A.Dumas The Widow's Husband and Porthos in Search of an Outfit
Borgo Press, 2012, 214p.
Here are two short one-act comedies, one written by Alexandre Dumas and one inspired by him. "The Widow's Husband" was Dumas's first venture into comedy. It's about a woman whose husband hides himself overseas, leading their friends and family to believe that he's dead. When he returns to France, he finds his "widow" getting way too much attention from would-be suitors. But this modern-day Odysseus finds a more civilized solution than murdering his potential rivals! In "Porthos in Search of an Outfit" (inspired by a chapter of The Three Musketeers, but actually written by three of Dumas's frequent collaborators), Porthos needs to find some fair lady to buy his outfit (uniform and horse) as a matter of pride in the corps. But things get complicated when a previous suitor suddenly appears to challenge the musketeer's demands! Two lively and quite different comedies that reveal a lighter side of Alexandre Dumas.