
International Theatre Database
2018.03.23 ~ 2018.06.14
RSC
Mary Pix's restoration comedy, usually known as The Beau Defeated, was brought to the Stratford stage by Jo Davies in 2018. Mrs Rich, a wealthy widow, aspires to rub shoulders with the great and good and perhaps even gain a title. Unfortunately, she’s not the only one after Sir John Roverhead! Unlike Aphra Behn, a fellow female playwright from the late 1600s, Mary Pix has been almost lost to history. But like Behn’s The Rover, a sell-out success in early 2017, Pix’s comedy of manners combines mischief-making and mind-bending plot twists with a sharp satirical and distinctly female wit. Her colourful cast of characters dupe and dissemble as the intrigue builds. Will Mrs Rich ever squeeze her way into high society?