Hyper mundane hyper realism.
Tag: National Theatre
Takes place over three days.
Sir Harcourt Courtly
Charles Courtly
Richard Dazzle
Max Harkaway
Grace Harkaway
Adolphus Spanker
Lady Gay Spanker
Mark Meddle
Solomon Isaacs
Servants
Cool (Sir Harcourt’s Valet)
Martin (Sir Harcourt’s Servant)
James (Harkaway’s servant)
Pert (Grace’s maid)
Continue reading “London Assurance by Dion Boucicault and Richard Bean (1841)”
Great stuff. Some exquisite verbal detail.
Set in 1822. Smooth, perfectly formed speech. Evokes the social unrest happening beyond the gates.
Based on Carlo Goldoni’s A Servant of Two Masters (1746).
Charlie Clench (Pantalone)
Pauline Clench (Clarise)
Harry Dangle (Lombardi)
Alan (Silvio) – Harry’s son
Dolly (Smeraldina) – Pauline’s servant
Lloyd Boateng (Brighella)
Francis (Truffaldino)
Rachel Crabbe (Rachel Rasponi) – Brother of Roscoe Crabbe
Stanley Stubbers (Florindo)
ACT ONE
- Scene One – Charlie’s House
- Pauline and Alan just about to get married
- Alan is the one Pauline wants
- Charlie hilarious going on about “muvver”
- As soon as set up done, the doorbell rings
- Lloyd bears the news that Pauline was going to marry Roscoe
- And then Roscoe appears, i.e., Rachel
- Pauline wants Alan – not Roscoe
- But Charlie wants her to marry Roscoe
- Lloyd recognizes Rachel in disguise as Roscoe
- Scene Two – The Cricketers Arms
- Some backstory as an aside from Francis
- Stanley meets Francis and hires him
- Both Stanley and Rachel send Francis to the post office
- Alan wants to see Francis’s Guv
- Stanley and Alan talk
- Alan says he saw Roscoe; Stanley thought he killed Roscoe
- Alan gives Francis a threat for Roscoe
- Francis puts letters in his pockets
- Francis eats a letter
- Stanley sees letter to Rachel, which he reads
- Rachel see her letter has been opened
- Charlie gives cash to Francis for Roscoe; Stanley grabs it
- Scene Three – Charlie’s House
- Pauline does not want to marry “Roscoe”
- Rachel tells Pauline what’s going on
- When they hug, Charlie sees it – thinks they’ve reconciled
- Scene Four – Private rooms above Cricketers Arms
- Stanley gives Francis a bunch of the cash to hang on to
- The waiters
- Francis gives cash to Rachel (Roscoe)
- Alfie getting knocked down the stairs
- Francis stashes food
- Physical comedy mayhem
- Alfie’s pacemaker
ACT TWO
- Scene One – Charlie’s House
- Alan getting pissed off
- Thatcher joke
- Scene Two – The Cricketers Arms
- Francis and Dolly
- Francis gets slapped
- Scene Three – The Cricketers Arms
- Word play
- The diary
- The identical twins joke
- Scene Four – The Pier
- Stanley and Rachel thinking the other is dead
- Scene Five – Charlie’s House
- Music
The 1975 movie adapted for the stage. Fairly grim. The short scene structure is interesting.