap with the laundry, Douglas is wearing a green jacket that the KGB agents were told to spot, and they make plans to meet him on the roof to handoff the file. Bernard witnesses this and warns the Buchanans, although they do not believe him. At the meeting, Sergei and Elena realise the truth and flee, running into the CIA agents as they do so. The quartet fight through the hotel whilst Bernard poorly attempts to confront Douglas. Bernard and Douglas run into Rosemary, who is heading to her meeting. She puts on a green jacket, revealing herself to be the informant, and Bernard confronts her. Lance and Janet intercede and try to kill Rosemary, who flees to the lobby. Bernard reaches her first by scaling the lift shaft, and Rosemary reveals she is an MI6 agent and Marco is actually her handler. The KGB and CIA agents all arrive in the lobby, and pursue Rosemary and Bernard. The chase spills through the streets of London and eventually to the docks along the Thames, where Rosemary meets with Sergei and Elena. Bernard steals the case, but Rosemary convinces him to hand it back, upon which she gives it to the Russians. Lance and Janet arrive, where the former attempts to shoot Sergei, but Elena jumps in front. However, just as they seem to best the KGB duo, Janet reveals herself to be a double agent, who had been sabotaging Lance's career as a spy, and shoots him in the side. Sergei and the wounded Elena escape with the case on a submarine. Mr Tipton arrives, and is revealed to be Marco, who recorded Janet's confession. Rosemary admits to being a triple agent, who only pretended to steal the plans to force a CIA mole - Janet - to reveal themself. Marco then betrays Rosemary and is revealed to be working with Janet, who attempts to shoot Rosemary. However, Bernard had removed the bullets in her gun, allowing Rosemary to disarm and kill Marco. Lance shoots Janet to save them, and sadly walks away. Rosemary states she does love Bernard, but fears they cannot be together due to her work. She decides to resign so they can get married, but Bernard, having enjoyed himself, encourages her to do both. Rosemary then reveals the briefcase actually contains explosives set to go off at midnight. In the submarine, Sergei and Elena decide to throw the plans for Project Midnight into the river so that neither side can use it. However, when they open the briefcase, they instead find Douglas Woodbead's belongings, as Rosemary accidentally switched their cases earlier. Douglas can then be heard finally arriving at the audition for James Bond before his briefcase explodes.
The Comedy of Errors
In Ephesus, two pairs of identical twin brothers, separated in infancy, arrive without knowing their twins are nearby. Mistaken identities lead to beatings, marital accusations, arrest, and apparent madness; the confusion resolves when both sets of twins reunite and their parents are found.
The Comeuppance
The Comeuppance is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. The play tells the story of five friends reuniting for their high school reunion in a suburb outside Washington D.C., set in the present day. The friends deal with the passage of time, aging, and the discussion of death being sooner than later as they approach middle age.
The Comical Gallant
The Comical Gallant is a 1701 comedy play by the English writer John Dennis. Also known by the longer title The Comical Gallant: Or the Amours of Sir John Falstaffe, it is a reworking of Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor. The epilogue was written by William Burnaby.
The Comical History of Don Quixote
A three-part Restoration comedy dramatization of Cervantes's Don Quixote, with numerous songs. The three parts are described as separate plays and together take more than seven hours to perform.
The Comical Revenge
The Comical Revenge; Or, Love In A Tub is a 1664 comedy play by the English writer George Etherege. First staged by the Duke's Company, it premiered at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. It is one of the earliest Restoration Comedies. The play holds importance for the literary historian for Etherege's employment of two separate language styles. The style employed in the verbal sparring between Sir Frederick and the Widow would set the standard for the language of the Restoration comedy. The subtitle refers to the comical subplot which deals with the locking up of Dufoy, servant of Sir Frederick, in a tub by the chambermaids Betty and Lettice. The original cast included Thomas Betterton as Lord Beauford, Henry Harris as Sir Frederick Frollick, William Smith as Colonel Bruce, Henry Norris as Lovis, James Nokes as Sir Nicholas Cully, Cave Underhill as Palmer, Samuel Sandford as Wheadle, Mary Betterton as Graciana, Moll Davis as Aurelia and Jane Long as Widow.
