Ken Ludwig's Leading Ladies - A Comedy of Cross-Dressing and Deception
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Maddie Arbogast
Pd. 4
Play Info
Author: Ken Ludwig
First performed in 2004
Published in 2006
Title significance: Jack and Leo (male
characters) cross-dress as women in
order to get a dying woman’s fortune, so
these “ladies” are actually men
Setting
Takes place in the 1950’s
The majority of the play is set in what is
described as a “large, handsome living
room” in York, Pennsylvania
In scene 2 of act 1, the action takes place
on stage in front of a curtain
(Shrewsbury, PA. Moose Lodge)
Scene 3 of act 1 is set in a train
Setting continued
The way the living room is set up (the
furniture) shows the time period
The significance:
People of the 1950’s
(more specifically the
upper class) would not
be supportive of these
cross-dressing men making this specific
setting extremely crucial to the plot
Theme
Be satisfied with what you have/ Work for
what you want
Jack and Leo aren’t happy with what they’re
doing so they put themselves through a lot
more trouble than necessary. If they were
satisfied with what they had, and worked
harder for what they wanted, they never
would have gotten themselves tied up in
such a complicated scheme for money
Love, friendship, betrayal
Conflict
The main conflict for Jack and Leo is when they
find out if they want the money, they have to act
as a woman’s nieces rather than nephews
Protagonist: Meg- she’s a very outgoing
character and “Maxine and Stephanie” give
her a bad first taste of the real world
Antagonist: in a way, it’s the old woman,
Florence Snider. She’s a bit of a hypochondriac
and makes everything difficult for everybody.
(does this a few times throughout the play-
she’s a bit aggressive) Jack and Leo- they’re
practically trying to trick this woman into
giving them her money
Summary
Jack and Leo, two Shakespearean actors,
are trying to gain more money when they
find out about an elderly woman being
ill. They decide to pose as this woman’s
nephews to get her money, but when
they arrive, they find they must instead
pose as her nieces. During this process,
Leo falls in love with the woman's real
niece, Meg, who is already engaged to a
minister.
Inciting Incident/ Climax
Inciting incident: when Jack and Leo decide
to go and pretend to be the long lost
nephews, and still don’t hesitate even when
they discover they must become her nieces
Climax: when Leo and Jack come clean
about what they’ve done. At this point,
Duncan ( Meg’s fiancé) gets the police
involved and we get a little bit of a taste for
how Florence feels about the whole
situation. At this point, we also get the
heightened emotions when its revealed that
her real nieces have arrived
Characters
Leo- actor from England, in his 40’s, he’s very
emotional
Jack- actor from England, in his late 30’s, he’s
the “nice guy”
Meg- warm, good sense of humor, in her 30’s
Florence- a hypochondriac, woman in her 60’s
Duncan- minister, engaged to Meg, in his 40’s
Audrey- a bit of an airhead “barbie”,
rollerskates everywhere, in her 20’s
Doc- doctor, Butch’s father, in his 50’s
Butch- an airhead, big guy (large build), in his
20’s
Quote by Leo
“We’ll get off at the next stop…get on
out costumes, get back on the train
and then its on to York, Pennsylvania!”
This is said once Jack finally agrees to
dressing as a female to gain one
million dollars
Conversation between Meg and
Leo
“Now get out of here, fast. the police are here!”
“but I cant leave you.”
“you have to! You’ll be arrested!”
“Meg, I love you.”
“I know that! And I love you!”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes!”
In the middle of all the chaos of the climax, these words
are exchanged between Leo and Meg. This is what
comes of their feelings for one another, even after the
truth of the situation comes out
Vocabulary/ References
Diaphanous- light, delicate, translucent
(fabric)
Gyrate- to move in a circle or spiral,
especially quickly
There are many references made to
characters in Shakespeare's works
including Sir Toby Belch, and Titania,
queen of the faries
Personal reactions
I found this play to be a bit ridiculous but
in a humorous way. I really enjoyed the
little bits and pieces that twisted the plot
throughout the play, it kept it interesting.
I would definitely recommend reading
this play.
