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A glorious reimagining of Goldsmith’s classic comedy, in an impeccably executed, playful production.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Marking the 250th anniversary year of Oliver Goldsmith‘s classic comedy She Stoops to Conquer, Orange Tree Theatre celebrates generously with a glorious reimagining. Here, it adopts a lively PG Wodehouse style, perfect for the festive season. There’s good feeling and jollity throughout, yet it still speaks of the timeless themes of class, gender roles and the tribulations of love.
It’s Christmas Eve at the Henderson country home, where we’re about to see the old, patriarchal and upper class ways seen out, making way for the new. Anett Black and Neil Irish have done a great job on the place, with every detail of the set and costume design exquisitely observed. The familiar theatre in the round is transformed into a traditional stately pile, clad in wood panelling, with stags’ heads hanging, comfy sofas, and a fully dressed Christmas tree towering in one corner.
Fun is clearly the focus, and that’s what we get in bucketloads. Curmudgeonly Mr Henderson, played fabulously grumpily by David Horovitch, enjoys the past and all things old. In this frame of being, he has arranged a marriage for his daughter Kate (Tanya Reynolds) to the son of an old friend. The potential beau, Charles Marlow (Freddie Fox), arrives at the house with his buddy George Hastings (Robert Mountford) under the impression it’s an inn, thanks to some trickery from Henderson’s stepson Tony (Guy Hughes). When Kate is mistaken by Marlow for the maid, she decides to plays the role, determined to break his inability to communicate coherently with upper class women and with hilarious results. Some misunderstandings and delightful deceptions round out the play, creating a whirlwind of laughter.
This is an absolutely superb cast, who offer enough overacting to be credible, but with plentiful humorous flouncing and fainting. Reynolds as Kate steps up impressively to ensure age old stereotypes are overthrown, challenging class and gender roles. She spars spiritedly with the men in her life, despite superficially conforming to societal rules and may wear the outfit her father chooses, but her actions belie her conformity. Her assertive remoulding of Marlow demonstrates who is really in control. Fox is outstanding as Marlow – almost a Jekyll and Hyde, as his character morphs magically from shiny-faced and bashful to bold and oily in the extreme. The relationship between the pair is fizzing with cheekiness, fun and filth: who’d have thought embroidery could be so raunchy? Well, they certainly have the audience in stitches…
Meanwhile, Richard Derrington, playing the flaky old butler Diggory, nearly steals the show, as he quivers his way perilously around. No wonder the characters go through so many brandies!
Surprisingly, there’s even room for subtlety amongst these exaggerated characters. Greta Scacchi is notably fabulous as she throws herself into the extreme, ridiculous role of Mrs Henderson then pulls it right back to pinpoint moments of genuine poignancy and vitriolic anger. It’s an impressive performance range belied by her ghastly eyeshadow, which prompts a new consideration of an otherwise pigeon-holed figure.
The music throughout is joyful, sociable and invigorating, particularly from the talented Hughes, who engages the entire audience in enthusiastic singalongs, generously crossing class borders to share the space with both us and an energetic community cast.
Bonus points to director Tom Littler, who makes incredible use of the round space, bringing it totally alive as the characters circle each other, or zoom rapidly on and offstage. The timing and texture throughout is impeccable, building in spaces to momentarily catch a breath before the maelstrom of madness recommences. The whole is a fabulously playful production, impeccably executed and a perfect escapist escapade for Christmas.
Written by: Oliver Goldsmith
Directed by: Tom Littler
Design and Costumes by: Anett Black and Neil Irish
Sound design by: Tom Attwood
Lighting design by: Jonathan Chan
Movement direction by: Julia Cave
She Stoops to Conquer runs at the Orange Tree Theatre until Saturday 13 January. Further information and bookings can be found here.
