Ann-Marie MacDonald's love of the fabulous is in full force with this multi-layered reworking of her earlier play, The Arab's Mouth.

Following her father's death, amateur scientist Pearl MacIsaac struggles to discover the secret of her family's past, which her father had been kept hidden with the help of the family doctor. Set in Scotland in 1899, this dark and redemptive gothic comedy is a story of family secrets that have come to life and of the birth and evolution of ideas'�and truly a play of morals. Reaching out in two directions to reconcile the extremes of rationalism and romanticism, Belle Moral embraces a complex range of turn-of-the-century thought including Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, contemporary medical beliefs and the concept of eugenics.

'The most significant aspect of Belle Moral is the profound contribution of women to society, even if their place is constantly circumscribed and compromised.'� Canadian Literature

'Bright and satiric. . . . Few other writers are so good at telling a story while arguing an intellectual point.'� NOW (Toronto)