Rudens (The Rope)

Falconbridge Players continue their staged readings of unexpected works with Rudens (The Rope), a comedy by the Roman playwright Plautus. Rudens is one of the few remaining, and more accessible, plays, surviving from the time period. The plot centers on two kidnapped girls who are shipwrecked, allowing them to escape. Some of the themes here may be more off-putting to contemporary audiences than they were to the original theatergoers, but Plautus uses many of the same tricks of comedy that comics still use today. Free, but attendees are requested to RSVP at falconbridgeplayers.org.

media release: Right from the sea a fisherman a hamper drew;

Unlocked, it showed the tokens of his master’s child:

Daughter she was, though servant to procurer vile,

Established, after shipwreck, as her father’s ward —

Now safe, though still unknown. At last, his daughter proved,

She weds her erstwhile lover, Plesidippus true.

Roman comedy is one of the greatest what-ifs in theater. We have copious evidence that it was extremely funny and well-written, but alas, very few actually good plays survived the fall of the Empire.

Fortunately, we do have Rudens (The Rope) by Plautus! An Actually Good Play that fans of every shipwreck dramedy from Twelfth Night to Pirates of the Caribbean can enjoy.

A Falconbridge Players staged reading Tuesday August 27 at 7 PM at Arts + Literature Laboratory, 111 S. Livingston Street in Madison. Free and open to the public. RSVP welcome but not required.

Directed by Jay Seevers.