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<rss xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:podcast="https://podcastindex.org/namespace/1.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" version="2.0"><channel><title>Country Wife</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/country-wife--7143466</link><description><![CDATA[Step into the raucous world of Restoration England, where love, deception, and social maneuvering collide in a delightful exploration of desire and morality. This podcast invites you to revel in the intrigues of courtship, the complexities of fidelity, and the vibrant clash between rural innocence and urban sophistication, all inspired by the themes of *The Country Wife*. Each episode features a new complete audiobook, showcasing a rotating collection of works that capture the wit and charm of this scandalous era. Through colorful characters and sharp dialogue, listeners will be transported into tales of seduction, jealousy, and the lengths to which individuals will go to pursue their passions. This is not a single story but a series of unique explorations that promise to entertain and enlighten. Discover a new book with every episode and immerse yourself in the captivating dance of love and betrayal that defines this dynamic period in literature.]]></description><atom:link href="https://www.spreaker.com/show/7143466/episodes/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><language>en</language><category>Books</category><copyright>Copyright Satire Genre</copyright><image><url>https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg</url><title>Country Wife</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/country-wife--7143466</link></image><lastBuildDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:23:37 +0000</lastBuildDate><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:owner><itunes:name>Satire Genre</itunes:name><itunes:email>spreaker80@podcastlibrary.org</itunes:email></itunes:owner><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:subtitle>Step into the raucous world of Restoration England, where love, deception, and social maneuvering collide in a delightful exploration of desire and morality. This podcast invites you to revel in the intrigues of courtship, the complexities of...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[Step into the raucous world of Restoration England, where love, deception, and social maneuvering collide in a delightful exploration of desire and morality. This podcast invites you to revel in the intrigues of courtship, the complexities of fidelity, and the vibrant clash between rural innocence and urban sophistication, all inspired by the themes of *The Country Wife*. Each episode features a new complete audiobook, showcasing a rotating collection of works that capture the wit and charm of this scandalous era. Through colorful characters and sharp dialogue, listeners will be transported into tales of seduction, jealousy, and the lengths to which individuals will go to pursue their passions. This is not a single story but a series of unique explorations that promise to entertain and enlighten. Discover a new book with every episode and immerse yourself in the captivating dance of love and betrayal that defines this dynamic period in literature.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:category text="Arts"><itunes:category text="Books"/></itunes:category><itunes:category text="Science"/><itunes:category text="Science"><itunes:category text="Astronomy"/></itunes:category><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><podcast:guid>6617173e-66ea-54a7-bfc0-26731259caca</podcast:guid><itunes:type>episodic</itunes:type><item><title>Midsummer Night's Dream-William Shakespeare</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/midsummer-night-s-dream-william-shakespeare--74634194</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74634194</guid><pubDate>Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:03:19 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74634194/midsummer_night_s_dream_william_shakespeare.mp3" length="59810368" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>7469</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Love at a Venture-Susanna Centlivre</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/love-at-a-venture-susanna-centlivre--74601273</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74601273</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:03:24 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74601273/love_at_a_venture_susanna_centlivre.mp3" length="73584697" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9189</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>School for Wives-Molière</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/school-for-wives-moliere--74568528</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74568528</guid><pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 09:03:13 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74568528/school_for_wives_molie_re.mp3" length="53971001" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6740</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Ideal Husband (version 2)-Oscar Wilde</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/ideal-husband-version-2-oscar-wilde--74537271</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74537271</guid><pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2026 09:09:15 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74537271/ideal_husband_version_2_oscar_wilde.mp3" length="92449597" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>11545</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Imaginary Invalid-Molière</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/imaginary-invalid-moliere--74505777</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74505777</guid><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:09:09 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74505777/imaginary_invalid_molie_re.mp3" length="53111510" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6632</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Crossings A Fairy Play-Walter de la Mare</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/crossings-a-fairy-play-walter-de-la-mare--74467180</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74467180</guid><pubDate>Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:08:11 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74467180/crossings_a_fairy_play_walter_de_la_mare.mp3" length="78883369" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9850</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Lesley Castle (Dramatic Reading)-Jane Austen</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/lesley-castle-dramatic-reading-jane-austen--74434404</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74434404</guid><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:08:54 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74434404/lesley_castle_dramatic_reading_jane_austen.mp3" length="35548036" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>4439</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Nicholas Nickleby A Farce in 2 Acts-Edward Stirling</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/nicholas-nickleby-a-farce-in-2-acts-edward-stirling--74393268</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74393268</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 