May 18, 2006
It's like a 17th century Carry On film with brains. The plot centres around Harry Horner, a lad about town whose endeavours include spreading a helpful rumour about himself that after a particularly nasty dose of "the pox" he has been "unmanned" (made Impotent), consequently lulling the various jealous husbands of London into a false sense of security. Meanwhile other scandals are afoot which entwine together and begin to conflict until one cannot remember who is enamoured of whom.
In an attempt to refresh the play's format The University Players have opted to stage the show as an open air performance. The main problem with this was that the sky seemed intent on delivering as many different types of rain upon us within one evening as possible. The minimalism of the set helped the production to flow despite the rain however, allowing us to focus on the varied performances rather than their increasingly soggy surroundings.
Performances were all generally proficient though some would have benefitted from going over their lines a few more times. Mr Horner's quiet arrogance and constant disdain might well have shone had the weather permitted us to observe the subtle complexity of his character, and the same can be said of Margery Pinchwife - the oppressed Country Wife of the title. Also impressive was the actress playing Alithea, whose performance intelligently demonstrated a confident and sarcastic manner when dealing with the emotions of others but also an underlying vulnerability despite her seductive qualities.
The understated show of this trio's self-complications could very well have been stolen by the more intense performances (Mr Pinchwife, Mr Harcourt) or the more eccentric ones (Sir Jaspar Fidget); but by the end of the show all others were forgotten in favour of the performance by the hilariously camp and consistently entertaining Mr Sparkish.
In an attempt to refresh the play's format The University Players have opted to stage the show as an open air performance. The main problem with this was that the sky seemed intent on delivering as many different types of rain upon us within one evening as possible. The minimalism of the set helped the production to flow despite the rain however, allowing us to focus on the varied performances rather than their increasingly soggy surroundings.
Performances were all generally proficient though some would have benefitted from going over their lines a few more times. Mr Horner's quiet arrogance and constant disdain might well have shone had the weather permitted us to observe the subtle complexity of his character, and the same can be said of Margery Pinchwife - the oppressed Country Wife of the title. Also impressive was the actress playing Alithea, whose performance intelligently demonstrated a confident and sarcastic manner when dealing with the emotions of others but also an underlying vulnerability despite her seductive qualities.
The understated show of this trio's self-complications could very well have been stolen by the more intense performances (Mr Pinchwife, Mr Harcourt) or the more eccentric ones (Sir Jaspar Fidget); but by the end of the show all others were forgotten in favour of the performance by the hilariously camp and consistently entertaining Mr Sparkish.