The Coming of Stork
A socially awkward, loudly left-wing student comes to share a Melbourne flat with three university friends, with disastrous results.
The Common Glory
Paul Green's outdoor historical drama follows Virginia and the colonies from Jamestown's founding through the American Revolution and independence, emphasizing both Jefferson's role and the contribution of ordinary people. It was written for a large local cast and included original music.
The Common Pursuit
The characters of The Common Pursuit first meet in Stuart Thorne's rooms in Cambridge, at the first meeting of a literary magazine Stuart is starting called The Common Pursuit. He and Marigold are very much in love, Nick is determined to become a theatre critic, Humphry wants to be a philosophy professor, Martin is set on a career in publishing and Peter only seems interested in chasing women. The play then follows their various lives and careers over the next 20 years, and their struggles to remain faithful to their ambitions and the things they love.
The Complaisant Lover
In a two-act comedy, Mary Rhodes has an affair with Clive Root, a bookseller friend of her husband Victor; the action moves between the Rhodes home and an Amsterdam guesthouse.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
Three performers parody Shakespeare's plays in compressed and merged form: they race through the comedies and histories, stage several tragedies as comic routines, then devote the second act to Hamlet, repeating it faster and backwards with audience participation.
The Composite Man
The Composite Man is a 1935 comedy play by the British writer Ronald Jeans. The lead character is a successful athlete who is assumed to be a genius in everything else, which is far from the case. It premiered at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre before transferring to Daly's Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 70 performances between 8 September and 7 November 1936. The original London cast included Richard Bird, James Hayter, Max Adrian, Anthony Holles, Michael Dyne, Hayley Bell, Elspeth Duxbury and Diana Churchill.
The Compromise
The Compromise is a 1722 comedy play by the British writer John Sturmy. The original cast included John Hippisley as Sir Clement Harpye, Thomas Walker as Charles Despotick, Anthony Boheme as Weighty, Richard Diggs as Galloper, John Leigh as Random, Jane Egleton as Old Woman, William Bullock as Saracen, Jane Rogers as Harriet, Henrietta Morgan as Mrs Saracen, and Anna Maria Seymour as Isabella.
The Concert
Pianist Gustav Heink tells his wife he is leaving to give a concert, but goes away with one of his pupils. His wife knows of his affairs and faces the succession of infatuated pupils who surround him.
The Concert (American adaptation)
Pianist Gabor Arany lies to his wife about a concert and retreats to the mountains with a pupil who is another man's wife. The two spouses pursue them; when the couples meet, the other husband proposes exchanging wives, and exposure of Arany's selfishness helps restore domestic peace.
The Condemned of Altona
In a family of German industrialists, Johanna investigates why Franz, the elder son reported dead, has shut himself away for thirteen years. As the family confronts its Nazi-era history and Franz's crimes, he and his dying father meet to reckon with their responsibility for Germany's past.
The Confederacy
The Confederacy is a 1705 comedy play by the English writer John Vanbrugh. It is also known as The City Wives' Confederacy. The plot was inspired by a 1692 farce by the French writer Florent Carton Dancourt. Two years before Vanbrugh's work, another writer, Richard Estcourt had produced another play, The Fair Example based on Dancourt's original. It premiered at the Queen's Theatre, Haymarket with a cast that included Thomas Dogget as Moneytrap, Barton Booth as Dick, George Pack as Brass, Francis Leigh as Gripe, Elizabeth Barry as Clarissa, Mary Porter as Araminta, Anne Bracegirdle as Flippanta, Elizabeth Willis as Mrs Amlet and Katherine Baker as Mrs Cloggit. Vanbrugh's play has been revived numerous times over the subsequent centuries.
