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The Female Virtuosos

Play · 1693

The Female Virtuosos is a 1693 comedy play by the English writer Thomas Wright. It is based on the 1672 play Les Femmes Savantes by the French writer Molière about two young sisters who try and get out of a marriage arrangement with a foppish idiot so they can marry the men they love. It was staged by the United Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. The cast included Cave Underhill as Sir Maurice Meanwell, George Bright as Sir Timothy Witless, John Bowman as Sir Maggot Jingle, George Powell as Clerimont, John Hodgson as Meanwell, Joseph Haines as Bully, Frances Maria Knight as Mrs Leigh Lovewitt, Anne Bracegirdle as Mariana, Susanna Mountfort as Catchat, Elinor Leigh as Lady Meanwell and Jane Rogers as Lucy. Thomas Doggett wrote and performed the prologue. Incidental music was provided by Henry Purcell. It was revived in 1721 by the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre to run against Colley Cibber's The Refusal, a new adaptation of Molière's original play.

The Female of the Species

Play · 2006

Margot Mason is a feminist writer suffering from writer's block; she can not meet the deadlines for her next book. Molly Rivers, a deranged former student of Margot's, arrives unexpectedly at her country home with a gun and handcuffs Mason to her desk. Molly blames Margot for warping her mother's mind with her hit book The Cerebral Vagina. Following Margot's advice, Molly's mother gave Molly away as a baby so that she wouldn't be enslaved by motherhood and then killed herself. Molly has had herself sterilized to preserve her creativity, only to be told by Margot that she has no talent. Margot's daughter Tess arrives, exhausted from her house full of children. Margot has accused Tess of throwing her life away to embrace the role of housewife. Tess agrees that her mother should be shot. Tess's sensitive stockbroker husband, Bryan also arrives to debate the virtues of Margot's best-sellers, her inconsistent philosophy, and her inability to "mother". Even a macho taxi driver (Frank) and Margot's flamboyantly gay publisher (Theo) comment on her feminist failings.

The Fine Lady's Airs

Play · 1708

The Fine Lady's Airs is a 1708 comedy play by the British writer Thomas Baker. The original Drury Lane cast included John Mills as Sir Harry Sprightly, Robert Wilks as Brigadier Blenheim, Colley Cibber as Nicknack, Benjamin Johnson as Major Bramble, William Bullock as Master Totty, William Pinkethman as Knapsack, Henry Norris as Shrimp, George Pack as Orangewoman, Anne Oldfield as Lady Rodomont, Mary Porter as Lady Tossup, Lucretia Bradshaw and Margaret Saunders as Mrs Flimsy.

The First Gentleman

Play · 1945

The First Gentleman is a 1945 historical play by the British writer Norman Ginsbury. It portrays the relationship between the future George IV, his daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales and her husband Leopold. It is set during the Regency era and features many other prominent figures of the time. It takes place between 1814 and 1819, set primarily at Carlton House and Brighton Pavilion. Its West End run lasted for 553 performances between 18 July 1945 and 16 November 1946, originally at the New Theatre before transferring to the Savoy. The cast included Robert Morley as Prince George, Wendy Hiller as Charlotte, Philip Friend as Leopold, Amy Frank as Caroline of Brunswick and Robert Beaumont as William, Prince of Orange. The music was by Herbert Griffiths.

The Floating Light Bulb

Play · 1981

Matriarch Enid Pollack, who once aspired to be a dancer in George White's Scandals, spends her days hounding neighbors with telephone business schemes in order to support the family. Her philandering husband Max is a gambler, furtively planning his escape from his marriage. Stuttering teenaged son Paul is a frail, bright, shy boy who tries to perfect magic tricks — including a floating light bulb illusion — in his bedroom. When talent agent Jerry Wexler arrives at the house, seemingly to audition Paul, Enid seizes the opportunity for Paul to shine in the spotlight that eluded her, only to have her hopes dashed when she realizes Wexler is more interested in wooing her than signing her son as a client.

