Jiří Záviš Bücher

Jack Chesney loves Kitty Verdun and Charley loves Miss Amy Spettigue. They invite the ladies to meet Charley's wealthy aunt from Brazil, "where the nuts come from." Cancelling her visit at the last minute, the millionaire aunt sends the boys into cataclysmic confusion. What do they do now? The problem is solved by drafting their feckless Oxford undergrad pal into a black satin skirt, bloomers and wig. As "Charley's Aunt," this charming frump is introduced to the ladies, to Jack's father and to Stephen Spettigue, Amy's guardian. When the real aunt turns up, classic comic confusion ensues as Fancourt Babberley, posing as "Charley's Aunt," tricks Spettigue into agreeing to the marriage of his ward, the real aunt marries Jack's father, Jack gets Miss Verdun, and Fanny Babs regains the fortune he lost at gambling as well as the girl he loves.

Der Diener zweier Herren ist das bekannteste Bühnenstück des italienischen Dramatikers Carlo Goldoni. Es wurde 1746 in Mailand uraufgeführt und gilt als Höhepunkt der Commedia dell’arte. Truffaldino wird zum Diener zweier Herren und gerät dadurch in zahlreiche Schwierigkeiten, aus denen er sich aber immer wieder retten kann.

Oscar Wilde's renowned social satire features protagonists Algernon, a London dandy, and Jack, a rising gentleman from the countryside, who lead double lives to escape the constraints of their social status. Algernon enjoys country life as "Bunbury," while Jack travels to the city as "Ernest." Jack's love for Gwendolen, the daughter of Lady Bracknell and cousin to Algernon, forces him to abandon his troublesome alibi, which proves to be challenging. Algy visits him in Hertfordshire posing as his brother "Ernest," and Gwendolen, who insists on marrying only an "Ernest," also arrives. Lady Bracknell remains steadfast in her social prejudices. This comedy is one of the brightest in world theater, a precursor to absurdist theater and a masterpiece of aestheticism that exposes the superficiality of morality and social snobbery in the Victorian era while providing stylish entertainment.