Plays Being: An unhistorical pastoral: A romantic farce: Bruce, a chronicle play: Smith, a tragic farce: and Scaramouch in Naxos, a pantomime.

A whimsical pastoral unfolds on the mist‑laden coast of the imagined kingdom of Belmarie, where King Alardo and his trusted advisor Conrad return from a perilous sea voyage haunted by loss. Their conversation reveals a tangled web of grief: a son swept away by relentless waves, another vanished in childhood, and the lingering hope that fate might yet reunite them with their missing heirs. As the king grapples with the ache of memory, the stage teems with colorful figures—shepherds, fairies, and a dashing sea‑captain—each ready to intervene with mischief, romance, or uncanny counsel.

The opening act balances lyrical melancholy with a light‑hearted farcical edge, hinting at magical interludes and playful misunderstandings that will ripple through the story. Listeners can expect witty banter, poetic dialogue, and a chorus of fantastical beings whose antics both soothe and complicate the royal heartache. The tone shifts between earnest longing and buoyant absurdity, inviting the audience to revel in a world where the ordinary and the enchanted dance together on the shore.