A Most Lovely Wedding

In the kingdom of Padua, a singing competition is held to choose a bride for Prince Nico, the only son of King Arturo and Queen Luciana. The winner is Bella, a poor girl who arrives late and wins after a single song. The wedding is set for three days hence.The royal court of Padua is, on the surface, an orderly place. Beneath that surface, a great deal is in motion. The queen, after thirty years of a marriage she has long since stopped attending to, has been making private arrangements of her own. The prince, recently returned from war, has been keeping private arrangements of his own. The bride's father has plans the bride's mother has agreed, by mutual silence, not to look at. The bride herself, who has been asked at no point in the proceedings what she would like, is beginning to wonder. And the advisor to the king, Velaro, who has stood half a step behind the queen's left shoulder for thirty years, has begun to keep notes.What unfolds across the days between the competition and the wedding is the matter of the play: a court in which almost everyone is, very politely, looking the other way, and a single observer who can no longer afford to.This edition includes:The complete play in five acts and seventeen scenesA dedication and author's note from the playwrightA full dramatis personaeA scene-by-scene synopsis Read more