The Country Wife by William Wycherley is considered the funniest and naughtiest play of the Restoration era; so naughty in fact, it was banned for almost 200 years because of its licentious plot and language so bawdy it would have made Shakespeare blush.

This 17th Century sex farce tells the story of Horner, a notorious and lascivious man-about-town and his ingenious scheme for the rampant and mass seduction of the women of London society. By spreading the false rumor of his own impotence, he gains the sympathy of the husbands of the town and, more importantly, free access to their wives. Meanwhile, the newly-married Pinchwife desperately attempts to keep his naïve country bride from the clutches of predatory London bachelors. When she and Horner meet, events spiral hilariously and wonderfully out of his control.

Howard County Center for the Arts - Ellicott City