Les Fourberies de Scapin

Les Fourberies de Scapin, or Scapin's Tricks, is a fast, farcical comedy set in Naples. Two young men have fallen in love and married without their fathers' approval, and the fathers return home furious and unwilling to part with their money. The quick-witted servant Scapin offers to set things right, and uses disguises, lies and elaborate schemes to trick the old men. Drawing on Italian comic tradition, the play is full of physical humour and clever reversals. It celebrates cunning and youthful love over stubborn age.