The Mandrake

The Pearl presents the world premiere of Peter Constantine’s fresh translation of The Mandrake, joining modern sensibilities to Machiavelli’s political genius and conversational tone. Callimaco will dare anything to bed the beautiful and married Lucrezia — and he needs all the help he can get. Not only is there the obstacle of her husband to get around, but also the equally vexatious reality that the virtuous Lucrezia scoffs at romance. But Callimaco has a plan which, if all goes well, will not only win him a night with Lucrezia — whether the lady is interested or not — but her husband’s blessing as well.

Crawling with social parasites and crooked conspirators, La Mandragola, first performed in 1518, remains the most popular play of the Italian Renaissance. Here is the wickedly amusing “lighter” side of Niccolo Machiavelli, political mastermind of the modern world, as he constructs a universe where cunning — not virtue, loyalty, nor love — wins the day.