Veanne Cox and Christopher Innvar. Photo by Carol Rosegg.
With The Beaux' Stratagem, George Farquhar used his gift for wit and character to make a bold critique of class, marriage and English society. After squandering their fortunes on drink and gambling, Tom Aimwell and Jack Archer seek refuge in the countryside, where they hope to seduce two ladies of fortune. Michael Kahn directs the world premiere of a new adaptation, begun by Thornton Wilder and finished by Ken Ludwig.

The Beaux' Stratagem

George Farquhar
adapted by Thornton Wilder
and Ken Ludwig
directed by Michael Kahn
11/7/2006—12/31/2006

Lansburgh Theatre

Runtime: approximately 2 hours 30 minutes

with one intermission




“Funny … The production glides confidently from silly to wry, from the pratfall to the riposte … Suave Christopher Innvar and tart Veanne Cox [are] polished comic actors who seem as smart as the words they utter.”
Peter Marks, The Washington Post
more reviews

With The Beaux’ Stratagem, George Farquhar used his gift for wit and character to make a bold critique of class, marriage and English society. After squandering their fortunes on drink and gambling, Tom Aimwell and Jack Archer seek refuge in the countryside. They hope to seduce two ladies of status and fortune, but true love and a band of thieves soon complicate their scheming. For more than a century, The Beaux’ Stratagem was one of the most frequently performed English comedies, enjoying constant revivals. The Shakespeare Theatre Company rediscovers this classic with a world premiere adaptation, begun by Thornton Wilder in 1939 and finished 65 years later by Tony Award-nominated playwright Ken Ludwig. Together, Wilder and Ludwig’s work sheds new light on Farquhar’s spirited dialogue and hilarious characters. Michael Kahn directs, calling up “the combination of stylization and raw force that has brought his productions of the classics to towering life” (The Washington Post).

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