This YouTube clip features the controversial comedy of the Restoration Theatre, The Country Wife, by William Wycherley from 1675.

As explained in the lectures, the Restoration was brought into place by the introduction of Charles II. This involvement of royalty drastically changed the production and content of Baroque style plays.

Men were removed of their need to cross dress as women, allowing the roles of women to be much more natural. However, the opposite happened and women found themselves in a lot of cross-dressing roles themselves. This created controversy as men’s clothing exposed the female figure far more than the standard dress or skirt. This time period also opened up the door to women writing their own plays, adding a new style to the theatre options of the time.

This particular play is quite popular for its style, wit, lewd humor, and good construction. This play fully utilizes the freedom of women as actresses as the play is focused around their promiscuity in the city of London. The humor pokes fun at the idea that even the upper class women have fun wandering the streets of the city. This play, as seen in the video clip, also involves questionable themes that occur from a woman dressing as a boy. It is stated in the movie that the effect of the women is far superior than any play would be if the role were to be fulfilled by a man acting as a woman.

I find this play very befitting for the Baroque era as they used the complex scenery, women acting, and lewd, slapstick humor. I was drawn to the comedy’s of the time more so than the tragedies, and this one in particular was well written enough to withstand decades of existence beyond the Baroque era. There is something delightfully fun in watching endless slapstick comedy that allows me experience the theatre of the time.

I got all the information from the lectures, the video clip, and Wikipedia. Sadly I could not find too much online information on the play besides Wikipedia. However, it is full of a lot more information for anyone interested.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Country_Wife