Molière wrote some of the most durable and penetrating comedies of all time. The Imaginary Cuckold and The School for Husbands are two of his grand farces of marriage and misunderstanding, one set in Paris and the other in the provinces. In The School for Husbands, a tyrannical husband-to-be seeks to isolate his ward, while unwittingly carrying her messages of devotion to her lover. In The Imaginary Cuckold, an enraged husband imagines his wife is unfaithful, but is reluctant to defend his honor. Translated by Richard Wilbur.
Two L.A. Theatre Works full cast performances featuring:
The School for Husbands
Brian Bedford as Sganarelle
Emily Bergl as Isabelle
Dakin Matthews as Ariste
Juliet Mills as Lisette
Christopher Neame as Magistrate
Lloyd Owen as Valére
Alan Shearman as Notary
Rhashan Stone as Ergaste
Olivia Williams as Léonor
The Imaginary Cuckold
Brian Bedford as Sganarelle
Dakin Matthews as Gorgibus
Christopher Neame as Magistrate/Gros-Rene
Moira Quirk as Celie
Darren Richardson as Lelie
Carolyn Seymour as Celie's Maid
Alan Shearman as Villebriquin/Madame Ralative
Joanne Whalley as Sganarelle's Wife
Includes an interview with actor, Brian Bedford.
Directed by Rosalind Ayres. Recorded before a live audience at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in February of 2010.
Lead funding for The School for Husbands and The Imaginary Cuckhold was made possible with support from the Sidney E. Frank Foundation.