During the 18th century, British plays sometimes revolved around a plot in which a woman pretended to be lesser than she is to determine if a potential matrimonial partner truly loves her.
Oliver Goldsmith set the standard with his comedy She Stoops to Conquer, which premiered at Covent Garden in 1773. Hannah Cowley developed the idea further in her play The Belle's Stratagem.
While I've seen both of those plays on stage, I've never seen a live production of Joanna Baillie's The Tryal. That play, first published in 1798, shows an heiress named Agnes Witherington pretending to be penniless during a visit to Bath so that she can avoid fortune hunters.
The play recently had a staged reading at the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds which fortunately was recorded and can now be viewed online. Helen Dallas plays Agnes and Ed Whatley-Smith plays Mr. Harwood, who falls in love with her while other suitors bestow their affections on Agnes's poor cousin Mariane, played by Ailun Zhou. Added comedy is provided by the loquacious Miss Eston, played by Lesley Peterson.
Robert Price is quite sympathetic as Agnes's uncle Mr. Witherington, who suggests that Harwood's love for Agnes might be perverse. If he can remain affectionate even for a woman who is truly vile, Agnes will never be able to be happy with him. To ensure this is not the case, Agnes resolves upon a second trial. She will allow Harwood to read a letter that implies she has a dark secret. If he still loves her after that, she will refuse to marry him, but resolves never to be married at all if that is the case.
Price, Burdett, and Peterson adapted the script, which was directed by Robert Price and produced by Chris Bundock. If you want to check it out, you can view it here.
