She Stoops to Conquer at Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Jun 20 2008 by Alison Anderson

PITLOCHRY Festival Theatre ticks all the right boxes with its colourful and rollicking production of Oliver Goldsmith’s “She Stoops to Conquer,” subtitled “The Mistakes of A Night.”

Richard Baron directs this ribald and hilarious portrait of life and love in town and country – written in 1772 yet still very fit for a 21st century audience who like their theatre to be entertaining rather than challenging.

A fabulous set by Ken Harrison of the inside of Liberty Hall, the family home of the Hardcastles somewhere in the north of England, has tremendous depth and character, and converts in a flash to the hostelry frequented by Tony Lumpkin, Mrs Hardcastle’s hooligan and thoroughly spoiled son from her first marriage.

In a modern day setting, Lumpkin would be done for under-age drinking and the subject of an ASBO. On the Pitlochry stage he is a hoot, creating chaos wherever he goes and engineering the ensuing mistakes of the night.

Mrs Hardcastle is determined to marry Tony to her niece, Constance Neville – if only to keep the fabulous Neville jewels in the family. Constance and Tony, however, have other plans.

Likewise, Squire Hardcastle has arranged a match for his daughter, Kate, with the son of his old friend, Sir Charles Marlow. Neither the Hardcastles nor the bridegroom-to-be have ever met – and Tony’s mischief ensures the road to true love is very rocky, much to the delight of the audience.

One of the joys of this production is the quality of acting – consistently high throughout the large cast, from Martyn James and Karen Davies as the Hardcastles, Christian Edwards’ energy-packed take on Tony Lumpkin, to the lesser characters, including the Hardcastles’ rustic domestic staff.

The action moves swiftly across the stage, and in every corner there are little asides and details to amuse the audience.

Full marks, too, to Ken Harrison and PFT’s wardrobe department for the fabulous costumes.

She Stoops to Conquer closes with a rousing and well-choreographed dance to complete a thoroughly enjoyable production.

The production continues in repertoire until October 17.