Classic Theatre + Creative Innovation = Delightful Comedy
Once again, Seattle Shakespeare Company has creatively updated a classic play and produced a masterpiece. She Stoops to Conquer, one of the 18th Century’s perennial favorites, written by Oliver Goldsmith, was superbly directed by Mikaela Pollock. Emphasizing the essence of the play, comedy and not, because of its age, the museum quality, (needing to be treated with solemn reverence) Ms. Pollock added many brilliant touches: the set, the music, the costumes and especially the topical asides, which both honored the text and animated it.
Immediately successful, when it first opened in 1773, in London at Covent Garden, one year before the rakish Goldsmith prematurely succumbed to what was probably a kidney infection caused by his dissolute life-style, it has been adopted into movies, TV and opera. Several historically famous actresses have appeared it in, such as Lilly Langtry in 1881 and more recently Miriam Margolyes, in Peter Hall’s acclaimed 1993 production.
The original title, Mistakes of an Evening, more or less sum up the plot. Tony Lumpkin, the ne’er do well stepson of country landowner, Mr. Hardcastle, misinforms two young men, Marlow and Hastings that Hardcastle’s house, is actually an inn, and that his stepfather, Mr. Hardcastle, is actually the innkeeper.
Hardcastle’s daughter, Kate, tricks Marlow into falling in love with her, by dressing, not fashionably as befits her station, but as a simple local to disguise her status, because Marlow can only fall in love with lower class women. Another couple pretends to be in love, Lumpkin and his cousin Constance, so that she can get her hands on her inheritance, a box of jewels, from her avaricious aunt, and then marry Hastings, Marlow’s pal and traveling companion. Everybody is functioning under misapprehension and the intricate plot is hilarious, with a lot of witty verbal jokes and highly amusing physicality to match.
The set designed by Julia Hayes Welch was perfection itself, as it doubled both as a country inn and as the country house of a substantial landowner, who liked huntin’ n fishin’ and had no truck with sophisticated, cosmopolitan London life. Totally absent were beautiful paintings or objet d’art, just a lot of deer-heads and other trophies of successful hunting expeditions.
Composer/Musical Director, Brendan Milburn composed some great songs (I don’t quite know how to categorize them) performed mostly by the disreputable Tony Lumpkin, played by Basil Harris, which warmed-up the audience at the beginning of the show, gave the audience a great finale, and punctuated the action through-out the show. Generally I’m not a great fan of rock music but I found the musical numbers, especially the lyrics, delightful.
The costumes by Chelsea Cook could not have been more expressive of the bedlam on stage. Mrs. Hardcastle’s flamboyant outfit (again I’m not quite sure how to categorize it, it was as bizarre as her character) Constance’s brash outfit, Twist’s rather fey maid’s “uniform,” Tony Lumpkin’s punkish attire and of course Mr. Hardcastle’s subdued country-gent’s riding boots and tweed jacket explained their characters to the audience immediately.
In general, the acting was more than up to the task to bring this witty, amusing text to life. Stand-outs were R. Hamilton Wright whose subdued, sardonic delivery of his lines was reminiscent of Mr. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Julie Briskman’s Mrs. Hardcastle’s performance was the stuff theatrical legends are made of. Her linguistic ability to switch from a slightly pretentious British accent to an authentic Brooklyn accent was formidable. And her performance as an excited momma from Brooklyn was just as good as her frivolous pretentious parvenu. Jocelyn Maher, as cousin Constance put in a brilliant performance and her commanding vocal ability was impressive. Basil Harris as the endearing ne’er do well, Tony Lumpkin, was at his best while singing with his band. Steven Tran, as Twist, the fey maid added quite a few laughs.
Although it did not detract from the overall quality of the production, Shannon Allman as Kate Hardcastle tended to overact and play everything too much for laughs so that her performance was less funny than it should have been, as did MJ Sieber, who played her suitor, Charles Marlow. The scenes between those two were the weakest in an otherwise brilliant production.
All in all, it was well worth seeing, and I am very happy that Seattle Shakespeare has assembled such a brilliant collection of talented show folk to take on the classics, which very few people are producing in Seattle. SSC-keep it up, along with Shakespeare, we want to see more of the classics.
Get your tickets now, it was sold out on opening night!!!!!!
She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith. Seattle Shakespeare Company. Center House Theatre, Seattle Armory, (Formerly Center House) Seattle Center. 305 Harrison, Seattle, 98119 Wed Sat 7:30, Sat. Sun 2:00 pm thru Apr. 14 Ticketshttps://seattleshakes.secure.force.com/ticket/#details_a0S0Z00000g8dPVUAY
Info: https://www.seattleshakespeare.org/