Brief Synopsis

Debuting at The Eye Theatre in Suffolk, The Rakes Return is the latest musical adaptation of Henry Fielding’s novel Rape Upon Rape which inspired the 50’s musical Lock up Your Daughters. Performed on the 25th July the production was written by Graham Baker with involvement by the legendary Neil Innes and included several songs from the original musical version of Lock Up Your Daughters.

For Vicki, the performance had particular significance as it provided an opportunity to work with daughter Louise Michelle.

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In a storyline of trickery and confusion heroine Hilaret derives a plan to escape the confines of her father’s household in order to run away with her lover, Captain Constant. En route to her rendezvous, she becomes entwined in a street incident in which Constant and Ramble, a wayward traveller are arrested. In true farcical style, the story is complicated by various intrigues and subplots ably contributed to by Primrose, a barmaid with all the mischievousness of a wagon load of monkeys, played by Louise Michelle. 

The two miscreants are tried before the corrupt Judge Squeezum, it takes all the resourcefulness of the redoubtable Mrs Squeezum to haul the Judge in line and resolve the abounding trickery, thus bringing about the obligatory ‘happy ending’.

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Character Analysis

Contradictory, devious, not to mention lecherous, Mrs Squeezum is impossible in the extreme and undoubtedly a law unto herself!

Director

Matthew Townshend

Cast have included

Louise Michelle, Giles Watling and Matthew Townshend