He's Dying To Get Rich - VOLPONE Comes to The Edinburgh Fringe

With servant Mosca, wealthy Volpone convinces the rich citizens of Venice he is on his deathbed - prompting them to shower him with gifts in the hope they will became his sole heir. Buoyed by success, the pair persuade merchant Corvino to offer his beautiful wife to bring Volpone back to health. Meanwhile three English tourists get involved in nefarious schemes. How will it all end?

This version of Ben Jonson's rollicking comedy, adapted and directed by Martin Foreman, is set in the nineteenth century. The plot remains unchanged but with language updated to be easily understood and Mosca now a woman, the play has a much sharper edge. On the one hand she must avoid her employer's clutches; on the other, as the play progresses it is Mosca, not Volpone, who lures the gullible and greedy into ever more complicated scams. "Mosca is definitely the star of the show," says Foreman "and it is time she was given the recognition - or notoriety - that she deserves."

Arbery's production was a commercial and critical success at the 2017 Fringe (???? All-Edinburgh Theatre). This year an enhanced production runs for three weeks at Paradise in Augustines with Vanashree Thapliyal and Alastair Lawless reprising their starring roles. They are supported by both experienced thespians such as Mike Brownsell, Kate Cottam and Adam Tomkins and newer actors in their Fringe debuts.

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