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The Clandestine Marriage
David Garrick, the leading actor of his time, was also one of its most accomplished dramatists, and The Clandestine Marriage is perhaps his finest play. Its story centres on the household of a wealthy merchant, Mr. Sterling, whose main concern is that his two daughters marry men of wealth. Fanny has defied her apprentice; her sister Betsey is engaged to be married to Sir John Melvil. But Melvil and his friend Lord Ogleby both fall in love with Fanny. It is up to Lovewell to persuade both men that marriage to Fanny is out of the question―without revealing to them that he has already married her. The action of the play and also its setting (a landscape garden designed after the fashion of the time to provide artificial wildness and ‘commanding’ views) give ample scope for Garrick and Coleman to satirize the mercantile mind―yet the play’s comic spirit holds appeal to those on all points of the political compass. First produced in 1766, The Clandestine Marriage was revived to great acclaim in 1995 in a London production starring Nigel Hawthorne. Full-length plays of the late eighteenth century were usually performed together with short plays (or ‘afterpieces’) to form a full evening of entertainment. In accordance with that tradition this edition is completed by two of the most interesting examples of the Charles Burney’s The Cunning-Man (which in fact was several times performed alongside The Clandestine Marriage during the 1766-67 season) and The Rehearsal; or Bayes in Petticoats by Catherine Clive (who played Mrs. Heidelberg in the original production of The Clandestine Marriage ).
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1766
About the author
George Colman
209 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
George Colman 'the Elder', born in April 1732 and died in 1794. Dramatist, essayist, and theater-owner.
George Colman 'the Elder', born in April 1732 and died in 1794. Dramatist, essayist, and theater-owner.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 11, 2020
I was surprised to find out that I sort of knew The Clandestine Marriage before I read it as I had seen a film version of it from the late nineties having picked it up as a video-cassette from a closing down rental place. The film had only a loose connection with the play though and my memories were pretty foggy.
I read this with the Dr Johnson’s House Reading Circle and I played Lord Ogleby, who I think probably gets many of the better lines. He’s a man who won’t admit that he’s ageing and still considers himself a beaux and a rake even if his body can’t quite get away with it. The ridiculousness of his romantic imaginings and the decrepit nature of his body create some laughs. He also gets fun interactions with his Swiss servant Canton, who is blessed with an an outrageous accent. Another phonetically driven accent is given to Mrs Heidelberg, a widower with a conception of herself as ‘qualaty’.
As fun as it was to perform with friends, I was left with a question that a person shouldn’t have at the end of a comedy, What was the central joke of the play?
Was it laughing at the impoverished court and the wealthy but tastless city-folk? Certainly some of the best jokes in the play were about the vulgar garden full of useless extravagances. (I certainly expected those winding paths to play more of a role in the story). There certainly were jokes about Sterling’s weakness fora healthy bank-balance and his habit of reducing everything to commercial interest - but he was the only character to really act like this. Was the main joke about a group of blustery men wheeling and dealing for a ‘prize’ they couldn’t win?
There was certainly a comic structure set up, but it didn’t use that structure to make many jokes. This doesn’t mean the play can’t be funny, there are always performative elements that can turn a slightly beige script into a laughfest (and some comedies fall flat from being overwritten and prescribed). There’s also my suspicion that a lot of the language games and such would have registered better to the original audience in much the same way a future audience probably won’t understand a Bob Mortimer ‘train man’ sketch.
When we read another, I know it will be fun - as company is (even over videocall) but I hope the play contains better jokes.
I read this with the Dr Johnson’s House Reading Circle and I played Lord Ogleby, who I think probably gets many of the better lines. He’s a man who won’t admit that he’s ageing and still considers himself a beaux and a rake even if his body can’t quite get away with it. The ridiculousness of his romantic imaginings and the decrepit nature of his body create some laughs. He also gets fun interactions with his Swiss servant Canton, who is blessed with an an outrageous accent. Another phonetically driven accent is given to Mrs Heidelberg, a widower with a conception of herself as ‘qualaty’.
As fun as it was to perform with friends, I was left with a question that a person shouldn’t have at the end of a comedy, What was the central joke of the play?
Was it laughing at the impoverished court and the wealthy but tastless city-folk? Certainly some of the best jokes in the play were about the vulgar garden full of useless extravagances. (I certainly expected those winding paths to play more of a role in the story). There certainly were jokes about Sterling’s weakness fora healthy bank-balance and his habit of reducing everything to commercial interest - but he was the only character to really act like this. Was the main joke about a group of blustery men wheeling and dealing for a ‘prize’ they couldn’t win?
There was certainly a comic structure set up, but it didn’t use that structure to make many jokes. This doesn’t mean the play can’t be funny, there are always performative elements that can turn a slightly beige script into a laughfest (and some comedies fall flat from being overwritten and prescribed). There’s also my suspicion that a lot of the language games and such would have registered better to the original audience in much the same way a future audience probably won’t understand a Bob Mortimer ‘train man’ sketch.
When we read another, I know it will be fun - as company is (even over videocall) but I hope the play contains better jokes.
February 20, 2019
A fabulous introduction by Noel Chevalier helps ground this edition and provides useful historical and literary context, which deepened my appreciation for this 17th-century play.
The Clandestine Marriage is a comedic romp that’s also a pointed skewering of attitudes towards marriage and upper class society (and those who aim to join it). I would love to see this play performed.
The two short plays included in this collection – known as afterpieces in the 17th century – are fairly unremarkable to read but do provide a nice example of what an evening at the theatre included in that era. Recommended.
The Clandestine Marriage is a comedic romp that’s also a pointed skewering of attitudes towards marriage and upper class society (and those who aim to join it). I would love to see this play performed.
The two short plays included in this collection – known as afterpieces in the 17th century – are fairly unremarkable to read but do provide a nice example of what an evening at the theatre included in that era. Recommended.
November 25, 2015
There are some hilarious moments in this play if the Legal dialogue is a bit thick. The 5th act is just plain fantastic. The epilogue makes no sense... but who cares. Sterling is a great character as is Ogleby. Good show! Good show, indeed.
May 15, 2024
18-century farce.
I read the part of Serjeant Flower for Librivox.
https://librivox.org/the-clandestine-...
On YouTube: https://youtu.be/heR3XQ8oQC4?si=To_oJ...
I read the part of Serjeant Flower for Librivox.
https://librivox.org/the-clandestine-...
On YouTube: https://youtu.be/heR3XQ8oQC4?si=To_oJ...
October 2, 2013
A pleasant bit of fun....!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews