She Stoops to Conquer

Oliver Goldsmith's classic 1773 farce involves lots of imposture and underhanded goings-on: a country squire named Hardcastle (Ian Redford) has arranged the marriage of his daughter, Kate (Monica Dolan), to a city friend's son, Charles (Christopher Staines), who is tongue-tied among ladies of high station but perfectly relaxed with commoners; so to bring him out of his shell, the girl pretends to be a humble maid. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Charles has been duped by the squire's rascally stepson into thinking that the manor house is an inn and the squire its unduly pompous owner, and by his traveling companion's love for the would-be bride's cousin, who is the stepson's intended. Mistaken identity abounds, and a subplot about a stolen jewel box only adds to the confusion. When played fleetly, She Stoops to Conquer can be very entertaining, offering witty observations about class distinctions within a broader comic context. Unfortunately, this 2003 production, a joint effort of the National Theatre and the Out of Joint company, never really takes wing, remaining resolutely stagebound. A better version, directed by Tony Britten for Britain's Sky Arts channel [VL-3/09], opens the piece up by filming inside a Norfolk manor house and situating some scenes outdoors. DVD extras include a fine discussion of the play's historical significance and comic tone by director Max Stafford-Clark, but compared to the Britten mounting, this is definitely an also-ran. Optional. (F. Swietek)