Overview

One day in a neighboring city, Boffi discovers a gay dancer who looks exactly like the lost wife of his friend Bruno. The woman has been living in curious circumstances with a man and his unusual daughter, both of whom love her deeply. Boffi convinces the woman that she is married and that her husband awaits her. She goes to him, and a meeting is arranged in which the woman’s own sister and aunt will be present to verify her identity. The woman takes well to her new situation, though it is not clear whether she is the lost wife or just someone who welcomes a chance to begin life over again in superior circumstances. At the time of the verification, another woman, who is insane, is brought forth as the lost wife, and the first woman cedes to her and leaves them all forever. But, in going, the audience is more convinced than ever that she is indeed the lost wife. A tantalizing mental intrigue, in the best manner of Pirandello.

Keywords

• The playwright was a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature