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The Country Wife – 3 Stars

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The Country Wife

Southwark Playhouse

Reviewed – 4th April 2018

★★★

“oozing with glamour and style”

 

Sex and its politics have been the centre of art for centuries, which is well proven with William Wycherley’s classic Restoration play, The Country Wife. First seen in 1675, it was deemed so risqué and vulgar that it wasn’t put back on stage for centuries. Morphic Graffiti’s new adaptation of the play transports it from the 17th century into the Roaring Twenties, setting it among the carefree, party-going spirit of the Bright Young Things. This change in time works well, now oozing with glamour and style, yet, with all its dandy dressing and sumptuous sets, it hardly leaves you hot under the collar. It’s silly, sordid, fun, amalgamating into a Carry On-cum-Downton-cum-EastEnders affair.

Restoration comedies are tricky (and lengthy) ones to sit through, with their convoluted plots, long-winded dialogue, interchanging characters and moral principles that seem prehistoric to modern audiences. However, Morphic Graffiti have tried their best in making this version of The Country Wife accessible, particularly to the young. Eking out as many modern double entendres they can find, plus, using pop songs reproduced in the style of a Twenties Jazz band, does become repetitive and stale as they push the contemporary boat out as far as they possibly can.

Director Luke Fredericks succeeds in focusing on the unleashing of female desires, therefore, sidestepping over the more unpleasant misogynistic undertones to the original text. Using the sexual freedom of the flapper girls in the 1920s as the historical context, the women of this production are confident, not letting anyone stop them from getting what they want. Especially their husbands. From the sultry femme fatale Alithea (Siubhan Harrison), to the rampant Lady Fidget (Sarah Lam), and even the minx-like Margery Pinchwife (Nancy Sullivan) the ‘country wife’ of the title, they all have sexual appetites to be fed. Notorious womaniser Harry Horner (Eddie Eyre) is the one to fulfil their needs. Claiming himself to have been castrated whilst in France, it leaves husbands falsely unworried to leave their society wives alone in his company.

With a mix of deception, disguise and plenty of debauchery, this farcical tale is a whirlwind adventure, often feeling as jumpy as the cocaine trip that Horner’s sidekick Dorilant (Joshua Hill) constantly seems to be on. The mismatch of performance styles is clunky and confusing, with some actors taking a more classical approach, such as Richard Clews as the cuckolded Mr Pinchwife, whilst Eyre as Harry Horner could be a Jack the lad member of TOWIE. Nevertheless, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments in this production, and the cast certainly bring an explosive energy, with their wonderfully choreographed musical scene changes being a particular highlight.

 

Reviewed by Phoebe Cole

Photography by Darren Bell

 


The Country Wife

Southwark Playhouse until 21st April

 

 

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Working

Southwark Playhouse

Opening Night – 7 June 2017

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

“A fun musical buzzing with great stories, music and dance“

 

 

Anything with a link to Lin-Manuel Miranda is bound to attract attention and for this alone there will be many Miranda followers who will buy a ticket to see Working which features some of his music. For a wider audience anyone lucky enough to attend this show will leave with a spring in their step and a smile on their face.

Working is the European Premiere of an extraordinary musical from Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell) based on Studs Terkel’s 1974 best-selling book of interviews with the American workforce. It provides a portrait of the American workday told from the perspective of those so often overlooked, be it a schoolteacher, millworker, housewife care worker, nanny or waitress, amongst many.

Peter Polycarpou in WORKING, credit Robert Workman
Peter Polycarpou in WORKING
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Production Photography by Robert Workman

The Southwark Playhouse has gained a reputation for staging remarkable musicals and Working should be added to the list of current must see shows. There is much to admire of this production. The set and costumes reflect a grimy industrial background, the music is expertly performed and there is an outstanding cast of twelve that exudes enthusiasm and obvious love for the show.

Taking the main parts are experienced stage actors Gillian Bevan, Dean Chisnall, Krysten Cummings, Siubhan Harrison, Peter Polycarpou and Liam Tamne. They play several different characters during the show.

 

LtoR Nicola Espallardo, Huon Mackley, Izuka Hoyle, Patrick Coulter, Luke Latchman & Kerri Norville. Photo by Darren Bell.

A further six carefully selected theatre graduates support the action and those making their professional debut are Patrick Coulter, Nicola Espallardo, Izuka Hoyle, Luke Latchman, Huon Mackley and Kerri Norville. On this showing they have a great future ahead.

The show bursts into life from the very first minute with Fabian Aloise’s thrilling choreography grabbing the audience’s attention and over the next 90 minutes there is so much to enjoy. It is high energy production that rarely stops to breathe. The lighting and sound enhances the overall experience.

A talented cast performs each of the stories expertly throughout though standout songs are James Taylor’s Millwork expertly portrayed by Siubhan Harrison; Peter Polycarpou brings a tear to the eye with Fathers and Sons and Krysten Cummings hits the spot with Just a Housewife, an anthem for a job the importance of which is often overlooked. There is a character for everyone to identify with and at the end the show we get to understand that everyone’s job is as important as everyone else’s, different though they may be.

 

Working is playing for a strictly limited season at the Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD ending 8 July 2017.

 

 

www.SouthwarkPlayhouse.co.uk