Teddington Theatre Club is set to continue entertaining audiences throughout 2014 when they perform William Wycherley’s The Country Wife.
The play is set in England in 1675, relaxed after the restrictive Commonwealth years; theatres have re-opened and Puritanism has been replaced by licentiousness.
Harry Horner has devised a cunning plan to allow him free access to females by pretending to be a eunuch.
Jack Pinchwife has married a young, innocent country girl, and brought her to London - his first mistake, and there are more to follow.
The scandalous trick and the frank language have kept the play off the stage for much of its history.
Between 1753 and 1924, The Country Wife was considered too outrageous to be performed at all and was replaced on the stage by David Garrick’s cleaned-up and bland version The Country Girl.
Today the play is again a stage favourite, acclaimed by critics who praise its linguistic energy, sharp social satire and openness to different interpretations.
The Country Wife; Hampton Hill Playhouse; January 26 to February 1; Sunday 4pm, Weekdays 7.45pm; £12 to £14; 0845 838 7529 or ttc-boxoffice.org.uk.
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