Splitting Heirs
by Freyda Thomas

Name: Splitting Heirs
Brand: Freyda Thomas
SKU: 9780573705618
Rating: 4 (1 reviews)

Splitting Heirs Book Cover — Splitting Heirs Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

120 mins18th CenturyEnsemble CastUnit Set/Multiple SettingsPeriod CostumesComedy

Synopsis

Eraste is in love with Isabelle, but the only way her mother will let her marry him is if his uncle Geronte names him heir to his fortune, which the miserly old man is doubtful to do.

It’s up to the help of the two servants, Lisette and Crispin, to don disguises and scheme those around them to wed the young lovers, and even have a chance at love themselves.

Loosely based on the eighteenth-century farce by Jean-François Regnard, Freyda Thomas gives even more life to this lesser-known French farce.

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
ERASTE Nephew to GERONTE, bumbling, awkward, shy, loveable, scared of his uncle, madly in love with ISABELLE	male	—	Nephew to GERONTE, bumbling, awkward, shy, loveable, scared of his uncle, madly in love with ISABELLE
ISABELLE The girl next door. Everything you’ve ever wanted in an ingenue and less. Never says more than three words in a row until the epilogue. Conveys her character in poses. Lisps.	female	—	The girl next door. Everything you’ve ever wanted in an ingenue and less. Never says more than three words in a row until the epilogue. Conveys her character in poses. Lisps.
CRISPIN (Kree-SPAN) Servant to ERASTE, jack-of-all-trades, bon-vivant, master of disguise. Fences, plays a German doctor, a woman and impersonates GERONTE.	female	—	(Kree-SPAN) Servant to ERASTE, jack-of-all-trades, bon-vivant, master of disguise. Fences, plays a German doctor, a woman and impersonates GERONTE.
LISETTE Prototype comic maid, servant to GERONTE, in love with Crispin. Sharp, sassy, plays a man in one scene.	female	—	Prototype comic maid, servant to GERONTE, in love with Crispin. Sharp, sassy, plays a man in one scene.
GERONTE An old, sick miser. Dies several times.	—	—	An old, sick miser. Dies several times.
MME. ARGANTE ISABELLE’S mother. Lady Bracknell in Paris.	female	—	ISABELLE’S mother. Lady Bracknell in Paris.
POQUELIN GERONTE’s lawyer. A very short man. (Also Plays the GENDARME).	male	—	GERONTE’s lawyer. A very short man. (Also Plays the GENDARME).