Jean-Francois Regnard (1655-1709) is considered by many critics to be the best writer of comedic plays in seventeenth-century French literature, excepting only Moliere. Regnard based many of his pieces on classical sources, and THE TWO MCNAUGHTENS is no exception, having been adapted from the Roman comedy, Menaechmi, by Plautus. The dramatist chose to adapt rather than simply translate this comedy, restaging it with a fresh British setting. Nonetheless, the basic premise--of twins and their lovers confounding each other in their bumbling attempts to inherit the estate of their uncle--closely follows the original source, save for actual names, places, and monetary denominations--and also manages to replicate the absolute hilarity of the earlier play. Great entertainment for a modern audience
Four French comedies by Jean-Francois Regnard (with Charles Dufresny), who's considered to be the best comic playwright of his age after Moliere. The sardonic and amusing THE TREE OF CHASTITY has a slight plot, but the double-entendres flying rapidly right and left keep the audience well-entertained. WAIT FOR ME UNDER THE ELM is another farce filled with verve aplenty. THE UNFORESEEN RETURN is a reworking of Plautus' Haunted House with a seventeenth-century setting. THE RIDICULOUS MERCHANT is another comedic romp. These bubbly, even obscene farces still hold up well today, with all of the characters and their situations eminently recognizable to modern audiences. Great dramatic fun
Four French comedies on marriage, love, and manners. In THE WIDOW A LA MODE, by Jean Donneau de Vise, the death of an aged husband forces his young widow and other members of his family to scramble quickly to save their fortunes while pretending to be overcome with grief. WAYWARD WENCHES, by Jean-Francois Regnard, is a collection of skits about bad girls who've gone wrong. Michel Baron's THE ABDUCTIONS is a one-act farce about the vagaries of love in a country setting, including cross-dressing and knock-about slapstick shenanigans. Alain-Rene Lesage's THE SCHOOL FOR LOVERS is a comic fantasy opera about what makes romance last--and what kills it. A magician whisks young men and women to an enchanted isle--where they become bored to death with love! The characters in these plays are still recognizable, even in modern settings; and this quartet of comedies still makes us laugh. Great entertainment!
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