Written in rhymed couplets of iambic pentameter, the Molière-inspired story, set in 17th-century France, pits dignified, stuffy Elomire, the head of the royal court-sponsored theatre troupe, against the foppish, frivolous street entertainer Valere, whom the troupe's patron, Prince Conti, wishes them to bring aboard.

Following 15 previews, the Broadway production, produced by Stuart Ostrow and Andrew Lloyd Webber and directed by Richard Jones, opened on February 10, 1991 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, where it ran for only 25 performances.

[2] The subsequent West End production was a critical and commercial success and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy.

The London cast included Alan Cumming, Jeremy Northam, Timothy Walker and Simon Treves.

[3] Mark Rylance, David Hyde Pierce and Joanna Lumley starred in a new production in 2010, which premiered in London's West End before transferring to Broadway.