Opus Books: The Wooed Wife

THE WOOED WIFE
opus 4

a comedy in verse in three acts
Play based on the story
"The Man Who Was Too Curious for His Own Good"
by
Miguel de Cervantes
from
"Don Quixote"

Set in Mexico
1952

Philippe, newly wed, believes his devoted wife,
Erma can not be as good as she is.
He plans a business trip and begs his friend,
Armando, a poet,
to see if he can seduce her in his absence.
Armando, a true friend, refuses.
But when Philippe insists
and threatens to hire a stranger to test her,
family feelings of faith and friendship are asserted.
Reluctantly, Armando agrees to his doubting
(and doubtful) friend's desire.
But he informs Erma of this dire plot to test her:
Better a friend than an enemy.
Erma deals with the dilemma:
a shadow on the light of her virtue,
giving each man what he deserves -
and the audience what it least expects!

Written for the Cheviot Hills Community Players
in Los Angeles, 1957,
& first produced Off Broadway at
The Neighborhood Group Theater
in New York, 1985 and
directed by Charles Scotland.

Life's greatest perfection, trust,
driven by its worst enemy, lust,
tested by man's lowest conception, doubt,
leads to his inevitable rout -
and shows this gem set in a masterpiece
smashed by the very good that made it.

Full of wit, irony, blindness, insight
& the inevitable saddness (& joy) of being!

* *

Playbook, Size:8 1/2 x 11
106 pages, ISBN # 0-9661961-6-3
Retail: Each $20 + Shipping/Handling $5