Let’s be clear from the start: The School For Scandal is deliciously infectious. This reviewer left the theatre with an almost overwhelming desire to rush out and buy a powdered wig and paint on a small but interesting beauty spot. Every aspect of this adaptation of the 18th century comedy of manners drips with decadence and self-indulgent excess.
Much has already been made of the show’s all-star cast and its director, whose previous work includes the masterpiece of surrealism, The Mighty Boosh. The undoubtedly impressive celebrity factor, however, has little to do with the production’s appeal. Cal McCrystal has managed to put together an adaptation that is both engagingly modern yet utterly faithful to the period and genre conventions.
The cast, which consists almost entirely of stand-up comedy veterans, repeatedly break the fourth wall. This sets the stage for a battle of one-upmanship as the performers banter merrily and bitch brutally about each other and their audience. In doing so, the production manages to emulate the comic theatre of the 18th century, where the actors were the star comedians of their day. The relevance of the plot slips away as the delightfully elaborate dialogue and camp japery come to the fore.
Modern audiences have a habit of presuming that all historic theatre should be regarded as one might examine a piece of art, but that approach will only result in disappointment here. The play was written to be uproarious and daft: a lightly satirical play with the express purpose of making its audience laugh out loud. You’ll do so.
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