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She
Stoops to Conquer is a riotous tale of misunderstanding, deceit,
love and humour. It is said that the play is based upon an event
in the life of the writer, Oliver Goldsmith, who apparently once
mistook a gentleman鈥檚 home for an inn. It was a mistake from which
he managed to develop the idea for one of the most successful English
comedies of the 18th century.
Out
of Joint鈥檚 productions are always well researched and staged; She
Stoops to Conquer is no exception. The rustic set comes complete
with antique furniture that would make David Dickinson鈥檚 heart tremble
and the costumes comprise of huge skirts for the ladies and wigs
and tights for the men.
Be
prepared for an evening of foppery, but rather than being camp,
Max Stafford Clark鈥檚 production takes the humour direct from Goldsmith鈥檚
text and delivers it with panache. It is his well crafted dialogue
which carries the story, and magnificent turns of phrase convey
much of the comedy, delivered with ease and excellent timing by
the cast.
Setting
the play in the Black Country (Goldsmith only ever specified that
the play be set one hundred miles away from London), makes for some
unusual accents for a play of this era, but it was unusual in its
time in that was set outside of London and featured ordinary people.
A strong
theme of She Stoops to Conquer is that of the family, playing in
particular on the idea of children with absent parents. Constance
Neville lives with her aunt, Young Charles Marlow has spent his
youth in boarding schools, Kate Hardcastle has a doting father and
no mother, where as Tony Lumpkin has a doting mother and a dead
father. Again, this theme is likely to have stemmed from Goldsmith鈥檚
own life: his father died when he was only twelve years old.
With
an additional prologue and epilogue scripted by Stephen Jeffreys,
a new dimension has been added to the text, one that is currently
enjoying popularity with school students, which should encourage
a younger audience to see this production.
A companion
production, A Laughing Matter, written by April De Angelis, complements
and puts the story into context, and tours alongside She Stoops
to Conquer.
Words: Emma Hardy
She Stoops To Conquer is at the Playhouse on Thursday 3 and Friday
4 April.
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