Indeed, the piece is sometimes too in love with artifice to slow down and fully engage reality when it does so, its devices stretch and strain. The play succeeds most when it is appreciating life as theater and pointing out that the roles of life don’t always fit the individuals who play them. Now, they make for a cocktail frothy enough to allow “the permissiveness of theatrical artifice” - as a line in Comedy goes - to take over entirely. Greenspan’s elated theatrical gender games were given a mixed reception when offered a decade ago at The Public Theater under Joseph Papp and George C. But the essence of this work is Greenspan’s love of gender-farce in all its forms, mixed with a palpable (and increasingly rare) respect and affection for the audience, which the author treats as a collaborator. Repetition figures strongly in the writing, as does gentle rhyme, which tickles the ear at various moments. The play is marked by fast-paced, articulate, poetic, and rhythmic text, delivered by a cast in perfect tune with the style. But Greenspan’s triple-threat approach to playmaking also recalls the work of Charles Ludlam, whose Irma Vep is referenced prominently here. It has stronger parallels to its acknowledged forerunner: The Guardsman, by Ferenc Molnar, Hungary’s foremost playwright and an influence on such major figures as Pirandello. The play actually has little to do with She Stoops to Conquer, the delightful old farce by Oliver Goldsmith, which first appeared in London in 1773. We paid a lot).She Stoops to Comedy is a delightful new farce written and directed by David Greenspan, in which he also stars. Then the next day we were at Corfe Castle and even more people came up and demanded whether we had permission (We did. We once filmed outside the Minster, and as our very experienced ex-ITV director said, he’d never been anywhere where so many members of the public came up and asked officiously if we had permission to film there / block the street etc. As with their previous production, I felt they found several interesting new laughs in the script. The actors were not getting the feedback they deserved for their energy, effort and genuine comedy. To me, and I am very glad we all followed COVID restrictions and distanced, the comedy lost the ripple effect of laughter, which normally spreads out. You just can’t grasp an audience around tables in the same way. At one educational conference the seats had been arranged like that around tables in groups by a previous presenter, and I simply said, “I don’t do cabaret even without chicken in a basket” and put them back in rows myself with my publisher’s rep. If you’ve ever addressed audiences in rows versus seated in groups at tables, you’ll know what I mean. I waited till very near the end to take a photo, and only did so because I saw several people were doing it! Apologies (and I will remove it if the company objects). As the rain started it set me wondering about costumes? Do they have two sets (I would think so) or is it out to find a launderette in the morning to dry them? A major theatre over-using its rain machine (as so many do) would have to have two sets for a matinee day. One minor fault – they really need to replace Hastings’ wig with a better one that fits. They do the Globe / RSC dance ending … and manage very well with just violin and handclaps. I’ve seen it costumed in other eras, and virtually always with elaborate and expensive sets. Playing it “large” brings the play an 18th century feel to me. It means it’s harder than the encircled Shakespeare’s Globe to project in the open air and they all managed well. Social distancing also means we took up a much larger area of the Mill courtyard than we would have done in the past, when we’d have sat in rows closer to the stage. You can only play it large in the open air, and with the odd motor-bike crossing the bridge nearby (and the inexplicable decision by Walford Mill to clean the toilet block during act one), you have to use volume. They also played with scene changes and the obvious restrictions of a small stage outdoors with only seven actors … there were several jokes about covering costume changes. So was Anthony Young as Mr Hardcastle who did some excellent filler lines and asides, Anthony Taylor as Tony Lumpkin framed the play and was relaxed in asides to the audience. The play lends itself to breaking the fourth wall and having fun with the audience, because it has all those scenes of walking forward in character and addressing the audience. As her cameo as “the tree” in the outdoor sene she got the loudest applause of the evening. Pippa Meekings did Kate as the barmaid particularly well – she was Gwendolen when we saw The Importance of Being Earnest.
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