Jack and Leo, two Shakespearean actors, pretend to be women to secure an elderly woman's fortune, leading to comedic chaos. As they navigate deceit, love, and betrayal in the 1950s setting, their desire for more causes complications and unexpected twists, especially when Leo falls for the woman's niece. The play explores themes of satisfaction, ambition, and the consequences of elaborate schemes for wealth.
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Presentation Transcript
Maddie Arbogast Pd. 4 KEN LUDWIG S LEADING LADIES
Play Info Author: Ken Ludwig First performed in 2004 Published in 2006 Title significance: Jack and Leo (male characters) cross-dress as women in order to get a dying woman s fortune, so these ladies are actually men
Setting Takes place in the 1950 s The majority of the play is set in what is described as a large, handsome living room in York, Pennsylvania In scene 2 of act 1, the action takes place on stage in front of a curtain (Shrewsbury, PA. Moose Lodge) Scene 3 of act 1 is set in a train
Setting continued The way the living room is set up (the furniture) shows the time period The significance: People of the 1950 s (more specifically the upper class) would not be supportive of these cross-dressing men making this specific setting extremely crucial to the plot
Theme Be satisfied with what you have/ Work for what you want Jack and Leo aren t happy with what they re doing so they put themselves through a lot more trouble than necessary. If they were satisfied with what they had, and worked harder for what they wanted, they never would have gotten themselves tied up in such a complicated scheme for money Love, friendship, betrayal
Conflict The main conflict for Jack and Leo is when they find out if they want the money, they have to act as a woman s nieces rather than nephews Protagonist: Meg- she s a very outgoing character and Maxine and Stephanie give her a bad first taste of the real world Antagonist: in a way, it s the old woman, Florence Snider. She s a bit of a hypochondriac and makes everything difficult for everybody. (does this a few times throughout the play- she s a bit aggressive) Jack and Leo- they re practically trying to trick this woman into giving them her money
Summary Jack and Leo, two Shakespearean actors, are trying to gain more money when they find out about an elderly woman being ill. They decide to pose as this woman s nephews to get her money, but when they arrive, they find they must instead pose as her nieces. During this process, Leo falls in love with the woman's real niece, Meg, who is already engaged to a minister.
Inciting Incident/ Climax Inciting incident: when Jack and Leo decide to go and pretend to be the long lost nephews, and still don t hesitate even when they discover they must become her nieces Climax: when Leo and Jack come clean about what they ve done. At this point, Duncan ( Meg s fianc ) gets the police involved and we get a little bit of a taste for how Florence feels about the whole situation. At this point, we also get the heightened emotions when its revealed that her real nieces have arrived
Characters Leo- actor from England, in his 40 s, he s very emotional Jack- actor from England, in his late 30 s, he s the nice guy Meg- warm, good sense of humor, in her 30 s Florence- a hypochondriac, woman in her 60 s Duncan- minister, engaged to Meg, in his 40 s Audrey- a bit of an airhead barbie , rollerskates everywhere, in her 20 s Doc- doctor, Butch s father, in his 50 s Butch- an airhead, big guy (large build), in his 20 s
Quote by Leo We ll get off at the next stop get on out costumes, get back on the train and then its on to York, Pennsylvania! This is said once Jack finally agrees to dressing as a female to gain one million dollars
Conversation between Meg and Leo Now get out of here, fast. the police are here! but I cant leave you. you have to! You ll be arrested! Meg, I love you. I know that! And I love you! You do? Yes. Will you marry me? Yes! In the middle of all the chaos of the climax, these words are exchanged between Leo and Meg. This is what comes of their feelings for one another, even after the truth of the situation comes out
Vocabulary/ References Diaphanous- light, delicate, translucent (fabric) Gyrate- to move in a circle or spiral, especially quickly There are many references made to characters in Shakespeare's works including Sir Toby Belch, and Titania, queen of the faries
Personal reactions I found this play to be a bit ridiculous but in a humorous way. I really enjoyed the little bits and pieces that twisted the plot throughout the play, it kept it interesting. I would definitely recommend reading this play.
