'Could you really bearThe first play of the year was Moliere's The Misanthrope, directed by Ruban Yogarajah. The script was a translation by Martin Crimp that kept the rhyme and sentiment of the original but updated the setting. The direction brought out the humour and kept the fast pace of the script whilst elevating the importance of the underlying themes and emotions. The play, set in a luxury hotel room, opened with a sharp and witty section of dialogue between Alceste (played with wit and intelligence by Ed Tyerman) and John, his 'philosophically disengaged' friend (stylishly played by Nick Forgacs). The humorous became the hilarious with the appearance of the flamboyant Stephen O'Brien playing the Ackroydesque art critic Covington.
to sit though another play
by Alan Bennett or David bloody Hare?'
The electric exchanges between Alceste and Jennifer, played with considerable maturity and flair by Jenny Haydock, provided the emotional depth present in the original play. This was juxtaposed with sections of the funniest dialogue involving virtually the whole cast. An example of this was their first confrontation at the beginning of Act Two which was followed by the entrance of William Pym playing Julian, James MacDonald playing Alex and Lucy Priest playing Ellen; their fine performances together creating a wonderfully funny tableau. A further twist was added by Caroline Newte-Hardie who gave a compelling performance as Marcia, the brilliantly manipulative feminist.
The last Act was a fitting climax to the play. Katya Aplin made an infamous appearance as the French maid, Fifi. Her hilarious performance broke new ground in the provocative and theatrical lighting of candles. The appearance of the characters in full period dress paved the way for a reinterpretation of Moliere's conclusion. The spectacular ending featuring techno music, strobe lighting and flying vinyl allowed the audience to leave secure in the knowledge that the incredible promises of the posters had been more than fulfilled.
Edward Hill & Greg Neill (Liddell's)
Boucicault's London Assurance was an excellent choice for a house play. Fast and entertaining, the performance certainly had the audience laughing all the way through, though if not always for the right reasons. Adhering to the usual rehearsal times allotted to House plays, mistakes were made, but the critic (himself a House director) knows full well how difficult it is to find the time to rehearse - the urgent conversations with the prompter will not be dwelled upon. There was much to praise in this production directed at an urgent and lively pace by Damian Riddle and Brian Smith.
As the ageing but nevertheless lustful town fop Sir Harcourt Courtly, Alexie Calvert-Ansari gave an accomplished performance. He exuded that kind of slimy charm that right from the start you knew would be checked by humiliation, though perhaps the sheer imbecility of the part was not fully captured. Together with Chris Peck's genial country gentleman Max Harkaway, the two played off each other very well: a case of regular horse riding matched with regular manicures. Chris acted as the host for much of the play, and reliably held it together when things looked as if they might go amiss.
Miles Copeland's portrayal of Charles Courtly was extremely convincing and brought a sparkle to the production as Harcourt's wastrel and debonair son. His later guise as the bookish and intellectual boy his father believes him to be was similarly entertaining. Miranda Zahedieh's Grace Harkaway, betrothed to the lecherous Harcourt, radiated charm as a woman very much in control of her life and loves, and her gradual realisation of her uncontrollable feelings for Charles was skilfully expressed. It was unfortunate that a crucial scene between the two was interrupted by fits of laughter.
Supplying the other comic elements that make one fully understand why the play was an instant success at its first ever performance were an amusing set of early nineteenth century characters. Max Usher played the upwardly mobile Richard Dazzle (related to every good family in England) as an upper class dandy, which lead me to wonder exactly how much acting was involved. However, the portrayal was engaging, and I eventually decided that the pauses and squinting that accompanied most lines were meant to be upper class mannerisms rather than desperate attempts to remember the lines.
Rachel Byng-Maddick's portrayal of the larger than life Lady Gay Spanker brought the house down: suitably over the top and complete with horsey laugh. The only criticism was her later guise as the vulnerable wife who fears her henpecked husband will leave her: Grace was perfectly justified in asking her 'are you really in earnest?'. The talented Ollie Marre played the husband himself, and made a good impression with what is a small role. Benji Lehmann's Mark Meddle, the foolish lawyer, was certainly irritating in the extreme. There was solid support from the body of sensible servants watching the bizarre spectacle from afar.
A minimalist set did nothing to hinder this well acted and enjoyable production, which was performed in an excellent House play atmosphere and continues the Westminster tradition of accomplished drama on low budgets and even less time.
Neil Fisher (Milne's)