La Foire de Guibray
Encyclopedia
La Foire de Guibray is a one act farce
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...

 by Alain-René Lesage
Alain-René Lesage
Alain-René Lesage was a French novelist and playwright. Lesage is best known for his comic novel The Devil upon Two Sticks , his comedy Turcaret , and his picaresque novel Gil Blas .-Youth and education:Claude Lesage, the father of the novelist, held the united...

. It was first performed at the Foire de Saint Laurent in 1714
1714 in literature
The year 1714 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Sir Samuel Garth, poet and royal physician, is knighted by King George I of Great Britain...

. La Foire de Guibray is actually a prologue to two other one act farces, Arlequin Mahomet
Arlequin Mahomet
Arlequin Mahomet is a one act farce by Alain-René Lesage. It was first performed at the Foire de Saint Laurent in 1714. Arlequin Mahomet was performed as the second play in a series consisting of La Foire de Guibray and Le Tombeau de Nostradamus...

and Le Tombeau de Nostradamus
Le Tombeau de Nostradamus
Le Tombeau de Nostradamus is a one act farce by Alain-René Lesage. It was first performed at the Foire de Saint Laurent in 1714. Le Tombeau de Nostradamus is actually the final play in a series that includes La Foire de Guibray and Arlequin Mahomet. Between the three works, Lesage created a...

. Between the three works, Lesage created a comedy in three acts.

Plot summary

Arlequin and Scaramouche come to the Guibray Fair in order to steal things from merchants. When Scaramouche talks about how scared he is of the judge of the town, Arlequin suggests that they disguise themselves as Arab actors to avoid suspicion.

Meanwhile, the judge and Pierrot are walking through the fair, watching the various theatrical and musical acts. An Italian actor offers to entertain the judge, when Arlequin walks up and proposes his own play. The judge suggests a competition between the two. Arlequin will perform Arlequin Mahomet
Arlequin Mahomet
Arlequin Mahomet is a one act farce by Alain-René Lesage. It was first performed at the Foire de Saint Laurent in 1714. Arlequin Mahomet was performed as the second play in a series consisting of La Foire de Guibray and Le Tombeau de Nostradamus...

, and the Italian will perform Le Tombeau de Nostradamus
Le Tombeau de Nostradamus
Le Tombeau de Nostradamus is a one act farce by Alain-René Lesage. It was first performed at the Foire de Saint Laurent in 1714. Le Tombeau de Nostradamus is actually the final play in a series that includes La Foire de Guibray and Arlequin Mahomet. Between the three works, Lesage created a...

.

Characters

  • The judge of Guibray
  • Pierrot
    Pierrot
    Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime and Commedia dell'Arte whose origins are in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a hypocorism of Pierre , via the suffix -ot. His character in postmodern popular culture—in...

    , his secretary
  • Arlequin, a thief posing as an Arab actor
  • Scaramouche
    Scaramouche
    Scaramouche is a historical novel by Rafael Sabatini, originally published in 1921.It was subsequently adapted into a play by Barbara Field and into feature films, first in 1923 starring Ramón Novarro, Scaramouche , and a remake in 1952 with Stewart Granger. A romantic adventure, Scaramouche tells...

    , a thief posing as an Arab actor
  • An Italian actor
  • Two actresses
  • A musician
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