The Changeling by Middleton and Rowley

[Critteranne]

If you like plays, especially tragedies, check out The Changeling by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. It's a Jacobean revenge tragedy that reads almost like a crime thriller. The "heroine" (and I use that term very loosely) is engaged, but a hot new potential suitor enters the scene. So she calls upon a man she loathes -- her father's ugly servant De Flores -- to kill the first fiance for her. But as it turns out, De Flores is not after her money. As you can imagine, the world unravels, people die, people have illicit sex, madmen dance the barley-break, etc. The end. Sweeeet!


I don't know why, but there doesn't seem to be a public domain version of it on MobileRead, Project Gutenberg, ManyBooks, etc. (Unless it's available as part of an anthology rather than as an individual title?) That's too bad as more people should learn of this sucker. I did find the complete text on this site:
http://www.tech.org/~cleary/change.html

By the way, if you want to see it, it's available as part of the boxed Helen Mirren at the BBC DVD set. It's not cheap, but it might be available from your library, Netflix, etc. I am watching it right now, and enjoying the verrrry young Helen Mirren and the verrrry young Brian Cox, and Welsh actor Stanley Baker (who almost became James Bond) as De Flores.

[carpetmojo]

I was in a production of this in my far-off youth, with Brian Cox (he obviously liked it, didn't he), Robert Lindsay, Emma Piper, David Troughton, et al .... good show, even allowing for my presence.....

[Critteranne]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

I was in a production of this in my far-off youth, with Brian Cox (he obviously liked it, didn't he), Robert Lindsay, Emma Piper, David Troughton, et al .... good show, even allowing for my presence.....

Wow, that's quite a cast. Brian Cox played Alsemero in this version, but I would have loved to see his De Flores. I can really see him getting into that role.