She Stoops To Conquer

Anglo-Irishman Sir Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops To Conquer is a masterpiece that has paved the way for comedy, as we know it today. This play has outlived almost all other English-language comedies from the early 18th to the late 19th century.

Beautifully written in wonderful, colourful Old English, it has long floral descriptions and intense sentence structure and is full of twists and exaggerated moments. She Stoops To Conquer has lots of big characters, with plenty of room for comedic interpretation. It deals with crises of missing identity where the comedy lies in the misinformation between the two characters.

Set in Northern England in a rural village, in the homestead of Mr and Mrs Hardcastle, it explores class distinction and social status. There is the comedic relationship between an overbearing mother and her son who is mollycoddled and wants to escape, and a husband who is downtrodden and ruled by the matriarch.

Director Peter Farmer has moved the period from when it was written in 1773, to the 1920s, slightly modernising it and removing references to horse and cart and the wearing of wigs.

Presented by Lane Cove Theatre Company, She Stoops To Conquer is community theatre, with a range of experienced cast as well as students studying drama. There is tremendous challenge for the actors taking on an 18th century play, with such rich creativity in the words, as well as spontaneous interchange of emotions.

“In one moment you’re in extreme dire circumstances, then your character will shift and you’ll become upset, then all of a sudden you’re happy, then outraged,” said Alison Grace who plays Mrs Hardcastle. This all adds to the comedy but adds to the challenge, interpreting the words to comedic effect.

May 11-26. The Performance Space at St Aidan’s, 1 Christina St, Longueville. $17-$27+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.lanecovetheatrecompany.com

By Mel Somerville.