Three French comedies of love and marriage. Charles Favart contributes two comic operas of considerable verve and humor. In THE DISGUISED LOVER, Julie pretends to be a man, and Clitandre pretends to be a peasant. But its all in good fun, and while the play doesnt take itself seriously, alls well that ends well. RUSTIC AMOURS is a strange but effective blend of classical opera themes (shepherds and shepherdesses in love), combined with satire about Parisian fops and uncouth peasants--all of whom love the same beautiful shepherdess. Philippe Destouches TRIPLE MARRIAGE is a...

Set in Roman times, Voltaire's play THE TRIUMVIRATE details a meeting on an island between Anthony and Octavian, in which the two main players in the post-Caesar Roman world decide how to divide up the spoils of war--and eliminate all potential rivals. Anthony agrees to divorce his wife Fulvia and marry Octavian's sister; and Octavian wants to marry Julia, Lucius's daughter, who loves Sextus Pompey, son of Pompey the Great. When a storm lands Julia and Pompey Junior on the island, Fulvia agrees to help the star-crossed lovers--if they will aid her in gaining her revenge on Anthony and...

Here are three French plays from the Enlightenment Period dealing with the subject of slavery. ISLE OF SLAVES, by Pierre de Marivaux, is the longest and most challenging of the three. It postulates an island in the ancient Greek world where the slaves have revolted and seized power, killing all of their former masters and declaring their independence. Now, any "masters" shipwrecked on their island are forced to live as slaves of their own slaves to impress upon them the wrongs they've committed. THE MERCHANT OF SMYRNA, by Nicolas Chamfort, and THE BEAUTIFUL SLAVE, by Antoine-Jean Dumaniant,...

Two operas with classical themes. SALAMMBO by Camille du Locle is based on Gustave Flaubert's well-known novel of the same name. The story is set in Carthage after the First Punic War, when mercenaries hired by the state revolt for lack of payment. The leader of the insurrectionists, Matho, falls in love with Salammbo, daughter of General Hamilcar--and this obsession leads ultimately to his destruction. DIDO, by Jean-Francois Marmontel, is one of the best modern dramatizations of the great love story recounted by Virgil in his epic poem, The Aeneid. The Trojan prince Aeneas, who has sought...

Here are four plays by the well-known American dramatist, Frank J. Morlock. THE KEY TO THE GREAT GATE, based on a novel by Hinko Gottlieb, is set in 1942 Vienna, where four Jews have been imprisoned by the Nazis. The newest inmate, Tarnopolski, has learned to manipulate the space-time continuum. His ability to shrink and expand objects--including people--creates consternation among both the prisoners and their guards. This is a moving story about the power of the human spirit to survive the most appalling conditions. HEROES AND ROMANTICS OF OUR TIMES, based on a play by Henri Duvernois, is...

Two plays by the well-known French Enlightenment philosopher and writer, Denis Diderot. THE PLAY AND THE PROLOGUE examines, with a certain amount of skepticism, the motives of people helping other people. The playwright Hardouin, who's clearly modeled on Diderot himself, manipulates those around him to generate what he believes to be beneficial results for those in need--whatever those needs are. But the recipients are not so sanguine about the underhanded methods that Hardouin employs to attain his ends, however good they might be. THE UNFORTUNATE FATHERS presents a family reduced to extreme...

Three French comedies focusing on Parisian women and their intricate love lives. MIMI PINSON, by Jean Bayard and Philippe Dumanoir, is a carefree, self-supporting, independent woman. She's a grisette (working girl) who loves as she pleases, doesn't care about money, and is both happy and charming in her simple life. THE TYPE YOU DON'T MARRY, by Edouard Pailleron, tells the tale of the girl Adrienne, who after being a mistress for six years, finally succeeds in marrying her lover. Love triumphs over morality, as the lover gives up a potentially good marriage and his family to remain with the...

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...

Dumas wrote and staged Henri III (1829) before Hugo weighed in with the more famous Hernani (1831). It was the opening salvo in the war between The Romantics and the Classicists. Dumas' play was less controversial and more successful than Hugo's play. Dumas' hero, Saint Megrin, a fiery opponent of the Duke of Guise and a favorite of Henry III is also in love with the Duke's wife. Saint Megrin's partiality for the King also has brought him into conflict with Henry's unscrupulous mother Catherine de Medici, who decides to rid herself of both Guise and Saint Megrin by fostering the thus-far...

Two comedies by a cousin of French King Louis XIV. THE SPIRIT OF CONTRADICTION is an hilarious play about a woman whose sole aim in life is to prevent others (mostly in her own family) from getting their way. So contrary is she to anything that's suggested to her that her husband, daughter, and in-laws must conceal, as best they can, their real wishes. But she knows they know--and this creates absolutely side-splitting situations. This extremely popular comedy had more performances by the Comedie Francaise through 1900 than other play in its repertoire. THE DOUBLE WIDOWING is based on a...