April 4– From She Stoops To Conquer (1773) by Oliver Goldsmith
Summary: A guy gets shy/awkward around high class women, and seduces lower class ones. The women he's supposed to marry takes advantage of a prank her brother plays to pretend their house is an inn and she's wench to seduce him.
Commentary: D for (medium) Drama today. I'd heard of this play, so I was looking forward to it. It seems good, though we only got a short taste of it. No more for the year, unfortunately. I'll add it to the follow up list and finish it at some point.
After several strike outs in a row, I finally got a play with a few easily accessible versions. This BBC production seems accurate and well produced (though it's more television than stage). It has a classy horse fart joke near the end of the selection, and some truly over the top wigs.
A few stand out lines:
HARDCASTLE. And I love it. I love everything that’s old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine; and I believe, Dorothy (taking her hand), you’ll own I have been pretty fond of an old wife.
The old man's still got it.
Despite knowing it from experience, it still amazes me sometimes how frank some of these old plays are.
MISS HARDCASTLE. Eh! you have frozen me to death again. That word RESERVED has undone all the rest of his accomplishments. A reserved lover, it is said, always makes a suspicious husband.
A woman wanting a forward husband, and a lover? Gasp!
LANDLORD. Ah, bless your heart, for a sweet, pleasant—damn’d mischievous son of a whore. [Exeunt.]
The ideal way to feel about a rambunctious teenager.
This was a fun one, and a nice break from the dry biographies that've been popping up the last week or two.
I keep meaning to read this one. Maybe you've inspired me to actually get to it.
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