The Man of Mode, or, Sir Fopling Flutter is a Restoration comedy by George Etherege, written in 1676 and first performed March 2 of the same year. Gibbons argues that the play "offers the comedy of manners in its most concentrated form".[1] Despite the subtitle, the fop Sir Fopling is only a marginal character; the rake Dorimant is the protagonist.
Dorimant was based on the real life John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, and was first played by Thomas Betterton. Sir Fopling, the flamboyant flop of the hour, by William Smith. Freshly returned from being "cultured" in Paris, Fopling attempts to emulate the love 'em and leave 'em style of Dorimant. Meanwhile Dorimant has plans to use Fopling in a scheme to lose his current lover Miss Loveit in order to seek out a new conquest.
In 2007, the National Theatre produced a modern dress production of the play, starring Tom Hardy as Dorimant. Rory Kinnear received a Laurence Olivier Award for his performance as Foppling Flutter.
Notes
- ^ Gibbons (1984, xv).
The association with Rochester is supposition, there is no actual verfiable proof of this. The possibility is not remote, but is not proven.
Bibliography
- Gibbons, Brian. 1984. Introduction. Five Restoration Comedies. New Mermaids Ser. London: A&C Black. ISBN 0713626100. p.viii-xxiii.
- Lawrence, Robert G. 1994. Introduction to The Man of Mode. Restoration Plays. Everyman Ser. London: JM Dent. ISBN 0460874322. p.107-110.
External links
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