Stratford may focus largely on Shakespeare, but does periodically dip into that later golden age of the English theatre, the period from the Restoration of King Charles II in 1660 (with the consequent re-opening of theatres shuttered by the Puritans) through into the mid-eighteenth century. This period was a high-water mark in the evolution of the English comedy of manners, and The Beaux' Strategem is a classic example -- and a very funny one, too.
This play was the final work in the short but successful career of George Farquhar, who died at the age of 30 very shortly after this delightful comedy had its premiere. It's very much a period piece, in that the financial needs of two younger sons are the driving force behind the plot,and in that characters are given names appropriate to their personalities (Squire and Mrs. Sullen, Lady Bountiful, Mr. Aimwell, etc.). But it's also curiously far ahead of its time in its repeated insistence that easier access to divorce is a sensible remedy to unhappy marriages. And Farquhar certainly changed the comic form he inherited by toning down the heated bawdiness of earlier plays like The Country Wife and writing more humane portrayals of his lower characters as well as his nobility.
Stratford's new production, in the Festival Theatre, stakes its ground even before the play begins. The traditional pre-show fanfare in the lobby is played not by the fanfare brasses, as we expect, but by a woodwind quartet accompanied by a single snare drum! Music throughout was composed (or arranged from the period works of William Boyce) by Berthold Carriere, for so many years music director and composer par excellence at Stratford. Carriere also led the orchestra, to fine effect.
The set is simple, a handsome period-appropriate treatment of the traditional Festival Theatre balcony. As the action basically flip-flops between a tavern and a drawing room, there are really only two major settings to create, and the simple addition of a few pieces of furniture whisked on and off by the company does the trick. Indeed, one of the delights of this kind of traditional Stratford production is to see how smoothly these scene changes are accomplished, often while the final moments of a scene (or first moments of the next scene) are being performed by the actors!
This play is definitely an ensemble piece, and the number of leading performers of other productions who appear here in either minor roles or simply as "Servants" underlines the fact. The key people here are the two younger sons, Aimwell (played by Mike Shara) and Archer (played by Colm Feore). These two have blown away their small inheritances, and have ridden to the country town of Lichfield to try to acquire a couple of well-to-do wives for themselves. Aimwell tries his luck with Dorinda (Bethany Jillard), the daughter and heiress of Lady Bountiful, while Archer romances Kate Sullen (Lucy Peacock), unhappily married to Dorinda's brother, Squire Sullen.
This convention of two parallel couples is a favourite comic device, but here it comes with a darker side, and that is the misery of Mrs. Sullen. Her scenes are peppered with speeches in which she bewails her fate, and the law which ties her fortune irrecoverably to her oafish husband, making it impossible for her to get free of him. Dorinda is very much her confidante, and the scenes between these two were beautifully played by Peacock and Jillard, with a very fresh, winning air that made these two characters sympathetic.
No less sympathetic were the portrayals of Aimwell and Archer who, on the face of it, are two pretty sleazy operators. Shara and Feore played off each other very smoothly, and their early scenes together set the scenario on foot clearly. Of the two, Archer comes off as the true master of sleaze in his repeated attempts to seduce Mrs. Sullen -- attempts which, with her tacit cooperation and encouragement, very nearly happen on several occasions!
The tavern scenes were more broadly comic than the household ones, and here Farquhar took leave of his theatrical predecessors by allowing his country folk more rounded characters and more entertaining lives of their own than would have been written a generation earlier. All the company took full advantage and these scenes came vividly to life. Also memorable was the inept duelling that took place when a gang of cutthroats invaded Lady Bountiful's home at the end of the play.
And it's here, in these final scenes, that we actually encounter Lady Bountiful (Martha Henry) face to face. Alas, Lady Bountiful is one of the few truly over-wrought characters in the play, and Henry was forced to push her portrayal right to the wall to make the character work. No room for subtlety in such a role, and more's the pity.
It's easy for these centuries-old comedies to become stilted, artificial museum pieces. Alternatively, it's a huge mistake to try to play them like a modern physical farce. Director Antoni Cimolino admirably achieved the middle ground, falling into neither trap. Visually and dramatically, this production was delightful.
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