The Fair Maid of the West (or a Girl Worth Gold) by Thomas Heywood was a two part English Renaissance drama first published in 1631. Part 1 however dates from 1597-1603, and part 2 some thirty years later. It is a fairly rubbish plot involving Bess, a "tapster" who works in a tavern in Plymouth. She is being wooed by Spencer, and early on he kills a bully who is attempting to abuse Bess. Spencer escapes to Spain, and Bess is sent to a tavern he owns in Fowey. She receives news of his death and of a bequest in her favour. There is a complex plot regarding attempts to prove her unchaste to deny her an inheritance, and eventually she and Spencer (who was not killed) are reunited. Part 2 involves adventures in Spain and the role of Bess and Spencer in quelling warfare between England and the Spanish.

The RSC play rather completely rewrites this, and sets the story in a pub with modern musical accompaniment (a jukebox!) and many other anachronisms. The core plot involving Bess (now renamed as Liz) and Spencer remains, and she does indeed travel to Spain following reports of his death (on a ship made out of bits of old pub bar wood!) Otherwise it is rather just played for laughs, with lots of pub related humour, and a great detail of knockabout comedy. I rather enjoyed it, the cast seemed to be having great fun, and the idiocy of the story never really mattered. Enjoyable afternoon in the theatre.