The Flowering Peach

Play · 1954

The Flowering Peach is a 1954 dramatic play by American playwright Clifford Odets with music by Alan Hovhaness. The plot is a modern take on the Bible stories of Noah and Noah's Ark. It was the last original play by Odets produced in his lifetime. The play was revived in 1994. While rarely produced in stock and regional theatres, a musical version titled Two by Two was produced on Broadway in 1970 by Richard Rodgers, Martin Charnin and Peter Stone. It starred Danny Kaye and ran for a year on Broadway.

The Force of Ridicule

Play · 1796

The Force of Ridicule is a 1796 comedy play by the British writer Thomas Holcroft. The original Drury Lane cast included John Palmer, William Barrymore, Richard Suett, Robert Palmer, Charles Kemble, John Bannister, Maria Theresa Kemble and Elizabeth Farren. According to James Boaden, the play was "perdurably damned” after its opening night and never performed again. The manuscript of the play was never published and its sources were only hinted at in Biographica Dramatica, where it was mentioned that it was believed to have been derived from French. The failure of the play was seen as so great, Holcroft did not attempt any further playwriting for another two years.

The Fortune Hunters

Play · 1689

The Fortune Hunters; Or, Two Fools Well Met is 1689 comedy play by James Carlile. It was originally staged by the United Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The original Drury Lane cast included Anthony Leigh as Sir William Wealthy, Edward Kynaston as Tom Wealthy, William Mountfort as Young Wealthy, James Nokes as Spruce, John Bowman as Littlegad, Elinor Leigh as The Lady Sly, Charlotte Butler as Sophia, Susanna Mountfort as Maria and Frances Maria Knight as Mrs Spruce. The work remained popular into the eighteenth century. It was revived at the Queen's Theatre, Haymarket in 1707 with a cast featuring William Bullock, John Mills, Robert Wilks, George Pack, Henry Norris, Lucretia Bradshaw, Margaret Bicknell and Anne Oldfield. This led to further stagings at the Haymarket in 1708 and 1709, followed by Drury Lane in 1711 and Lincoln's Inn Fields in 1717 and 1728.

The Fourposter

Play · 1950

The Fourposter is a play written by Jan de Hartog. The two-character story spans 35 years, from 1890 to 1925, as it focuses on the trials and tribulations, laughters and sorrows, and hopes and disappointments experienced by Agnes and Michael throughout their marriage. The set consists solely of their bedroom, dominated by the large, fourposter bed in the centre of the room. Among the couple's milestones are the consummation of their marriage, the birth of their first child, Michael's success as a writer, his extramarital affair, their daughter's wedding, and their preparations to move to smaller quarters and pass their home on to another newlywed couple. After a pre-London tour, it opened in the West End in 1950. A Broadway production followed in 1951, and the play has been adapted for film, television and musical theatre.

The Freedom of the City

Play · 1973

In 1970 Derry, three civil-rights marchers fleeing tear gas mistakenly take shelter in the mayor’s Guildhall parlour. Their presence is treated as an occupation; they discuss their lives while waiting for the violence to pass, then are shot by soldiers as they try to surrender. A tribunal reconstructs their deaths through fictionalized testimony and acquits the soldiers, turning the play’s parallel scenes into an indictment of the violence and its official account.

The Freedom of the Seas

Play · 1918

The Freedom of the Seas is a 1918 British comedy play by Walter Hackett. A downtrodden London clerk joins the Royal Navy during the First World War. Given command of a tramp steamer he rises to the occasion and thwarts the plans of a German spy. It appeared at the Royalty Theatre before transferring to the Theatre Royal, Haymarket where the cast included Dennis Eadie, Billie Carleton, Tom Reynolds, Marion Lorne, Randle Ayrton, Sydney Valentine and James Carew.

The French Conjuror

Play · 1677

The French Conjuror is a comedy play by the English writer Thomas Porter. It was first staged by the Duke's Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London in June 1677. The original cast included Thomas Jevon as Avarito, John Crosby as Claudio, Thomas Gillow as Dorido, Henry Norris as Horatio, Thomas Percival as Truro, Anthony Leigh as Monsieur, John Richards as Audacio, Elizabeth Barry as Clorinia, Margaret Hughes as Leonora and Elinor Leigh as Scintilla.