The Conference of Birds
A five-bird retelling of the Sufi birds' seven-valley quest for the Simurgh, ending with the king revealed as a mirror reflecting the birds' images and souls.
The Conference of the Birds
Ten thousand birds in a rulerless kingdom set out to find an unseen king. Led by the Hoopoe, their dwindling company faces dangers and distractions in a search for meaning beyond themselves.
The Confidential Clerk
Sir Claude employs his illegitimate son Colby as confidential clerk, hoping his wife will accept the young man as their adopted son; she instead believes he is her own child. Meanwhile, Lucasta and B. Kaghan each seem parentless, setting off mistaken identities.
The Conflagration
Cobbler Fielitz and his wife discuss setting fire to their home for insurance money. When a blaze occurs, justice official Von Wehrhahn blames their neighbor Gustav, despite suspicions about the Fielitzes. They profit from the crime, but Fielitz eventually confesses and his wife collapses and dies.
The Connection
A producer and writer attempt to stage a play about society’s underbelly using “real” addicts. The addicts, some of them jazz musicians, wait for their dealer—their connection—while their dialogue is interspersed with jazz.
The Conquerors
The Conquerors is a drama in four acts by Paul M. Potter. Set in Dinan, Brittany, the work takes place on September 3, 1870 immediately following the Battle of Sedan. It tells the story of a French maiden, Yvonne de Grandpre, who is assaulted by a cynical Prussian officer. The play premiered on Broadway on January 4, 1898 at the Empire Theatre in a performance by the Empire Stock Company which was led by actress Viola Allen as Yvonne, William Faversham as Eric von Rodeck, Ida Conquest as Rabble de Grandpre, W. H. Crompton as Abbé Dagobert, and J. Harry Benrimo as Major von Wolfshagen. Initial critical reaction to the work was harsh; with the New York press dismissing the work as "immoral" and a "deliberate endeavor to pander to debased tastes". It was rapidly withdrawn with the intent of rewriting the work's final act. The play was reworked and opened to better reception; becoming one of the hits of the season. It was performed in London at the St James's Theatre in 1898. Weber and Fields spoofed the play in their Broadway musical burlesque The Con-Curers.
The Conquest of China
The play opens in a Tartar camp outside the gates of Beijing. Theinmingus, King of Tartary, has invaded China to avenge his father, slain in the King of China's campaigns. His bloodthirsty son, Zungteus, is determined to destroy China. The Chinese provincial queen Amavanga arrives as an ambassador of the King of China alongside her confidante Vangona, disguised as soldiers. Theinmingus dismisses her as delaying and orders immediate preparations for an assault on Beijing. Vangona notices a glimmer in Zungteus's eye, suggesting Amavanga shed her disguise. Zungteus orders his confidant Palexus to launch the assault but Amavanga stops him, challenging him to a duel. He praises her courage, and they embrace, instantly falling in love with each other. Zungteus, emboldened by living in the Ming court as a child, has a sudden change of heart, abandoning his quest for revenge to pursue Amavanga. In the Palace of Beijing, the King of China is faced with a succession crisis. The prince who marries his daughter, Orunda, shall inherit the throne. Twelve Ming princes enter the palace in a masquerade ball. Orunda instantly falls in love with the honorable Quitazo, but the King rebuffs, forcing her to select a second prince. She picks the horrible Lycungus, setting the two against princes each other. He divides his powers among them, entrusting Quitazo to lead the army as general and Lycungus to govern as regent. Lycungus, unsatisfied with dull administration, envies Quitazo's military might and affection from Orunda. Quitazo is already betrothed to the innocent and humble Alcinda, attempting to part with Orunda, she only becomes even more enamored, whereas Lycungus pledges his absolute loyalty to Orunda, disgusted by him. Quitazo and Alcinda meet and embrace. Their peace is intruded by Lycungus, who humors Quitazo with the wondrous power he will have when he marries Orunda. Lycungus stokes a fierce dispute, saying Quitazo had kidnapped Alcinda and forced her into a