THE LOTTERY OF LOVE Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond

The Lottery of Love, John Fowles’ translation of Marivaux’s Le Jeu de L’Amour et du Hasard, one of the most popular romantic comedies. It premiered in Paris in 1730. Sylvia, wanting to find out what a potential husband is really like, swaps places with her maid so that she can observe him unawares. But unbeknown to her, he has decided to swap places with his servant so that he can observe her. The result is that all four of them fall in love, each believing the other is either beneath them or above them socially. Beautifully written, its delicate wit and lightness of touch are disarming.