The Busy Body
Stage Left Theatre
But Centlivre was a master of her craft. The two plays currently on view in Chicago–The Wonder: A Woman Keeps a Secret and The Busy Body–both demonstrate her intelligent, ironic sensibility and strong sense of theatrical poetry. And Centlivre’s work transcends the usual Restoration romp partly because her female characters are invariably smart and charming, not empty-headed and flighty, a fact that directors do well to recognize. If there is indeed a test of time somewhere, her work deserves to pass. The question is, how can her plays be brought back and enjoyed as more than highly silly museum pieces?
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
In the end, when secret marriages are announced and the inevitable song and dance begin, it is their victory in the game that makes the romp so satisfying. That young lovers can be happy in a society run by fools is the point of Restoration comedy–perhaps of most comedy. Booker’s ensemble creates a cartoonish but delightful world well worth reviving.
