8/26/2023 0 Comments She stoops to conquer 2003The settings, costumes, actors, direction were ALL excellent. But for many?some? people lacking that, it could be frustrating. IF you previously have some acquaintance with this play (having read it, acted in it, etc.) or familiarity with native English speech, this could be a delightful experience. It WOULD have been a little easier for those of us who'd previously spent 4-6 hours reading various parts in the play. Deciphering England's native "English speech" is not easy for everyone. We were showing this film for our group of play readers in a university group for retired faculty (the KU Endacott Society)- our group had just finished reading the play and were viewing this PLUS sharing it with members of the far larger Society who'd like to see it. (See my Message Board post on this subject for more info.) AND I thought that subtitles were an available option (which in set-up they seemed to be) BUT we couldn't get them to work. I thought the 5 acts were specified but they aren't delineated in the playback. What isn't? The playback version doesn't work with all US players (we found one that worked). We paid a lot).The characters, setting, costumes, photography, direction are ALL EXCELLENT in this version. 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. An ambitious step-mother, impassioned sweethearts, a pragmatic father and a pair of star-crossed suitors are sent spinning through a hilarous comedy of errors by one of the great characters of the stage, Tony. 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. Oliver Goldsmiths classic comedy of manners tells of the clever schemes and comic ruses that unfold one night at a country house. Oliver Goldsmith's classic comedy of manners tells of the clever schemes and comic ruses that unfold one night at a country house. 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, She Stoops to Conquer is a riotous tale of misunderstanding, deceit, love and humour. 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. She Stoops to Conquer, a 2003 video presentation recorded live on stage in Bath, Somerset, England She Stoops to Conquer, a 2008 television adaptation directed. Pippa Meekings did Kate as the barmaid particularly well – she was Gwendolen when we saw The Importance of Being Earnest.
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