Mother Clap's Molly House

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Mother Clap's Molly House is a 2001 play by Mark Ravenhill with music by Matthew Scott. It is based on an essay in the book of the same name by Rictor Norton.

The play is a black comedy and explores the diversity of human sexuality. It is set partly in London of the 18th century, where the molly house of Mother Clap caters to the gay subculture, and partly in 2001, at a party organized by a group of gay men. It was first performed in September 2001 at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre. The play was directed by Nicholas Hytner, produced by Phil Cameron, the sets were designed by Giles Cadle and the costumes by Nicky Gillibrand. Among the premiere cast was Dominic Cooper.

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Margaret Clap, better known as Mother Clap, ran a coffee house from 1724 to 1726 in Holborn, Middlesex, a short distance from the City of London. As well as running a molly house, she was heavily involved in the ensuing legal battles after her premises were raided and shut down. While not much is known about her life, she was an important part of the gay subculture of early 18th-century England. At the time sodomy in England was a crime under the Buggery Act 1533, punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or the death penalty. Despite this, particularly in larger cities, private homosexual activity took place. To service these actions there existed locations where men from all classes could find partners or just socialize, called molly houses, "molly" being slang for a gay man at the time. One of the most famous of these was Clap's molly house.

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