In a time when women were just beginning to grace the stage with their presence, a woman named Aphra Behn was making her way into the world of Restoration theater in England (1660 to about 1700 A.D.) as a playwright. Her plays demonstrated all the qualities of Restoration comedy, a reflection of the time that cast away morality and replaced it with the virtues of wit, elegance, and passion. This period of theater will always be remembered for its shocking and hysterical representation of England's high society. (Though popular in their time, Behn's plays were purposely repressed for hundreds of years afterwards, because they were thought to be too lascivious.)

A costume sketch by Ann Houldward for the character Isabella in Sir Patient Fancy.

To do Behn justice (and to showcase Group 32's entire scintillating range of talent), the current graduating class of the Drama Division will be presenting her Sir Patient Fancy in February. Brendon Fox, associate director of the Globe Theater in San Diego, is directing the play. This is one of Behn's lesser-produced plays (with only one American production in Syracuse in the early 1980s and no professional productions), but crucial to the canon nonetheless for its sparkling humor and the picture that it paints of the upper classes.

Sir Patient Fancy is a response to the spirit of the Restoration age. The period preceding the Restoration was one of strict moral repression, during which theaters were closed, actors caught performing were imprisoned, and enormous fines were levied against any daring to sit in an audience. When the rightful heir to the throne, Charles II, made his way back from exile to England in 1660, he brought with him an interest in and respect for the arts that playwrights and actors took full advantage of. Those who had remained in England during his exile had faced years of ethical subjugation; those who had fled to France had acquired some of the decadence bred across the channel. In combination, these two forces created a nation of witty, amoral hedonists. Thus was born both the Restoration tragedy and the comedy of manners.

While the tragedies were broad, sweeping tales of great heroism, it was in the Restoration comedies that the audience got a true picture of themselves. This world of class and manners is peopled by stock characters; the rake, the fop, the country gentleman, bitter ex-mistresses, randy young men, and witty young women are all present in most Restoration comedies, moving within a world of debauchery covered by a veneer of decorum. The language is sharp and witty, the story lines multiple and convoluted, combining to hilariously cynical effect. Later to be condemned for its flagrant lack of morals, Restoration comedy remains today a popular form of entertainment.

Sir Patient Fancy is no exception. The plot revolves around two neighboring households: the Fancy and Knowell families, and their attendants. Thick with intrigue and sex, the story involves a pair of young lovers who face various obstacles; a beautiful, youthful wife out to cuckold her old, rich, hypochondriac husband; a country-bumpkin wooer who is gulled the most often; and, of course, doctors in sundry shapes, sizes, and accents to provide a dash of farcical humor.

The director, Brendan Fox, states that this lesser-known work has a lot in common with other Restoration pieces: the city characters, the young people pitted against the old people, wanting to marry whom they like rather than whom their parents like.

Sir Patient Fancy Drama Theater Wednesday-Sunday, Feb. 12-16 For time and ticket information, please see the calendar.

"Aphra Behn puts her female characters front and center. They are not a prize to be gotten; they are three-dimensional and complicated," says Fox, who adds that Behn reminds him in many ways of a well-known, contemporary female playwright, Caryl Churchill, in her use of language. "Both are strong women and funny writers who are not interested in judging men or women."

The journey of this particular production has been an interesting one. Fox, who has a passion for classical plays, worked with dramaturge Dakin Matthews to adapt and cut the play to a manageable size. Matthews sat in on rehearsals with the actors, providing them with contemporary glosses, helping the text come to life, and assisting the actors in developing a vision of the play that was not archaic but relevant from a playable point of view.

"There are many plots in the play and the challenge is to keep the audience on track with what's happening," observes Fox. "Although the play borders on a sex farce, it is rigorous in its mental and emotional ability to stay on top of the story. It therefore forces the actors to be bold in their acting choices and to flirt with stereotypes. Since Aphra Behn allows moments of subtlety to occur, the players have to walk a tightrope between farcical elements and complexity."

In the play, Lady Fancy gets away with deceiving her husband. "Behn has a real knowledge of men and women and their interactions," says Fox. "The women are aware of the men's faults, but still decide to believe in their relationships. In this, Behn shows a great deal of compassion. Not a lot of plays—especially comedies—deal with this, and so, in a way, Behn has her cake and eats it too. She makes her points and makes people laugh at the same time."

In her preface to Sir Patient Fancy, titled "To the Reader," Aphra Behn says that she was "forced to write for Bread and not ashamed to own it." A later writer, Virginia Woolf, said about Behn: "It is she—shady and amorous as she was—who makes it not quite fantastic for me to say to you tonight: Earn five hundred a year by your wits."

It is fitting that homage should be paid to this gutsy playwright at Juilliard by a company of dedicated, highly trained actors recognized for their courage and great heart.

Mahira Kakkar is a third-year drama student.