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Habeas Corpus
Alan Bennett
Main CharactersDr. Arthur Wicksteed: A GP with a wandering eye who is more interested in his patients' bodies than their health, driving the play's various comedic and carnal pursuits. Muriel Wicksteed: Arthur’s long-neglected wife, who finds herself caught up in her own unexpected romantic revival when an old flame suddenly reappears in her life. Mrs. Swabb: The Wicksteeds' cleaning lady who serves as a one-woman Greek chorus, commenting on the family's absurd behaviors and shifting the play's meta-theatrical gears.
First Performance: 1973, at Oxford Playhouse / Queen's Theatre, London
A popular success; noted for its departure from Bennett’s more realistic work into the realm of stylized, physical farce.
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