Swoon-worthy declarations or scandalous one-liners? Director Emily Lyon and Costume Coordinator & Wardrobe Supervisor Trina Yager take on “Bold Stroke or Bridgerton?”

It’s a rapid-fire guessing game where lines from Expand the Canon‘s cut of Hannah Cowley’s Bold Stroke For A Husband go head-to-head with Netflix’s Bridgerton.

From “Make me your squirrel” to “You are the bane of my existence,” it’s harder than you think.

Hannah Cowley’s A Bold Stroke for a Husband (1783) hits with the same energy as modern Regency romance. Live on the Blackfriars stage the performance is full of bold choices, social rules ready to snap, and language that flirts back. This revival is part of Expand the Canon, bringing overlooked plays like Bold Stroke back into the room.

So… how many did you get right? Check out the bottom of our blog for the answers.

Hear the Difference Live

Test your ear under the shared light of the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton, VA and catch Bold Stroke For A Husband this spring.

Can You Tell Bold Stroke or Bridgerton Answers:

  1. Make me your squirrel. – Bold Stroke
  2. Be my mistress – Bridgerton
  3. You are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires. – Bridgerton
  4. I see my plan to win you over is already working. – Bridgerton
  5. that’s all I have to say — you are married. – Bold Stroke
  6. I believe in the power of a gesture. – Bridgerton
  7. You speak of your rival with the admiration of a mistress. – Bold Stroke
  8. My fire will not be so soon extinguished. – Bold Stroke
  9. I do love a game, especially when I am so often the victor. – Bridgerton
  10. Tonight, we can be anyone we want. – Bridgerton
  11. I trusted him with my heart, my happiness, without restriction. – Bold Stroke
  12. Patience is a cheat. – Bold Stroke
  13. Love is always a thing to be proud of. The world needs more of it. – Bridgerton
  14. I cannot speak to him, and yet my soul flies to meet him. – Bold Stroke
  15. I have decided to be a spinster. – Bridgerton
  16. I really believe, though you deny it, that you are my destiny – Bold Stroke
  17. Thou hast certainly some vixen of a mistress – Bold Stroke