The Busie Body
The Busie Body
Main page

The Busie Body

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
The Busie Body

The Busie Body is a Restoration comedy written by Susanna Centlivre and first performed at the Drury Lane Theatre in 1709. It focuses on the legalities of what constitutes a marriage, and how children might subvert parental power over whom they can marry. The Busie Body was the most popular female authored-play of the eighteenth century, and became a stock piece of most anglophone theatres during the period.

The original Drury Lane cast featured Robert Wilks as Sir George Airy, Richard Estcourt as Sir Francis Gripe, John Mills as Charles, William Bullock as Sir Jealous Traffick, George Pack as Marplot, Christopher Bullock as Whisper, Jane Rogers as Isabinda, Letitia Cross as Miranda, Margaret Saunders as Patch and Margaret Mills as Scentwell. The prologue was written by Thomas Baker.

Miranda – The heroine, an orphaned heiress. She loves Sir George Airy, but her father's will specifies that she will lose her inheritance if she marries before twenty-five without obtaining the written permission of her guardian, Sir Francis Gripe.

Isabinda – The daughter of Sir Jealous Traffick. She is in love with Charles, but Sir Jealous plans to marry her to Seignior Diego Babinetto.

Patch – Isabinda's servant.

Scentwell – Miranda's servant.

Sir George Airy – A rich gentleman with an income of £4000 a year. He is in love with Miranda, and also with his 'incognita', a lady who meets him in disguise.

Sir Francis Gripe – A miser. Charles's father, and Miranda's guardian. He plans to marry Miranda for her youth and fortune, and under Miranda's father's will, she needs Sir Francis's permission to marry before she is twenty-five.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.