relationship. After Quitazo threatens to kill him, he feigns mistaking her for another woman named Lycanza, and apologizes. Quitazo plans to meet Alcinda in disguise. Lycungus lays out his plan to manipulate Orunda, eliminate Quitazo, and seize absolute power. In the Tartar camp, the Tartars return from the assault on Beijing. Zungteus tells his father that the young ambassador from before is actually an exceptionally formidable warrior, seeing him behind wall of Tartar bodies. Zungteus praises his courage, saying he cannot bring himself to kill such a valiant foe. In the Chinese camp, Amavanga enters with Vangona and her army of women, all disguised. Lycungus brings word from the King that she has won a laurel crown for saving the city. A messenger reminds her of the impending duel with Zungteus. She is reluctant but Vangona convinces her to go to protect her honor and show her love. Back in the palace, Orunda learns of Quitazo's lover, wishing to kill them. Orunda appeals to her father of Quitazo's infidelity, who immediately condemns Quitazo and anyone associated with him to a torturous death, horrifying Orunda. Alcinda runs in, pursued by slaves, pleads for her life. The King commands them to strangle her, but Orunda convinces him to spare her. They reconcile, but after Alcinda pines for Quitazo, Orunda orders for the slaves to kill her. She grants all of Quitazo's affection to Orunda for her life, but begins a dispute over who should have him. Orunda calls for the slaves to stab, strangle, and kill her, only for Alcinda to reveal she has conquered death. For her courage, she spitefully does not allow her to die. Lycungus reveals to Orunda that Quitazo and Alcinda will meet under the Pagode-Grove to conspire the downfall of the empire. Lycungus plans to place an ambush of armed men to snatch Alcinda and force her to drink poison. Orunda, disappointed that she has no hand in the murder, disguises herself and concocts her own poison. Quitazo and Alcinda meet. Quitazo finds himself ruined by fame, torn between taking the throne or true love. Alcinda reveals her dread of revenge from Orunda, but Quitazo consoles her, reaffirming their love even if it means death. Amavanga continues discussing the duel with Vangona. She is moved by Vangona, that the duel will bring peace, revenge the King of China, and that she and Zungteus will be reunited in Heaven. Amavanga wishes Vangona to hold her a private funeral if she dies. The Tartars and Chinese gather under a truce on opposing sides for the duel. A herald reads out a treaty made by the King of China and Theinmingus that whoever loses the duel will become the tributary of the victor's empire. Zungteus fatally strikes Amavanga in the duel, killing her. He laments her death and reveals she was a woman. Zungteus tears up the treaty, provoking his father. Zungteus renews challenge, which Quitazo accepts. Though the King of China finds Zungteus so godlike and powerful, he refuses to risk his general's life. Zungteus reminds the King that their truce expires tomorrow. Vangona carries Amavanga's body away to her funeral but Zungteus keeps trying to follow her. Theinmingus summons Zungteus to a war council for the battle tomorrow. Zungteus considers falling upon his sword, but Palexus offers to be killed instead. Theinmingus returns, chiding Zungteus as an effeminate degenerate for killing himself over a woman. Zungteus hardens his resolve, leading the Tartar army to charge Beijing. Disguised, Orunda steals from the court to hunt Alcinda in the Pagode-Grove. Quitazo and Alcinda meet, disguised as shepherds, retreating deeply into the grove. Arriving late, Lycungus's mercenaries miss Alcinda, mistakenly taking disguised Orunda instead. She explains her true identity but the greedy mercenaries force her to drink the poison anyway. Lycungus is shocked to find they have poisoned Orunda, admonishing them. Orunda wishes to see Quitazo and die in his arms. Quitazo and Alcinda emerge from the trees. The dying Orunda has a sudden change of heart, repenting her maliceand relinquishing her claim to Quitazo. Quitazo and Alcinda mourn Orunda's death. Lycungus ambushes and seizes them, accusing Quitazo and Alcinda of poisoning Orunda. To protect Alcinda, Quitazo falsely confesses that he was the one who orchestrated the poisoning. He forgives his