Habeas Corpus by Alan Bennett
The stage, bare except for three chairs, represents the interior and surroundings of the Wickstead's house in Hove. There, in a satirical merry-go-round, we meet a family and its friends and acquaintances fo whom the determination to put sex and the satisfaction of the body (or corpus) before anything else is the ruling passion of their lives. The permissive society is taken to task in a farcical comedy in which the chartacters, steriotypes as their names ( e.g. Conon Throbbing) suggests, move - and indeed dance - in and out through a maze of mistaken identities and sexual encounters. as wickstead says at the close, He who lusts last, lasts longest' (French's synopsis)
These are the characters:-
Arthur Wickstead 53 (to be precise) a doctor practising in the seaside town of Hove.
Muriel Wickstead 50 (or that target area) wife to Arthur. They don't get on.
Denis Wickstead Son of Arthur and Muriel and a complete hypercondriac
Connie Wickstead Younger sister of Arthur. Her ambition is to get noticed by having a bigger bust.
Mrs Swabb The cleaning lady of indeterminate age. She pulls the threads of the story together.
Canon Throbbing Our thrusting young vicar? Obsessed with sex.
Lady Rumpers A stranger in town, she is a Widow from her husband who used to be a general.
Mr. Shanks A breast enhancement salesman. Need I say more.
Sir Percy Shorter One time sweetheart to Muriel. Currently venuing in Brighton. President of the BMA
Mr. Purdue One of Arthur's patients obsessed with committing suicide.
Helene's synopsis :-
The time - the permissive society of the 'swinging' sixties;
The place - Brighton;
The scenario - saucy seaside postcards meet the 'Carry On...'
A family and their acquaintances for whom sex and the satisfaction of the body (corpus) is the driving passion.
This classic English farce contains all the right ingredients - from mistaken identities to sexual encounters;
Beautiful girls to men with 'one thing' on their minds and past mistakes to future opportunities.