14:16:51 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74393268/nicholas_nickleby_a_farce_in_2_acts_edward_stirling.mp3" length="44952089" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>5613</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Reign of King Edward the Third-William Shakespeare</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/reign-of-king-edward-the-third-william-shakespeare--74350391</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74350391</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 01:02:24 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74350391/reign_of_king_edward_the_third_william_shakespeare.mp3" length="75415780" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9417</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Heautontimorumenos; the Self-Tormentor-Terence</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/heautontimorumenos-the-self-tormentor-terence--74210521</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74210521</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:09:09 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74210521/heautontimorumenos_the_self_tormentor_terence.mp3" length="55199788" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>6893</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>London Assurance-Dion Boucicault</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/london-assurance-dion-boucicault--74163886</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74163886</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:09:33 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74163886/london_assurance_dion_boucicault.mp3" length="72332157" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9033</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Mrs. Pretty and The Premier-Arthur Adams</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/mrs-pretty-and-the-premier-arthur-adams--74119374</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74119374</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 11:57:48 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74119374/mrs_pretty_and_the_premier_arthur_adams.mp3" length="77101203" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>9628</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Country Wife-William Wycherley</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/country-wife-william-wycherley--73399373</link><description><![CDATA["Country Wife" by William Wycherley is a classic comedy that explores themes of marriage, fidelity, and societal norms in the context of 17th-century England. The play delves into the complexities of romantic relationships, highlighting the often humorous and hypocritical nature of love and desire. Its sharp wit and clever dialogue make it a timeless piece that continues to resonate with audiences today, as it challenges conventional views on marriage and infidelity. The enduring appeal of Wycherley's work lies in its ability to provoke thought and laughter, reminding us of the universal struggles within human relationships that remain relevant across the ages.]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73399373</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 18:33:03 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/73399373/country_wife_william_wycherley.mp3" length="103286309" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>"Country Wife" by William Wycherley is a classic comedy that explores themes of marriage, fidelity, and societal norms in the context of 17th-century England. The play delves into the complexities of romantic relationships, highlighting the often...</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA["Country Wife" by William Wycherley is a classic comedy that explores themes of marriage, fidelity, and societal norms in the context of 17th-century England. The play delves into the complexities of romantic relationships, highlighting the often humorous and hypocritical nature of love and desire. Its sharp wit and clever dialogue make it a timeless piece that continues to resonate with audiences today, as it challenges conventional views on marriage and infidelity. The enduring appeal of Wycherley's work lies in its ability to provoke thought and laughter, reminding us of the universal struggles within human relationships that remain relevant across the ages.]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>12898</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Country Wife - William Wycherley</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/country-wife-william-wycherley--72760446</link><description><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/72760446</guid><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:22:48 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/72760446/country_wife_william_wycherley.mp3" length="103178283" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>William Wycherley</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest....</itunes:subtitle><itunes:summary><![CDATA[One of the most notorious Restoration comedies in existence, William Wycherley’s The Country Wife is a lively and riotous exploration of courtly and city life in the seventeenth century, which was rife with unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. For the basis of his plot, Wycherley here borrows heavily from the work of Molière, but abandons the French master’s unity and economy by introducing several interlocking storylines and characters, all of them clamoring for attention amidst Wycherley’s hard-hitting colloquial dialogue and double entendres. The main plot follows the clever town rake Horner, who feigns impotence in order to seduce women of quality and cuckold their unwitting husbands. One woman who takes interest in him is Margery, a seemingly naive country girl married to the pathologically jealous Pinchwife. Her desire to pursue an illicit affair with Horner yields a multitude of complications and misunderstandings, many of which are left scandalously unresolved by the time the final line is spoken.With startlingly frank explorations of gender dynamics, marital structures, female autonomy, misogyny, and seventeenth-century societal obligations, as well as an infamous “china scene” positively dripping with innuendo, The Country Wife remains a classic of its genre that continues to invite fresh and exciting interpretations with each new performance. - Summary by Tomas Peter Horner: Tomas PeterHarcourt: Son of the ExilesDorilant: MajorToastPinchwife: Scotty SmithSparkish: ToddHWSir Jasper Fidget: NemoBoy: Melanie JensenQuack: Alan MapstoneMargery Pinchwife: AvailleAlithea, sister of Pinchwife: Leanne YauLady Fidget / Bookseller: Beth ThomasDainty Fidget, sister of Sir Jasper: FoonMrs. Squeamish: SoniaOld Lady Squeamish: Eva DavisLucy, Alithea's maid: TJ BurnsNarrator: Campbell SchelpEditor: Tomas Peter]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>12898</itunes:duration><itunes:keywords>country,fidget,horner,jasper,pinchwife,satire,squeamish,tomas,wife,wycherley</itunes:keywords><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/1b54f382867c36f748186ddb58c9ca38.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item></channel></rss>
