THE STORY: Based on one of the most notorious scandals of the Victorian Age, THE COUNTESS is a true account of madness, cruelty and obsession, and perhaps one of the greatest love stories of its time. In 1853, preeminent art critic John Ruskin, his wife, Effie, and his friend and protégé, the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais, depart in high spirits for the Scottish Highlands. When they return to London four months later, Millais’ hatred for Ruskin is exceeded only by his passion for the beautiful, young Mrs. Ruskin. What John Everett Millais did not know—could not have known—was the terrible truth at the core of the Ruskin marriage. A secret which when revealed through the persistence of Lady Elizabeth Eastlake, renowned writer of the period and close friend of Effie Ruskin, would rock London society and forever change the lives of Millais and the Ruskins.
“…serious…wonderfully witty…erotically charged.” —The New York Times.
“…vivid…funny…intelligent.” —The New Yorker.
“…riveting, sensational drama…one of the year’s ten best plays.” —Time Out New York.
“In its cleverness and elegance, in its impassioned commitment to tell a passionate story, [THE COUNTESS] is without peer.” —New York Theatre Experience.
