The Busy Body

Two young women plot to escape their controlling guardians. But will the nosy Marplot – the “busy body” – ruin the plan? A clever and hilarious exploration of how women might find freedom of choice in an age of the marriage contract, Susanna Centlivre’s comedy (first performed in 1709) was hugely popular on the 18th-century stage – not least, for its brilliant cast of characters. In a script-in-hand performance, Oxford’s Creation Theatre, the Ora...