Review: Educating Agnes at Perth Theatre

May 13 2008 by Alison Anderson

PLAYWRIGHT and poet Liz Lochhead worked her magic when translating Molière's L'Ecole des Femmes (The School for Wives) in to a 21st Century play for theatrebabel, Educating Agnes.

Of course it helps to have a cast who can deliver the Scots-inflected rhyming script without it sounding forced or stilted, and without losing its punch.

Even non-lovers of the banality of French farce could appreciate the skill with which this is written and enacted, particularly by the villain of the piece, the misogynous Arnolphe played by Kevin McMonagle.

Arnolphe is a wealthy bachelor, getting on in years, and with firmly entrenched views on the roles of women.

He wants a wife, but one who will not be unfaithful and who will pamper his every desire.

He sees the perfect vision of wifeliness in his unfortunate young ward, whom he has shut away for many a year to be groomed for the role of Mrs Arnolphe. This beautiful innocent young thing, now a 17-year-old, is ripe for picking.

But just as Arnolphe is about to propose to Agnes, a dashing, though not very bright, young buck stumbles into her life. They fall in love, to the immense chagrin of Arnolphe, who is prepared to stoop to murder to prevent the buck thwarting is selfish, cruel and lecherous plan.

None of this is to be taken too seriously, even when the flowing rhythm juddered under Lochhead’s insertion of 21st Century words such as ‘crap’ and ‘shagging’ into the context of period French aristocracy.

The six-strong cast under the direction of Graham McLaren gave robust performances, headed by McMonagle’s tour de force. There was a super double act between the dim-witted domestic servants played by Maureen Carr and Lewis Howden, and also spot-on was John Kielty’s Horace.

Final year RSAMD student Anneika Rose surely has a successful career ahead judging on her performance as Agnes, the unwilling object of Arnolphe’s desire

Educating Agnes was at PerthTheatre for just three performances last week.