Oliver Goldsmith’s classic comedy of manners, She Stoops to Conquer, comes to the New Theatre in a resplendent new production from Tuesday 11 – Saturday 15 March. This colourful comedy, full of larger than life characters, features a fantastic cast including Liza Goddard as the over-bearing Mrs Hardcastle and Colin Baker as eccentric Squire Hardcastle.This celebrated tale of class, courtship and dysfunctional families charts the exploits of two young men, Charles Marlow and George Hastings, and their attempts to court Kate Hardcastle and her friend Constance Neville. A number of delightful deceits, clever schemes, comic ruses and hilarious turns of plot must be played out if the two pending marriages are to conclude happily. Along the way, there is an abundance of merry mix-ups, bawdy dialogue, much sly satire of the times and one of the great characters of the stage, Tony Lumpkin. First performed in 1773, She Stoops to Conquer is an archetypal restoration comedy, a fast-paced farce full of multiple mistaken identities. Goldsmith’s well-crafted play has made it a popular choice of study in British schools for decades – an illustration of classic British comedy at its finest. However She Stoops to Conquer’s perfect blend of interweaving plot, quick-witted banter and slap-stick tomfoolery has also endeared audiences en masse, becoming one of the most enduring comedies of the 18th century. This first-class production is faithful to the heart of the play, keeping the pace fast and frantic and featuring sumptuous period costumes. However it also presents a modern and extremely innovative prologue and epilogue to the play, written by Tony Award nominated playwright Bryony Lavery, which may take a few audience members by surprise! The cast is headed by two of the country’s most accomplished theatre and television actors. Liza Goddard first came to public attention in the hugely successful series Take Three Girls. Since then she has worked on many well known TV shows including Pig in the Middle, Bergerac and The Brothers, as well as stage productions of High Society, Lady Windermere’s Fan and Season’s Greetings. Liza’s co-star in The Brothers, Colin Baker, plays Squire Hardcastle. Colin has numerous television and theatre credits to his name, including Val Helsing in Dracula, Hitchcock adaptation Strangers on a Train and Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce, all of which played at the New Theatre. He is, of course, best loved for playing the sixth incarnation of Doctor Who in the popular BBC TV series. She Stoops to Conquer New Theatre, Cardiff Tuesday 11 – Saturday 15 March Evenings 7.30pm; Thursday & Saturday Matinees 2.30pm Tickets: £7 - £24 Box Office: 029 2087 8889 Book Online*: www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk *online sales carry a small transaction charge |
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Friday, February 22, 2008 |
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