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Details for The Fake Madwoman
La finta pazza
Very Brief Synopsis
This is a play about a young woman who pretends madness so as to avoid marrying an old man. Two young men are also pursuing her romantically, and one other woman is pursuing one of the young men.
Number of players
Total Main Characters: 10
Men: 7
Women: 3
plus extras
Additional Notes
- This has a larger cast than most Scala plays. We have identified optional plot points so that some of the characters may be eliminated: Cassandro and Zanobio.
- Scala’s ending is difficult, because we want Isabella and Orazio to be together, after all, they have both gone mad because it was denied to them. We are making Orazio have passion unmatched by Isabella, so he can be taken with Flaminia’s passion, and they go together. Scala lists “Two Hungarian Costumes” in the properties, but they are not mentioned in the play. We assume they are for the fake Jewel merchants.
- In 2.06, why does Pilgrim/Franceschina have an antidote for poison and a cure for madness? As Flaminia’s nurse, did she understand Flaminia that well? Something could be made of that.
- In Scala, there is a poison missing. If Flaminia uses the 2nd half of the first poison to cure Isabella, and Franceschina’s antidote to cure Flaminia. Flavio needs to know to give Isabella the other half of the poison.
