Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 28, 2026

The Counterfeit Bridegroom

The Counterfeit Bridegroom; Or, The Defeated Widow is a 1677 comedy play, adapted from an earlier Jacobean play, No Wit, No Help Like a Woman's by Thomas Middleton. The play was published anonymously in the fall of 1677. The adaptation has often been attributed to Aphra Behn, but her involvement is not certain, and alternative attributions to Thomas Betterton or to a collaboration of more than one reviser have also been suggested.

Last revised
Jul 28, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
286 w
Citations
7
Source
Wikipedia ↗
The Counterfeit Bridegroom
Original languageEnglish
Written byattributed to Aphra Behn or Thomas Betterton, adapted from a play by Thomas Middleton
GenreRestoration Comedy
Premiere
Date1676 or 16771
PlaceDorset Garden Theatre, London

The Counterfeit Bridegroom; Or, The Defeated Widow is a 1677 comedy play, adapted from an earlier Jacobean play, No Wit, No Help Like a Woman's by Thomas Middleton.2 The play was published anonymously in the fall of 1677.3 The adaptation has often been attributed to Aphra Behn, but her involvement is not certain,4 and alternative attributions to Thomas Betterton5 or to a collaboration of more than one reviser6 have also been suggested.

The play was originally performed in 1676 or 1677 by the Duke's Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. The cast included Anthony Leigh as Sir Oliver Santloe, John Bowman as Peter Santloe, Thomas Gillow as Sanders, John Crosby as Noble, Joseph Williams as Hadland, Thomas Percival as Sir Gregory Lovemuch, Henry Norris as Gazer, John Richards as Sam, Anne Shadwell as Clarina, Margaret Osborne as Widow Laudwell and Elizabeth Currer as Mrs Hadland.7

References

References

  1. Van Lennep, p. 263
  2. Van Lennep, p. 263.
  3. English Short Title Catalogue R19397.
  4. Challinor, pp. 49–54.
  5. Roberts, p. 218
  6. Challinor, pp. 38–39, 53–54.
  7. Van Lennep, p. 263
Bibliography

Bibliography

  • Challinor, Jennie. "'Pox on Kindred': The Anonymous Counterfeit Bridegroom (1677) and Its Middletonian Source", Restoration: Studies in English Literary Culture, 1660–1700 46, 2022, pp. 37–64
  • Nicoll, Allardyce. History of English Drama, 1660-1900: Volume 1, Restoration Drama, 1660-1700. Cambridge University Press, 1952.
  • Roberts, David. Thomas Betterton: The Greatest Actor of the Restoration Stage. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
  • Van Lennep, W. The London Stage, 1660-1800: Volume One, 1660-1700. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960.
External links