Canterbury Sextet
by Larry Rinkel
Waiting for a flight to London delayed by weather, six passengers decide to pass the time by re-enacting six of the stories from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (the Merchant, Miller, Reeve, Wife of Bath, Knight, and Nun’s Priest). Along the way they find the stories not only have a lot to say about sex, love, marriage, social status, youth, and age; but they are also revealed as reflections of each character’s personality and relationship to his or her fellow travelers. This play can be performed as a full-length work, or each tale can be presented as a separate 10-15 minute play.
- Cast Size: 4M 2W
- Running Time: 90+ minutes for full presentation/10-15 minutes for individual works
- Royalty Rate: $75 for full production performance/$15 when shorts are produced individually
Order Digital Download (Will NOT download to phones)
About the Playwright
Larry Rinkel came to playwriting after teaching college English and then working as a technical writer, a career from which he retired in 2014. A lifelong devotee of art, theatre, film, and classical music, he has had plays produced all over the United States.
His full-length “A Kreutzer Sonata,” about a talented Jewish piano student, was awarded Best Play at the Secret Theatre’s 2017 UNFringed Festival and received its Long Island premiere in December 2019. Other produced plays include adaptations from Chaucer and Dante, a farce about gender-blind casting in Shakespeare, several (mostly gay) romantic comedies, and several 1-minute plays including a very cute one about Chopin’s Minute Waltz.
A disparate group of delayed travelers, whose travel from JFK to London Heathrow has been delayed due to inclement weather, pass the time by enacting 6 “Canterbury Tales” in this delightfully modern riff on Chaucer. Rinkel’s funny, saucy rhyme schemes surprise with disarming and charming twists, and are perfectly suited to modern ears and mores. Wonderful work.
Review Canterbury Sextet.