The Lady of Pleasure A Comedie, as It Was Acted by Her Majesties Servants, at the Private House in Drury Lane

In this lively early‑seventeenth‑century comedy, a spirited country lady named Aretina arrives in bustling London, only to find herself chafing under the glittering excesses of urban life. Her husband, Sir Thomas Bornewell, tries to reassure her that the city’s splendor can match her noble birth, while servants and suitors weave a tangled web of witty banter and exaggerated fashions. The opening act bursts with sharp repartee as Aretina compares the noisy streets to the simple pleasures of the countryside, setting the stage for a clash of values.

The play skewers the pretensions of high society with a brisk, satirical eye, using colorful characters—from the flamboyant steward to the flirtatious widow Celestina—to highlight the absurdities of vanity, expensive décor, and overblown ceremony. Audiences will enjoy the rapid‑fire dialogue, clever wordplay, and the way the drama balances farce with a surprisingly tender look at marital expectations. Listeners are treated to a vivid portrait of Restoration‑era London, where humor exposes both the allure and the folly of its glittering world.