Lucy Boguslawski is tickled by Bailey Theatre Company‘s Restoration comedy…
pleasure-seeking high society | pineapple of politeness | drawn-out

Pleasure-seeking high society
After studying The Rivals at college I had high expectations of this production and I was not disappointed. The large queues for another student play at the Assembly Rooms slightly perturbed us on our walk to St. John’s; maybe we were going to see the wrong play! Surprisingly the evening was a great success – after all, Restoration comedy is not to everyone’s taste. The director, Rebecca Udy, captured the mixture of Sheridan’s subtle and overt comedy, in a manner that pleased both those who simply came in intrigue, and those who knew the play in detail.

For anyone who is not familiar with the play, the action is set in eighteenth-century Bath, a place where the pleasure-seeking high society, to use an awful pun, bathed in opulence and extravagance. The play centres on the love rivals of Lydia Languish, namely Captain Absolute, a rich gentleman who invents a less wealthy alias ‘Ensign Beverley’ in order to appeal to Lydia’s over-romanticised expectations of love. Sheridan satirises many conventions of the period from costume and social expectation to the conventions of duelling and sentimental love. However, knowledge of eighteenth-century society was by no means necessary to enjoy this comedy. The actors skilfully combined restoration in-jokes with visual comedy, meaning that there was something there for everyone.

Pineapple of politeness
Of particular note in the cast was Christina Marley who played the notorious Mrs Malaprop, a character who mispronounces words to great comic effect, whilst thinking she is the ‘very pineapple of politeness!’ Marley’s appropriately over-acted performance was a great hit with the audience, receiving the loudest applause at the end of the play. Another highlight of the show was the comic interaction between Sir Anthony Absolute (George Woods) and his son Captain Absolute (Nick Robson). The strong vocals and great facial expressions excellently portrayed the troublesome father/son relationship to great comic effect.

The small and intimate Leech Hall provided a great setting that made the audience feel part of the action, this effect was enhanced by the way in which the actors utilised the aisle in many scenes. The lavish costumes, hired from the York Theatre Royal, made the production look all the more professional and visually aided the characterisation of the actors.

Drawn-out
The only criticism of the production was the slightly drawn-out ending of the play, notably the epilogue which was a rather sober end to a play that had received so many laughs throughout its three hour duration. Although I understand why it was included in terms of the context of Sheridan’s satire, for student theatre this ending was perhaps inappropriate. The end of the final act that preceded the epilogue would have provided great comic closure to the play, as the amusing antics of Fag (Andrew Goy) produced a large cheer in the audience. However, overall the play was a great success and you should all be encouraged to see this fine example of Restoration wit.