captors, and they are forced out of the grove. King of China is shown Orunda's body and is determined to rack Quitazo and Alcinda as traitors for poisoning her. He bestows Lycungus power over all of China. With complete control, Lycungus is determined to kill the King and seize the throne for himself. Zungteus mourns his father, who died of gangrene from a poisoned arrow in the battle. Quitazo and Vangona desert the city to inform Zungteus that Alcinda is captured has been captured by the tyrant Lycungus. Zungteus takes Palexus, Quitazo, and Vangona to get avenge his father and Alcinda. At his desk, the deposed King of China is alerted by prince Legozun that Lycungus has slain the eight remaining Ming princes and gathered sixteen thousand law students to his council before having them burnt alive. The King orders Legozun to instruct his wives to kill themselves to escape from Lycungus's lust. Another Ming prince warns the King of China that Lycungus has arrived to murder him. The King bids his wives to witness him fight Lycungus, but Legozun reveals that all of his wives had killed themselves according to his order. The King of China uses his blood to write a will, passing the crown to Zungteus. The King of China and the final two princes commit suicide by falling on their swords. Lycungus finds the King's bloody will and declares he will kill Zungteus. Three soldiers inform Lycungus that Quitazo has allied to the Tartars and is leading an army to depose him. Quitazo and the Tartar army battle Lycungus, but he is surrounded and taken prisoner by Lycungus's men. Alcinda is brought in by guards, Lycungus plans to execute her and force Quitazo to drink her blood mixed with poison while he is torn on the rack and scorched by hot irons. Quitazo offers his life and loyalty in exchange for her safety, but Lycungus orders her execution anyway. A messenger interrupts him to report that Zungteus has broken Lycungus's rebel army. Zungteus and his soldiers battle with Lycungus, slaying him, hailing "Long live Zungteus Emperour of China." Zungteus, having accomplished his quest for revenge, draws his sword to kill himself and reunite with Amavanga in Heaven. However, Quitazo and Vangona reveal that Amavanga is still alive, merely unconscious after their duel. Zungteus bestows Quitazo the crown of Tartary to civilize the barbaric Tartars, while he in China will teach the effeminate Chinese of warfare. The play ends as Zungteus exalts his wedding as the crowning triumph over all.
The Conquest of Granada
The Conquest of Granada by the Spaniards concerns the Battle of Granada (1482–1491), fought between the Moors and the Spanish, which led to the fall of the Emirate of Granada (1230–1492). The action concerns two factions of Moors, the Abencerrages and the Zegry. The hero of the play is Almanzor, who fights for the Moors, and falls in love with Almahide, who is betrothed to Boabdelin, the King of the Moors. Although Almahide reciprocates Almanzor's love, she will not betray her betrothal to King Boabdelin, who is emotionally distressed by jealousy of and military need for Almanzor in fighting the Spaniards during the Reconquista. In the course of events, Almanzor and Almahide remain separated until the death of Boabdelin. Additional to the protagonist's love story, two other plots involve frustrated love: (i) Abdalla, brother of King Boabdelin, and Abdelmelich, leader of the Abencerrage faction, vie for the love of Lyndaraxa, sister of the Zegry leader; and (ii) Niggr, a young man from the Abencerrage faction, loves Benzayda, who is a Zegry woman. The course of the drama reveals that Almanzor is the lost son of the Duke of Arcos, but dutifully fights the Spaniards for the Moors.
The Conquest of Spain
The Conquest of Spain is a 1705 tragedy by the English writer Mary Pix. The play was published anonymously, but has been widely attributed to Pix. It was a reworking of the Jacobean tragedy All's Lost by Lust by William Rowley. It was the first new play to be staged at John Vanbrugh's Queen's Theatre in Haymarket, opened earlier that year, and lasted for six nights. Set during the Moorish conquest of Spain, the play likely sought to capitalise on growing interest in the region due to the ongoing war being fought there, particularly as the previous year Allied forces had captured Gibraltar.
