Mother Clap's Molly House

by Mark Ravenhill

'Like bawdy Shakespeare meets wild Wycherley filtered through the formalised camp of John Osborne's A Patriot for Me...how wonderful to see the rabid raw talent of Ravenhhill given the full works' Michael Coveney, Daily Mail



It's London 1726, and Mrs Tull's got problems. The whores are giving her a hard time, a man in a dress is looking for a job, her husband has a roving eye and the apprentice boy keeps disappearing for 'a wander'. Meanwhile in 2001 a group of wealthy gay men are preparing for a raunchy party.Mother Clap's Molly House, a black comedy with songs is a celebration of the diversity of human sexualtiy, an exploration of our need to form families and a fascinatig insight into a hidden chapter in London's history.'Ravenhill's writing is tough, eloquent, sardonic, with some of the barbed formality of the Resotration style, which gets brutally peeled off in the present-day scenes. This is not a play you "enjoy". This is not a gay play either...The message of this play is not "Come out", but "Come in".' John Peter, Sunday Times.'Mark Ravenhill clearly likes to have it both ways. In this wonderfuly exuberant new musical play, he celebrates Sodom like there's no Gomorrah... Delicate souls may be offended but there is no doubting the sincerity of Ravenhill's assault on the tranformation of sex into a dirty business.' Michael Billington, Guardian'A theatrical manifesto for sexual tolerance that teeters wildly between the politics of Bertolt Brecht and the in-your-face deviancy of a gay nightclub... Ravenhill combines graphic sex with a generosity of spirit' Charles Spencer, Daily TelegraphMother Clap's Molly House premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London in October 2001.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Gay, Queer

96 pages, Paperback

First published September 27, 2001

About the author

Mark Ravenhill (born 7 June 1966) is an English playwright, actor and journalist.

His plays include Shopping and Fucking (first performed in 1996), Some Explicit Polaroids (1999) and Mother Clap's Molly House (2001). He made his acting debut in his monologue Product, at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He often writes for the arts section of The Guardian. He is Associate Director of London's Little Opera House at The King's Head Theatre.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Controversial playwright Ravenhill ('Shopping & Fucking') returns to the theme of the intersection of sex and commerce in this satirical faux Restoration comedy, in which, upon the demise of her husband, Mrs. Tull decides to transform her tally shop (costume rentals to whores) to a more lucrative 'molly house' (costumes for transvestites). Meanwhile, in contemporary London, a group of posh gays throw a sex party, at which no one seems to be having much fun...

[nat · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. I sat on this one a bit before rating to let it sink in. I don't feel like it really had lasting impact to any degree. I'm starting to think it's possible I just don't like plays but I don't feel like that's true. I just feel like a lot of plays seem to deal too heavy in metaphors that are supposed to seem deep but just strike as ridiculous. There was a lot happening, on subjects that could be heavy but weren't really treated with the gravity they deserved (even a throwaway bit could be met with looks of grim understanding or whatever). I also just take a lot of beef with how much deviates from history. And how folks dressing up and with their alter egos were treated wholly like different people they were able to try on and throw away when the reality is more complicated. Princess was kind of treated different which was appreciated but really not enough.

I wanted this to be good but it kind of missed the mark. I just wish there was enough representation of this era and these people for me to not have to lower the bar to get like, anything.

[Christine]

well let's just say it's not my cup of tea

[Reading Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming overall. The characters were all very interesting—not necessarily nice, but it was clear to see they all had reasons to act the way they did, and I feel it was very well explored. Only part that confused me was the addition of God and Cupid, but I suppose watching the play and listening to the songs might have made it make more sense.

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the book I wanted. I wanted the original by Rictor Norton. This is a couple of plays and I was terribly disappointed. He ripped off the title.

[Ella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unlike Creature, I don’t like it AND I don’t want to direct it

[Max Zumstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Mother Clap's Molly House" is nothing if not raucous and funny, but where this thing really excels is the wicked and fundamentally cynical regard it holds for the intersection of tolerance, humanity, and above all the almighty dollar. In typical "Homo PoMo" (a phrase I'll never miss an opportunity to use) tradition, Ravenhill is questioning the historical narrative here, but makes a rather unexpected move by turning his eye critically toward that which other gay literature or film is more likely to glorify. In fact, by the end of the thing, a reader might even detect a streak of subtle social/sexual conservatism. It's not an easy pill to swallow, nor is it one I'm certain I have an interest in swallowing, but there's something incredibly admirable about a voice as acerbic as Ravenhill's in this play.

Oh and it's also really funny.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun play about sexuality and commerce (and how commerce might lead to acceptance) as well as the repercussions that might lead to a distance between people.
However, much of this play feels like a romp, especially in how the play revels in the mentality of the characters and it would be up to the production and audience to comment on this world.
That being said: I call dibs on playing the Martin/Tom character!