Overview

The New York Idea is a sparkling American classic, a polished comedy about New York society at the turn of the century and its heads or tails attitude towards divorce. The action takes place on the eve of Cynthia Karslake's wedding and on the day itself. Gathered for the occasion are all the intended, rejected and contemplated, along with the usual relatives and servants (used to great effect as ploys for various schemes). Throw into the mix Sir Wilfrid Cates-Darby, a visting Englishman who looks upon the New York marriage mores with delighted and ripe mischief, and you have all the ingredients for uproarious farce. In the end, the intended aren't, the rejected are, and it's all a merry scene of deception and self-deception.