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She Stoops to Conquer
By Oliver Goldsmith
Adapted and directed by William Brown
Music by Andrew Hansen
Lyrics by Doug Frew & Patti McKenny
At Northlight Theatre
9501 N. Skokie Blvd
Skokie, IL
Call 847-673-6300, tickets $34 - $56
Tuesdays at 7:30 pm
Wednesdays at 1 & 7:30 pm
Thursdays at 7:30 pm
Fridays at 8 pm
Saturdays at 3 & 8 pm
Sundays at 2:30 & 7 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission
Through April 29, 2007
Wild West setting with original country/cowboy music serves Goldsmith’s comedy well.
Adapter and director William Brown’s imaginative concept of putting Oliver Goldsmith’s classic in the American Wild West in 1890 and adding tunefully playful folk/country music (by Andrew Hansen) with narrative cute lyrics (by Doug Frew and Patti McKenny) worked to render more laughs than usual. With a top “A” list Equity cast on Keith Pitts functional set, She Stoops to Conquer is a polished and delightful evening of theatre.
Thought to be the first “laughing comedy” that got audiences belly-laughing from its first staging in London in 1773, She Stoops to Conquer continues to the please present today audiences with its over-the-top quirky characterizations and plot twists. Place in the American West added to the corn-ball humor. Laughs abound in this funny comedy. Goldsmith uses the character’s own flaws and vices to feed his comedy.
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When two urbanite men become lost in the American Wild West, they become targets of trickery at the hands of a mischievous ne’er-do-well and a barmaid. The comedy spills out as the master of the manor believes Young Marlow (Timothy Edward Kane in his comic finest turn) to be the gentleman he is expecting to court his daughter Kate (the smart and sweet Kymberly Mellen)) while the travelers think the place merely an inn. The other urbanite, Hastings (the winning Dennis Grimes) eyes Miss Neville (Abbey Siegworth), the nice of the manor’s owner. Tony Lumpkin (the zany Steve Haggard), Mrs. Hardcaslte’s (Linda Kimbrough) son is the fun-loving soul who delights in trickery. Goldsmith’s writing is clever in its use of mistaken identity, loveable characters as it spoofs the social mores of the time as it exposes the hypocrisy of the upper class. Adding the American cowboy twist just aids the comedy.
The twist and turns of the show include satire, farce and wacky situations that produce an evening of belly laughs. The opening folk song win us over and sets the tone for the playfulness to follow. Matthew Brumlow, Susan Felder and Alex Goodrich are the three guitar and banjo folk musicians and singers who greatly enhance the show with their deft tunes. This touch worked quite well.
Terrific performances abound with John Lister’s Mr. Hardcastle all innocent and likable to Steve Haggard’s bright-eyed Lumpkin, all manic and wild to Dennis Grimes’ Hastings, all bluster and honor to Linda Kimbrough’s Mrs. Hardcastle, in a screaming mode throughout to Timothy Edward Kane as the fumbling contradictory, yet gracious Marlow who pines after Kymberly Mellen’s deliciously devious Kate. This is tremendous ensemble acting astutely played for all the laughs in a semi-campy, manic production that is engaging and filled with heart.
She Stoops to Conquer still contains many laughs as it once again proves that classics can be high entertainment if well acted, nicely staged and articulated with zest. This show is fun! You’ll have as much fun seeing She Stoops to Conquer as the cast is having playing this ambitious show. Kudos to Northlight Theatre for such a cool show!
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed March 29, 2007
Jeff Recommended
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