The Beaux’ Stratagem

by George Farquhar

directed by Ken Spencer

Performed at

Mottisfont Abbey

on

17th to 25th July 1987

George Farquhar

‘It is surprising how much English Comedy owes to Irishmen’. Thoroughly Irish by birth and education, Captain George Farquhar (1677-1707) had delighted the town with a succession of bright, rattling comedies - Love and a Bottle (1698), The Constant Couple (1699), Sir Harry Wildair (1701), The Inconstant (1702) The Twin Rivals (1702), The Recrulting Officer (1706). In an unlucky moment, when hard pressed by his debts, he sold out of the army on the strength of a promise by the Duke of Ormond to gain him some preferment, which never came. In his misery and poverty, with a wife and two helpless girls to support, Farquhar was not forsaken by his one true friend, Robert Wilks. Seeking out the dramatist in his wretched garret in St.Martin’s Lane, the actor advised him no longer to trust to great men’s promises but to look only to his pen for support, and urged him to write another play. ‘Write!’ said Farquhar, starting from his chair; ‘Is it possible that a man can write with commonsense who is heartless and has not a shilling in his pockets?’ ‘Come, come, Geoarge,’ said Wilks, ‘banish melancholy, draw up your drama, and bring the sketch with you tomrrow, for I expect you to dine with me. But as an empty purse may cramp your genius, I desire you to accept my mite; here is twenty guineas.’

Farquhar set to work, and brought the plot of his play to Wilks the next day; the latter approved the design, and urged him to proceed without delay. Mostly written in bed, the whole was begun, finished and acted within six weeks. The author designed to dedicate it to Lord Cadogan, but his Lordship, for reasons unknown, declined the honour; he gave the dramatist a handsome present, however. Thus was The Beaux’ Stratagem written.

Farquhar is said to have felt the approaches of death ere he finished the second act. On the night of the first performance Wilks came to tell him of his great success, but mentioned that Mrs Oldfield wished that he could have thought of some more legitimate divorce in order to secure the honour of Mrs Sullen. ‘Oh,’ said Farquhar, ‘I will, if she pleases, solve that immediately, by getting a real divorce; marrying her myself, and giving her my bond that she shall be a widow in less than a fortnight.’ Subsequent events practically fulfilled this prediction, for Farquhar died during the run of the play : On Tuesday, 29th April, 1707, the plaudits of the audience resounding in his ears, the destitute, brokenhearted dramatist passed to that bourne where stratagems avail not any longer.

(from a Preface to the play by H. Macaulay Fitzgibbon)

Cast (in order of appearance)
Boniface Ken Spencer
Cherry Angela Stansbridge
Thomas Aimwell Malcolm Brown
Francis Archer Bill Mccann
Dorinda Belinda Drew
Mrs Sullen Mollie Manns
Squire Sullen Albert Minns
Scrub David Bartlett
Gibbet John Souter
Gipsy Philippa Taylor
Foigard Harry Tuffill
A Country Woman Jean Durmam
Lady Bountiful Joan Johnson
Hounslow Graham Hill
Bagshot Derek Sealy
Sir Charles Freemam David Pike
Travellers and Members of the Household Georgina Bance, Hazel Burrows, Janet Cairney, Holly Deacon, Alice Watson, Ellen Watson, Jenny Watson, Richard Tuffill, Alan Watson

click on a photo to enlarge it

Bill McCann, Mollie Manns, Belinda Drew, Malcolm Brown

 

For the Maskers:
Director Ken Spencer
Production Assistant Philippa Taylor
Stage Manager Angela Barks
Lighting Design Clive Weeks
Lighting Operators Lawrie Gee, Scott Chapman, Kevin Smith
Sound Angela Barks, Tony Lawther, Jan Ward
Set Design Ken Spencer
Set Construction David Allen, Edwin Beecroft, Tony Lawther, John Riggs, Richard Tuffill
Properties Ella Lockett, Georgina Bance, Richard Tuffill
Wardrobe Janet Cairney, Ros Liddiard


 

 
×
Bill McCann, Mollie Manns, Belinda Drew, Malcolm Brown
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
 
×

Thank You

Your message has been sent. You should receive a confirmation email shortly. If the email does not arrive it is possible that your email address was not entered correctly, please try resubmitting your enquiry.

Shirley's own LOCAL theatre!

Maskers Theatre Company
Off Emsworth Road
Shirley
Southampton
SO15 3LX

Registered Charity 900067

Established 1968

 Contact Us

×

Our postal address is: Maskers Theatre Company, Unit 1, Off Emsworth Road, Shirley, Southampton, SO15 3LX

General Enquiries Form

Please use this contact form for contacting us about any issue. Use the drop-down list to ensure your enquiry gets directed to the correct person.





Any contact details provided will only be used in relation to your inquiry and will be deleted after conclusion.

 Support Us

 Join Us

Join our Email list
and receive updates
about our shows

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required
Are you a member of Maskers Theatre Company?

The Maskers Theatre Company will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing by email. Please confirm you would like to hear from us by ticking the box below:

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at marketing@maskers.org.uk. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website maskers.org.uk/subscribe.php By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

×

 Update Contact Details

Other local theatre events

Some of our performance venues:
Maskers Studio Theatre
The Berry Theatre
Townhill Park House

View our Image Gallery

Access Members Site (Maskers Members only)