The Tricks of Scapin

Four young lovers and their miserly fathers

A comedy by Molière

A production by Neues Globe Theater

This crowd-pleasing comedy follows the cunning servant Scapin, who - in true commedia dell'arte fashion - schemes to give four young lovers their happy ending despite the meddling of their tight-fisted fathers. The whole story is framed by a play-within-a-play in which Monsieur Molière himself leads his troupe onto the stage.

The fathers!

Argante and Geronte, two wealthy and greedy old merchants from Naples, leave on a business trip and entrust their sons to the care of their servants.

The sons!

The young men promptly fall head over heels in love: Leandre, Geronte's son, pursues the beautiful Zerbinette - a travelling girl of dubious origin - while Octave, Argante's son, goes so far as to secretly marry the lovely but penniless Hyacinthe, who has washed up on the Neapolitan coast with only her nurse for company.

But it gets worse!

The two fathers had already agreed that each one's son would marry the other's daughter. Now what?

Enter: Scapin!

Scapin, Leandre's sharp-tongued and resourceful servant, is tasked with raising money to buy Zerbinette's freedom from the travelling folk. At the same time he helps his fellow servant Silvestro - who works for Octave - sort out his master's troubles. Through a string of tricks and comic capers, both fathers are relieved of their money, and in the end a surprise awaits everyone - one that even the wily Scapin never saw coming in his wildest dreams!