"History!" "Drama!" "Comedy!" "Pagentry!" the critics proclaimed. "The Prince and the Pauper has it all!". This dramatic version of the Mark Twain classic was commissioned by the Traveling Playhouse in New York and later explanded to a fuller version for the Barter Theatre in Virginia where it enjoyed great success with both student and (on week-ends) general audiences. The nine-actor (with doubling) cast can be cut to eight with proposed cuts in the script for the shorter version. Written in a "swashbuckling" style, it is faithful to the sweep of political and social themes of the original classic. In this familiar tale of look-alikes, Twain pondered on the possibility that King Henry the VIII's son, Prince Edward, might have switched clothes with a common beggar boy, and gone out among the people and witnessed their oppressive poverty. In the play, the high class English Royalty is contrasted with the downtrodened degredation of the London slums. Palace intrigues, murderous plots and hilarious "mix-ups" culminate in a thrilling sword fight between Hugh Hendon who would have come to power under the rule of a bogus king, and Hugh's brother Miles who champions the rightful king. The extended version employs a cast of five men and two women, with the "look-alike" boys being played by either sex (at the discretion of the producer). A unit set with additional dressings can be simple, or, as at the Barter, a three story edifice. The use of recorded musical underscoring is strongly encouraged to provide the "Errol Flynn" atmosphere.
Copyright © 2008 Richard Kinter All rights reserved