The Countess of Escarbagnas

A lively glimpse into provincial French society, this comedy opens in the bustling town of Angoulême, where the self‑absorbed Countess of Escarbagnas flaunts her newly acquired courtly airs. Amid her pomp, a troupe of suitors and servants—an eager Viscount, a meddling councillor, a tax collector, and a nervous tutor—tangle in a web of secret affections and petty rivalries, each trying to win favor or outwit the others.

The dialogue crackles with witty repartee as lovers lament family feuds that keep them apart and as the Countess’s obsession with “quality” inflates into absurd extravagance. Through rapid exchanges and sharp observations, the play sketches the provincial habit of exaggerating court gossip and the pretensions that follow. Listeners are treated to a bright, character‑driven satire that captures both the humor and the human foibles of a small town caught up in the larger world’s fashions.