Moot House Players: She Stoops To Conquer

By Bridget McAlpine

HEADSTRONG and rebellious youngsters disobeying their parents is no modern phenomenon, as proved by this witty and engaging play.
For Oliver Goldsmith’s comedy of manners, first performed in 1773, shows there’s nothing new under the sun as far as the generation gap is concerned.

Director Rosemary Caswell brought a skilful, light touch to this production, ensuring that the18th Century dialogue never overshadowed the essential humour of the play for a 21st Century audience.

The action takes place at the country seat of the wealthy Mr and Mrs Hardcastle. As was usual for the time, the couple are obsessed with arranging good marriages for their sweet-natured daughter Kate and Mrs Hardcastle’s son by a previous marriage, the feckless Tony Lumpkin. Their hopes are pinned on Kate marrying wealthy London gadabout Charles Marlow while Mrs Hardcastle is determined Tony will marry her niece and ward Constance Neville so the young woman’s fortune will stay in the family.
Kate is happy to contemplate a betrothal to Charles but, as there’s no love lost between Tony and Constance, the young man is adamant he will not marry his cousin – and sets out to sabotage his mother’s plans.

As the bumbling and eccentric Mr Hardcastle, Robbie Chittick’s natural flair for comedy drew much laughter. His outrage over a series of snubs and slights – the result of an engineered misunderstanding – was very funny.

Henrietta Branwell was suitably dictatorial and over-emotional as the domineering Mrs Hardcastle while, as Kate and Constance, Melissa Jones and Catriona MacLeay made for delightfully coquettish yet deceptively determined young ladies.
Dan Powell turned in a masterful performance as jack-the-lad Tony, scheming and conniving behind a mask of affability. When he finds house guests Charles Marlow and George Hastings – an admirer of Constance – lost in the countryside he plays a practical joke by telling them they will have to stay overnight at an inn. The premises he directs them to is, in fact, the Hardcastles’ home. Cue plenty of opportunity for misunderstanding across “the class divide”.

With their smart costumes and debonair attitudes, Jack Downey and Joe Bishop were highly striking as Charles and George: it was easy to imagine the impact two such stylish young men-about-town would’ve had on a rural household.

But Kate is surprised to discover that Charles is intimidated by society women, preferring working-class girls. She realises she will have to disguise her background in order to get him to woo her and “stoops to conquer” by posing as a maid.
Meanwhile, George and Constance declare their feelings for one another and plan to elope, taking her extensive jewellery collection with them. But they are thwarted when the collection finds its way back into the hands of the steely Mrs Hardcastle.
Fooled by Kate’s act, Charles falls in love with her but, due to “the class divide”, decides he will have to elope with her if they are to be together. It is only with the arrival of his father Sir Charles Marlow (Michael Rees), a close friend of Mr Hardcastle, that all misunderstandings are resolved.

Finally, Tony succeeds in escaping from his mother’s clutches when he discovers she has lied about him coming of age and that he is now entitled to his longed-for inheritance. Constance is delighted when he refuses to marry her because she is then eligible to receive her jewels and become engaged to George.

This was a thoroughly engaging production which held the attention and moved along at a lively pace. Stunning costumes (made by Henrietta Branwell), effective lighting and an attractive set all contributed to another thoroughly entertaining production from Moot House Players.