A LADY OF LITTLE SENSE Arcola Theatre, London E8

Lope de Vega’s farce, written in 1613, is part of an admirable season of plays from Spain’s Golden Age. A father has two marriageable daughters, both beautiful. The eldest is far too intelligent and arrogant for her own good. The youngest, whose only attraction is a large dowry, behaves in such a manic way and is so stupid, so childish and so vulgar that audiences might presume she is autistic and find it difficult to laugh. She is transformed by love and is suddenly intelligent, well-behaved and clever enough to fool her father and the suitor she doesn’t want to marry. There is a fine ensemble and the farce gets a lively and handsomely costumed production from Laurence Boswell, an expert on the period. If you only want to see one of the three plays in the repertoire, then the choice will depend on whether you want see a farce or a tragedy, such as Punishment Without Revenge. The latter is the better play.