The French Libertine

Play · 1826

The French Libertine is an 1826 historical play by the British-based American writer John Howard Payne. Written under the title Richelieu the play originally focused on the life of the eighteenth century French aristocrat and libertine the Duke of Richelieu, a relation of the seventeenth century statesman Cardinal Richelieu. It was partly inspired by the 1796 work La Jeunesse de Richelieu by Alexandre Duval. Issues with the censor George Colman led to many changes, done by Charles Kemble who played the lead, and Richelieu was altered into the fictional Duke de Rougemont. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 11 February 1826. The cast included Charles Kemble as the Duke de Rougemont, James Prescott Warde as Dubois, Tyrone Power as Lamotte, John Cooper as Dorival, Louisa Chatterley as Countess de Fleury and Julia Glover as Jeanette.

The Front Page

Play · 1928

The play's single set is the dingy press room of Chicago's Criminal Courts Building, overlooking the gallows behind the Cook County Jail. Reporters from most of the city's newspapers are passing the time with poker and pungent wisecracks about the news of the day. Soon they will witness the hanging of Earl Williams, a white man and supposed Communist revolutionary convicted of killing a black policeman. Hildy Johnson, cocky star reporter for the Examiner, is late. He appears only to say goodbye; he is quitting to get a respectable job and be married. Suddenly the reporters hear that Earl Williams has escaped from the jail. All but Hildy stampede out for more information. As Hildy tries to decide how to react, Williams comes in through the window. He tells Hildy he is no revolutionary, and that he shot the police officer by accident. The reporter realizes this bewildered, harmless little man was railroaded—just to help the crooked mayor and sheriff pick up enough black votes to win re-election. It is the story of a lifetime. Hildy helps Williams hide inside a roll-top desk. His daunting challenge now is to get Williams out of the building to a safe place for an interview before rival reporters or trigger-happy policemen discover him. Hildy has no choice but to ask for help from Walter Burns, managing editor of the Examiner—a devious tyrant who would do just about anything to keep Hildy with the newspaper.

The Full Monty

Play · 2013

The Full Monty is a black comedy play written by Simon Beaufoy, from his original screenplay for the 1997 film The Full Monty. It made its world premiere at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield in February 2013, before touring the United Kingdom. A West End production was launched at the Noël Coward Theatre in February 2014. Followed by UK Tours in 2014/15 and 2016/17. In 2023 a brand new production opened at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, produced by Mark Goucher Productions and Buxton Opera House, which is currently touring the UK until April 2024.

The Gambler (Betti)

Play · 1950

The Gambler (Il giocatore) is an Italian-language play in three acts by Ugo Betti that was first performed in Italy in 1950. An abstract morality play, the plot revolves around the character of David Petri who out of both ego and boredom conspires to have his loving and doting wife, Eva Petri, murdered by hiring a group of invading soldiers to commit the deed on his behalf. In 1952 the play was staged on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in an English-language adaptation by Alfred Drake and Edward Eager. Drake starred as David Petri with Margaret Draper portraying his wife Eva. Others in the cast included Anne Burr as Eva's mother Alma Reich, Percy Waram as the Station Master, E. G. Marshall as Ernest Bruni, Philip Coolidge as Commissioner Costa, and Constance Clausen as Paula Mori. The Broadway production was directed by Herman Shumlin.

The Gamester

Play · 1705

The Gamester is a 1705 comedy by the English writer Susanna Centlivre. This marked the first time Centlivre had a star cast in one of her productions, and it was a hit. The play was one of the most popular of the nineteen she wrote, and it was fairly often staged until 1745, before later being revived at Covent Garden in 1789 under an alternative title. It is inspired by the 1696 play Le Joueur by the French writer Jean-François Regnard, with numerous changes made to reflect its English setting most particularly in its moral about the "ill consequences of gaming". The original cast included John Freeman as Sir Thomas Volere, John Corey as Dorante, John Verbruggen as Young Volere, Thomas Betterton as Lovewell, William Fieldhouse as Marquess of Hazard, George Pack as Hector, Elizabeth Barry as Lady Wealthy, Anne Bracegirdle, as Angelica and Elizabeth Willis as Mrs Security.

