She Stoops to Conquer

They know a thing or two about staging 18th Century comedy at Pitlochry. After last year's glorious pastiche, The Flouers o Edinburgh, this year we get the real thing.

Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops To Conquer is a roistering piece of mischief and sexual misunderstanding, played with brio and gusto in Richard Baron's very funny production.

From the Hogarthian opening scene, complete with badly smoking fire, to the curtain calls, taken in character, the pace never lets up. The sumptuous sets and costumes by Ken Harrison, are well up to the theatre's high standards.

What makes the whole thing such a joy is the richness of the acting. Martyn James is a gloriously blustering Squire Hardcastle, totally bemused to find his guests treating his home like an inn. This they are doing because Tony Lumpkin (another excellent performance from Christian Edwards) has told them that it is.

The worst of the unwitting culprits is Marlowe, the awkward, tongue-tied young man who is there to court Kate Hardcastle but can only do so while he mistakes her for a barmaid. Joel Sams is excellent in the part and is beautifully matched by Claire Dargo as Kate, sparky and pert.

Karen Davies invests Mrs Hardcastle with a healthy, vulgar and very funny Yorkshire stateliness. There is much merriment and drunkenness among the various peasants and servants and licence has been given for some hugely enjoyable and spectacularly broad acting in these roles.

This is good looking, classic theatre treated as well-directed and excellently played fun, and all the better for it.