THE DOUBLE DEALER

“Selina Cadell stages an enterprising production… I’m glad to have seen this Restoration rarity.” The Guardian

“I doubt if there’s ever been a production as good as this.” Fringe Review

“a lot of laughs” British Theatre Guide

“Such a good, sharp, twisty play. Restoration romcom meets country house weekend” David Jays, The Sunday Times

“Selina Cadell’s nimble, delightful and funny revival” Times Literary Supplement

“Adds to the Orange Tree’s reputation of rediscovering classics in an exciting way.” The Reviews Hub

“Sharp asides to the audience” Evening Standard 

“an excellent production” View from the Cheap Seats

Tho’ marriage makes man and wife one flesh, it leaves ’em still two fools.

A house party on a sultry autumn evening. A marriage has been arranged between Cynthia and Mellefont.

All should be plain sailing, but the young couple must contend with the jealousies, vanities and vagaries of a host of brilliantly drawn comic characters. Above all they must overcome the Machiavellian machinations of Maskwell – the eponymous Double Dealer.

In a world of artifice and guile, how are we to judge whose behaviour is beyond reproach?

This delightful restoration comedy, written by Congreve at the age of only 24, provides an irresistible foretaste of the kind of iconic characters which appear in his subsequent great comedies, The Way of the World and Love for Love. Selina Cadell recently directed the latter to critical acclaim for the RSC and appeared at the Orange Tree in Humble Boy.

“Selina Cadell’s revival is an exuberant affair that unequivocally puts the acting centre stage.”
The Guardian on Love for Love at the RSC

Production photos by Robert Day