The Conquest of Taranto
The Conquest of Taranto is an 1817 musical drama written by William Dimond with music composed by Michael Kelly. It appeared at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 15 April 1817. The original cast featured Junius Brutus Booth as Rinaldo, William Macready as Valencia, Charles Mayne Young as Aben Hamet, Daniel Egerton as Gonzales, Sarah Booth as Oriana and Kitty Stephens as Rosalind. Macready was reportedly dissatisfied with his role, coveting that of Rinaldo, and unsuccessfully offered thirty pounds the Covent Garden manager Thomas Harris to release him during rehearsals. The first Dublin performance was at the Crow Street Theatre on 5 August 1817. It also appeared at the Federal Street Theatre in Boston and other American venues. William Hazlitt in A View of the English Stage wrote that it enjoyed a "success proportionate to its merits". "This style may be described as the purely romantic, there is little or nothing classical in it".
The Conscious Lovers
The preface to the play, written by Leonard Welsted, asserts that the play is departing from popular comedies of the day and impresses upon the audience the primacy of morality and manners over lewd jokes and licentious behavior. In the play, Sir John Bevil is encouraging his son, Bevil Jr., to marry the wealthy Lucinda, daughter of Mr. Sealand. John Bevil was quite the rake in his day, and he is trying to encourage his son to settle down with a wife and start a family. Bevil Jr., however, is faced with a dilemma, for though he is set to marry Lucinda, he is not in love with her, but his good friend Myrtle is. Bevil Jr. is in love with Indiana, a poor woman whose mother died when Indiana was seven. Indiana has been raised by her Aunt Isabella (Mr. Sealand's sister). She is the daughter of Mr. Sealand by his first wife, though no one realizes it. Mr. Sealand is intent on marrying his daughter Lucinda to Bevil Jr., but Mrs. Sealand, Mr. Sealand's second wife and Lucinda's mother, is intent on her marrying the young coxcomb Cimberton, because of his vast fortune and also because he is Mrs. Sealand's cousin. However, because of his fortune, Cimberton cannot marry without the consent of his Uncle Geoffrey or his counsel of lawyers. So Bevil Jr. and Myrtle devise a scheme where Myrtle and Bevil Jr.'s servant, Tom, will disguise themselves as Sir Geoffrey's lawyers, Bramble and Target, in order to delay the wedding proceedings. They arrive at Mr. Sealand's house in disguise, and convince Cimberton and Mrs. Sealand that the marriage absolutely cannot proceed without Sir Geoffrey's physical presence to sign away part of the estate. In the meantime, Sir John and Mr. Sealand discuss Bevil Jr.'s morals, for it has been discovered that he has been visiting a woman of lower class on a frequent basis. Mr. Sealand decides to go and visit this young woman so that he may judge Bevil Jr.'s moral conduct for himself, and Sir John and his servant Humphrey discuss the implication of marrying his son off as a bargaining chip to double the estate rather than letting Bevil Jr. choose a wife of his own. The next day, Phillis, Lucinda's maid, arrives at Bevil Jr.'s lodgings with news that Sir Geoffrey is expected in town at any moment, and suggests that Myrtle disguise himself as Sir Geoffrey in order to further delay the marriage proceedings. Myrtle arrives at Mr. Sealand's house disguised at Sir Geoffrey. Mrs. Sealand is in a hurry to marry Lucinda to Cimberton while her husband is away, she begins proceedings for a wedding. When Mr. Sealand arrives at Isabella and Indiana's lodgings, Isabella recognizes him, but he does not recognize her. He talks to Indiana, listens to her sad story, and while she is in a crying fit she drops a bracelet on the floor, and Mr. Sealand recognizes it as the bracelet he gave his first wife just before they were separated. Mr. Sealand is happy to be reunited with his daughter and sister, and in this moment insists that Indiana marry Bevil Jr. Isabella leaves that instant to get Bevil Jr. and arrives with Sir John Bevil, Bevil Jr., Mrs. Sealand, Cimberton, Myrtle disguised as Sir Geoffrey, and Lucinda. In this final scene, Mr. Sealand says he would rather have Myrtle marry Lucinda because he never liked Cimberton, and Cimberton will not marry Lucinda because her dowry has just been halved by Mr. Sealand's discovery of his long-lost daughter Indiana. He leaves, and Myrtle reveals himself. In the end, the moral of the story, given by Sir John, is that the happiness of the young is provided by good virtue, honesty and "Providence."
