Our American Cousin

Our American Cousin is a three-act farce, first performed at Laura Keene's Theatre in New York City in 1858.

Florence Trenchard wants to marry an Army lieutenant, who is beneath her station. Worse, her brother Ned returns from a visit to rural Vermont to reveal that their great-uncle Mark has disinherited them and left Trenchard Manor to their American cousin Asa Trenchard, who has arrived to take residence in the manor. Worse still, the agent of the estate claims that Mark Trenchard owes his a large sum of money. And their house guests, the Mountchessingtons, take an interest in the "savage" from Vermont - or, at least, an interest in his money - and young Augusta Mountchessington is encouraged to gain Asa's interest. Asa, however, is more interested in a dairy maid named Mary Meredith, who happens to be a poor cousin to the Trenchards. Thwere's also Lord Dundreary and Georgina Mountchessington to worry about. Who gets Mark Trenchard's inheritance?

The play is in the Public Domain, and a copy of the 1869 version can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg.

The 2008 opera of the same name recounts the events of the play's most famous performance, from the viewpoint of the cast. If you're looking for the unrelated 1985 movie, see My American Cousin.


 * Fish Out of Water: Vermont native Asa Trenchard tries to fit in at Trenchard Manor, which is very British.
 * Malaproper: Lord Dundreary, to the point that malapropisms were popularly called Dundrearyisms while the play was popular.
 * Perfectly Cromulent Word: "sockdologizing", which (judging by reported Audience Reactions) was the funniest word in the play when it was performed during the 1860s. Alas, the context of its use doesn't provide any context for its meaning, other than that is isn't complimentary.
 * Values Dissonance: According to David McKenzie in 2021, "its class-based humor poking fun at country bumpkins and British aristocracy simply doesn’t land nor carry the attention of modern audiences."