The Gay Lord Quex

Play · 1899

Sophy Fullgarney is a manicurist whose clients include the Countess of Owbridge and the Duchess of Strood. The former is elderly and kind; the latter is younger and romantically inclined. They are both also clients of "Valma", the professional name of the palmist Frank Pollitt; he practises in the next door premises and is Sophy's fiancé. Sophy is the foster-sister of the beautiful Muriel Eden, and is set against Muriel's intended marriage to the notorious middle-aged roué, the Marquess of Quex. Sophy does not believe that he is, as he claims, a reformed character and believes a more suitable husband for her foster-sister would be the charming young Captain Bastling. Lady Owbridge invites the other characters to her country house, where the Duchess, an old flame of Quex's, insists on his drinking a farewell glass of champagne in her room after dinner. It is a wholly innocent rendezvous, but would appear highly scandalous if others knew of it. Sophy spies on them, and is discovered. The Duchess hastily departs, leaving Quex and Sophy to confront each other. To avoid a scandal he attempts to bribe her to remain silent. He is impressed to find that her motives are not mercenary and that she is simply determined that he shall not marry Muriel. He points out that he has locked the door, and that if Sophy is discovered to be alone with him in a bedroom her fiancé would assuredly break off their engagement. Any scandal she causes will therefore be as damaging to her as to him. He convinces her that he is truly reformed and she promises not to stand in the way of his marriage to Muriel. Quex is concerned that the handsome young Captain Bastling is a rival for Muriel's affections. Sophy tricks Bastling into revealing that he is as dissolute a philanderer as Quex used to be. Muriel sees how untrustworthy he is, and prefers the reformed Quex.

The Gazette Extraordinary

Play · 1811

The Gazette Extraordinary is a comedy play by the British writer Joseph George Holman, published and first performed in 1811. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 23 April 1811 The original cast included Charles Mayne Young as Lord De Mallory, Joseph Shepherd Munden as Heartworth, William Barrymore as William Clayton, John Fawcett as Doctor Suitall, Charles Murray as Randall, Nannette Johnston as Lady Julia Sandford, Mary Catherine Bolton as Miss Alford, Mary Ann Davenport as Mrs Leech and Sarah Booth as Ellen Meredith. It was acted eleven times during its initial run.

The Generous Conqueror

Play · 1701

The Generous Conqueror is a 1701 tragedy by the English writer Bevil Higgons. It was published in January the following year, and is sometimes dated 1702 by this. Higgons was a well-known Jacobite who had been implicated in the 1696 Jacobite assassination plot against William III. In this play he effectively called for the peaceful succession of the pretender to the throne as James III. The Drury Lane cast included Robert Wilks as Almerick, John Mills as Rodomond, Philip Griffin as Gonzalvo, Colley Cibber as Malespine, Thomas Simpson as Meroan, Jane Rogers as Armida, Mary Kent as Irene and Anne Oldfield as Cimene. It was not a success, partly because audiences and critics objected to its Jacobite arguments portrayed in the characters and plot. The prologue was by the Tory politician and writer George Granville, who shared the Jacobite sympathies of Higgons. The printed version play was dedicated to the Marquess of Normanby, who had attended the play several times, and was another Tory with Jacobite leanings. A contemporary play Tamerlane by Nicholas Rowe, took the very opposite view to Higgons, presenting another historical tragedy that depicts William of Orange as a heroic figure in Whig eyes.

The Generous Enemies

Play · 1671

The Generous Enemies; Or, The Ridiculous Lovers is a 1671 comedy play by the writer John Corye. It was first staged by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The original cast included William Wintershall as Signior Robatzy, Edward Lydall as Signior Cassidoro, Michael Mohun as Don Alvarez, Edward Kynaston as Signior Flaminio, William Cartwright as Don Bertran, Richard Bell as Sanco, Rebecca Marshall as Jaccinta, Elizabeth James as Alleria, Elizabeth Boutell as Lysander and Katherine Corey as Julia.

The Gentle Gunman

Play · 1950

The Gentle Gunman is a 1950 thriller play by the British writer Roger MacDougall. A former IRA gunman attempts to renounce his violent past, as he is now convinced a non-violent approach is best. It premiered at the Cambridge Arts Theatre before transferring to the Arts Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 31 performances between 2 and 27 August 1950. The original London cast included Henry Hewitt, Robin Bailey, Victor Maddern, Larry Burns, Michael Golden, Harry Towb, Eddie Byrne, Kevin Stoney, Louise Hampton and Maureen Pryor. The production was televised by the BBC in September 1950.

