La Cidrerie – "Le jeu de l’amour et du hasard"

The "L'Émeute" Theater Collective

To test Dorante’s sincerity—since he has been chosen for her without ever having met her—Silvia swaps clothes with her maid, Lisette. What she doesn’t know is that her suitor is using the same ruse with his valet, Arlequin. Thus disguised, the two couples will fall victim to this game of chance and love orchestrated by Silvia’s father and his son Mario.

Will they manage to find their way out of this cruel labyrinth of love? That, of course, is the whole point of this brilliant plot—exhausting for those who fall victim to it, but delightful for those who manipulate them.

*The Game of Love and Chance* takes us far beyond mere Marivaux-style banter, which is why we must take Silvia’s line literally; speaking of love, she reminds us that “It’s a trifle well worth thinking about.”