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Comedy stands test of time
Constance and Tony Lumpkin played by Polly Hughes and Joe Bateman.Picture: Alex Hinds She Stoops to ConquerMalvern Theatres**** OLIVER Goldsmith was a small awkward boy
at school and suffered from a total lack of self-confidence. In
She Stoops to Conquer
he has projected some of that comically into the character of young
Marlow who stutters and quivers in the presence of women of breeding and
education, whereas he projects a totally different persona in the
company of women of lesser social rank. Marlow is intended to become the husband of Kate
Hardcastle by the agreement of their fathers who have been good friends;
however his first meeting with her is a disaster as he stutters and
makes a fool of himself. However Kate chooses to adopt the guise of a
barmaid and when they meet again Marlow has the confidence to reveal his
true personality and they fall in love. Kate has stooped to conquer in
that regard, and after he has apologised for his earlier disrespectful
conduct towards Hardcastle, the match is agreed by the delighted
parents. In the sub-plot Marlow’s friend Hastings has
already won the heart of Kate’s cousin, Constance Neville, but for their
marriage to be agreed they have hurdles to overcome: Mrs Hardcastle
intends Constance to marry her own son by her first marriage Tony
Lumpkin, in order to keep Constance’s wealth in the family. Tony however is not interested and indeed
unsuitable in the light of his character which, as his name suggests, is
a frivolous if good-hearted ‘good-for-little’! In this famous comedy the
obstacles are overcome in the end and all ends happily ever after. The language and style of this play reflects the
period in which it was first produced in 1773. It invites the company to
act in the style of a farce with grand gestures and exaggerated tones. It also requires the company producing it to
deliver lines with real care to ensure that the slightly quaint older
language is accessible to a modern audience. The Creative Cow Company
who have revived this play in Malvern this week have taken great care in
this regard and their excellent delivery makes it a delight. The design for the show is simple and very
effective: the four large, ornate, gilt frames suggest the older style
of the property; they function as doors, windows, mirrors and picture
frames; they are easily moved around to provide different shapes and
atmospheres for different scenes and settings and worked very well. The costumes and wigs were similarly very
effective against the dark background, and when the trees were needed
for the garden scene, it was managed with humour as well as simplicity
and success. The roles of Tony Lumpkin and Mr Hardcastle were
particularly well played by Joe Bateman and David Summer; they conveyed
the humour very well and were very convincing and the live music was
delightful! The young girls played by Leonie Spilsbury and Polly Hughes
were likewise strong, and the whole team were technically very slick and
proficient. The second half of the play builds naturally on the exposition in the first and was particularly full of fun and vigour. The audience clearly enjoyed and appreciated the entertainment. To 14-06-14. Tim Crowe10-06-14
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