The German Hotel

Play · 1790

The German Hotel is a 1790 comedy play by the British writer Thomas Holcroft. The original Covent Garden cast included John Quick as Count Werling, Joseph George Holman as Dorville, Francis Aickin as Count Kolberg, William Farren as Baron Thorck, Richard Wilson as Rummer, John Bernard as William, Charles Farley as Messenger, Isabella Mattocks as Adelaide and Jane Pope as Mrs Dorville. George III and Queen Charlotte attended a performance of the play in December 1790 "and seemed highly gratified with the whole performance".

The Gin Game

Play · 1976

Weller Martin and Fonsia Dorsey, two elderly residents at a nursing home for senior citizens, strike up an acquaintance. Neither seems to have any other friends, and they start to enjoy each other's company. Weller offers to teach Fonsia how to play gin rummy, and they begin playing a series of games that Fonsia always wins. Weller's inability to win a single hand becomes increasingly frustrating to him, while Fonsia becomes increasingly confident. While playing their games of gin, they engage in lengthy conversations about their families and their lives in the outside world. Gradually, each conversation becomes a battle, much like the ongoing gin games, as each player tries to expose the other's weaknesses, to belittle the other's life, and to humiliate the other thoroughly.

The Gingerbread Lady

Play · 1970

The Gingerbread Lady is a play by Neil Simon. It was widely believed to have been written specifically for actress Maureen Stapleton, who won both the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her performance. But in a later autobiography, Simon wrote that he'd feared Stapleton might be "hurt" if she assumed the character's flaws and personal damage were a direct dramatization of her life. Simon said that it was director Mike Nichols' suggestion to cast Stapleton in the role, and that Simon responded, "This is not really Maureen. It's ten, twenty different actresses I've met over the years."

The Girl from Rector's

Play · 1909

New York rake Richard O'Shaugnessy is having an illicit affair with a woman he knows by the name "Loute Sedaine". When O'Shaugnessy's cousin asks for help with charming Marcia Singleton, a high-class young woman visiting from Battle Creek, Michigan, O'Shaugnessy decides she will be a more favorable partner for himself instead of for his cousin. He informs his mentor, known to him as "Colonel Tandy", that he will marry Singleton and break off his relations with Sedaine. He also severs ties with Tandy, whose assistance he no longer needs. When he arrives in Battle Creek, O'Shaugnessy discovers his rude dealings with Sedaine and Tandy were a mistake, because "Tandy" turns out to be a false name used in New York by his new fiancée's father. Similarly, "Sedaine" is also from Battle Creek, where she is married to a local judge. In a complication borrowed from the French original without regard to its implausibility in American law, O'Shaugnessy and Singleton have already wed in a civil ceremony, but need to go through a religious ceremony to complete their marriage. The joint arrival of O'Shaugnessy's lover and his mentor threatens to disrupt this plan. The main characters all end up at a roadhouse, where they go in and out of one another's rooms, revealing their embarrassing affairs. Eventually they work out their differences; O'Shaugnessy consummates his new marriage, and his former lover reconciles with her husband.

The Girl in the Limousine

Play · 1919

Tony Hamilton is on his way to a party at the home of his former girlfriend Betty and her new husband Freddie Neville. He is waylaid by thieves who take most of his clothes and dump him into a dark room of a nearby apartment. This room turns out to be Betty Neville's bedroom. Betty has been feeling ill and has retired from the party to sleep. Various complications ensue as Tony attempts to conceal or explain his near-naked presence in Betty's bedroom. First Betty's aunt Cicely shows up. She has never met Betty's new husband, and finding Tony in the bedroom, she assumes he must be Freddie. The real Freddie makes his way to the bedroom later, as do several of the party guests.

The Glorious First of June

Play · 1794

The Glorious First of June is a 1794 play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It depicts the Glorious First of June, a British naval victory over the French that took place on 1 June 1794 during the French Revolutionary War. It premiered on 2 July 1794 at the Drury Lane theatre, and was based on newspaper accounts of the battle. It contains a debate on the question of naval patriotism – a key issue at the time. The profits made from the play were donated to the families of those killed in the battle.

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