A television production of Ben Jonson’s classic Jacobean comedy about greed and deception in plague-ridden London.
When his master Lovewit (William Mervyn) flees the city to escape an outbreak of plague, the housekeeper Face (Alan Dobie) conspires with a con man, Subtle (John Warner), and their accomplice Doll Common (Patsy Rowlands). They establish a base in Lovewit’s house and begin a series of elaborate scams, preying on the avarice of their neighbours. Posing as an alchemist with access to the philosopher’s stone, Subtle attracts a stream of gullible clients, including the grandiose knight Sir Epicure Mammon (Thomas Gallagher) and the earnest tobacconist Abel Drugger (Terry Scully). The trio’s scheme becomes increasingly frantic and precarious until the unexpected return of Lovewit threatens to expose their entire enterprise.
This BBC Birmingham production was a full-blooded, 90-minute staging of Jonson’s enduring satire. Peter Dews, a director renowned for his ambitious classical adaptations for the BBC, mounted the play with a focus on its frantic energy and intricate plotting. Rather than reinterpret the text, the production puts its faith in the original’s sharp characterisations and its cynical exposure of human folly. The play’s complex language and dense structure are presented without compromise, positioning the broadcast as a serious effort to bring a cornerstone of English theatre to a national television audience.
Broadcast: BBC – Birmingham, 1 Episode, 29 May 1961
Written by: Ben Jonson
Director: Peter Dews
Main Cast: Alan Dobie (Face), Patsy Rowlands (Doll Common), John Warner (Subtle), William Mervyn (Lovewit), Edward Petherbridge (Dapper), Terry Scully (Abel Drugger), Thomas Gallagher (Sir Epicure Mammon), Jerome Willis (Pertinax Surly), David William (Ananias), Tony Garnett (Kastril), Topsy Jane (Dame Pliant)
