Our American Cousin

Our American Cousin, first performed in 1858, is a three-act farce by British playwright Tom Taylor. The play centers on Asa Trenchard, a rough but honest American who travels to England to claim his inheritance and shakes up a stuffy aristocratic household. Best known historically as the play being performed when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, it was hugely popular in its time. While dated, its humor, social satire, and transatlantic contrasts offer insight into 19th-century stagecraft and sensibilities.