The Conspiracy
The Conspiracy is a 1796 tragedy by the Irish writer Robert Jephson. The original cast included John Palmer as Roman emperor Titus, John Philip Kemble as Sextus, William Barrymore as Annius, Charles Kemble as Publius, Thomas Caulfield as Lentulus, Jane Powell as Cornelia and Sarah Siddons as Vitellia.
The Conspiracy and Tragedy of Charles, Duke of Byron
In two linked tragedies, proud French commander Charles de Gontaut, Duke of Byron, is drawn into treason against the king. He briefly curbs his ambition and submits, but resumes plotting, is arrested and executed.
The Constant Couple
The Constant Couple is a 1699 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar. It is part of the Restoration comedy tradition, and is often described as a sentimental comedy. It marked the first major success of Farquhar's career. A series of comic misunderstandings are triggered when three rivals vie for the hand of the wealthy heiress Lady Lurewell. It was staged at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. The original cast included Robert Wilks as Sir Harry Wildair, George Powell as Standard, John Mills as Vizard, Benjamin Johnson as Smugler, William Pinkethman as Clincher Senior, William Bullock as Clincher Junior, Henry Norris as Dicky, Joseph Haines as Tom Errand, Susanna Verbruggen as Lurewell, Jane Rogers as Angelica, Mary Powell as Lady Darling and Henrietta Moore as Parly. The hero and most popular character, the rakish Sir Harry Wildair was revived for a sequel Sir Harry Wildair in 1701. For several decades the part of Sir Harry was strongly identified with the actor Robert Wilks, and became his signature role. It was later taken over by the Irish actress Peg Woffington, who performed it as a breeches role. Dorothea Jordan also played the part as did Samuel Foote. Actresses who have played the role of Lady Lurewell included Anne Oldfield and Hannah Pritchard. William Bullock appeared in the original run as Clincher. Numerous revivals of the play have taken place over subsequent centuries.
The Constant Maid
Gentleman Hartwell, financially ruined, loves Frances. Her mother Bellamy pretends to love Hartwell to test him, while Frances’s nurse and a rival suitor set a trap that Hartwell avoids by disguising himself. A series of mistaken identities leads to his reconciliation with Frances. In a subplot, Playfair rescues the niece of a usurer through a trick involving a false king and marries her.
The Constant Nymph
Young composer Lewis Dodd marries Florence, the cousin who cares for the anarchic Sanger family, while Teresa Sanger, a teenager with a heart defect, loves him. Florence's conflicting care and possessiveness strain the marriage; Lewis later realizes his love for Teresa, who dies of heart failure.
The Constant Wife
Constance Middleton knows her husband is having an affair with her best friend and protects them when the affair is exposed. She then pursues economic independence as an interior decorator, arranges to charge her husband for room and board, and takes her own lover.
The Constituent
A compassionate MP faces the demands of a former serviceman in crisis. A parliamentary protection officer’s intervention forces them to confront the conflict between public duty and personal safety.
The Contention of Ajax and Ulysses for the Armour of Achilles
In the Greek camp outside Troy after Achilles’s death, Ajax and Ulysses contend for his armor. Their servants’ argument and fight are stopped by Calchas, who oversees the debate before the Greek generals. Ulysses’s eloquence defeats Ajax’s boastful self-praise, and the generals award him the armor. In the aftermath, Ajax loses his mind, kills a politician, and commits suicide; Calchas delivers a funeral dirge.
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