Dora and Nora Chance are a famous song-and-dance team of the British music halls. Billed as The Lucky Chances, the sisters are the illegitimate and unacknowledged daughters of Sir Melchior Hazard, the greatest Shakespearean actor of his day.
At once ribald and sentimental, glittery and tender, this rambunctious family saga is Angela Carter at her bewitching best. Wise Children celebrates the lore and magic of show business while exploring the connections between parent and child, the transitory and the immortal, authenticity and falsehood.
Expect showgirls and Shakespeare, music, mischief, and mistaken identity – all wrapped in a big, bawdy tangle of theatrical joy and heartbreak.
Amatore's Restaurant marks the end of another successful year for the Recreative Theatre Company. The cast gathers at Ristorante Amatore for an end-of-season dinner.
As the evening progresses, each guest recalls a past sexual liaison. These recollections transport us to various locations: from the rolling countryside of Brittany to the brown cafés of Amsterdam, from the grandeur of Venice to the slums of Marseilles.
The stories describe various situations: Prudence relates her encounters on a train journey, and Colin makes a surprising discovery when he settles down to watch his favourite film.
Some characters are driven by self-interest: the sociopath Nicole with her reckless behaviour towards her trusting nephew, and Colette who takes advantage of her unsuspecting tenant. A common theme unfolds: the hidden truths behind the motives for seduction.
As the evening comes to a close, old alliances are re-kindled, new attachments are formed, while others are broken. Frustrations rise to the surface as truths are revealed. For some, the evening is a great success, for others, a disaster.