Lord Arthur Savile's Crime
Oxford Theatre Guild
Old Fire Station, 9-13.12.03

The scene opens with our hero, nice but dim Lord Arthur Savile, as happy as a sand boy as he prepares his forthcoming marriage to the lovely Sybil. Soon, however, a snake enters this Eden in the shape of a gifted chiromancer (this means 'palm-reader', we learn; pat yourself on the back if you already knew this) who predicts that Arthur will one day commit a terrible crime which will surely jeopardize his matrimonial bliss…

How does a man behave when he knows his own fate in advance? In Macbeth this situation is the basis of tragedy; Arthur's bungling attempts to avoid sullying his marriage by nobly committing the inevitable crime before he walks down the aisle are the stuff of knockabout comedy in this entertaining production by the Oxford Theatre Guild. An exploding umbrella, a succulent and deadly pink chocolate and an eccentric German anarchist all get roped into the increasingly absurd plot.

We are treated to much broad physical farce, including some well-directed visual set pieces (a scene featuring an exploding rubber ball was executed with aplomb), and - unsurprisingly for a play based on an Oscar Wilde short story - the dialogue is consistently a joy. The one-liners are impeccably witty and quotable, and there is a delicious vein of black humour underlying what, at first, seemed to be a conventional drawing-room comedy. (The drawing room itself, along with the period costumes, are well realised: praise must go to whoever found such an excellent chaise-longue.) There is also the lightest current of social and political satire which remains remarkably pertinent - slight digs at the unelected House of Lords and the state of the British railways could have been written yesterday and drew appreciative laughter from the audience.

A more than competent cast do justice to the sparkling script, displaying fine comic timing and a gift for caricature. As the central character, Alex Nicholls has a lot of work to do, and succeeds admirably in sustaining Arthur as an amiable and engaging figure. John O'Connor is also excellent as Arthur's manservant Baines. Strong casting is important here because the relationship between Baines and Arthur (a sort of Jeeves and Wooster duo, avant la lettre), is at the heart of this play - yet while Baines resembles Jeeves in his acerbic wit and literary bent, he differs from Wodehouse's character in being all too frequently as hapless as his master.

Special mention must also go to OTG debutant Alex Colman as the slimy, Uriah Heep-like chiromancer, for a confident and promising performance. Gloria Deacon was also particularly enjoyable as the icy battleaxe Lady Julia Merton, whose impressive line in withering put-downs would make her a good host on Have I Got News For You.

For anyone who needs some light relief after the hard business of Christmas shopping, this makes for fine escapist entertainment - clever, witty and full of laughter. I left the theatre with more than my usual quota of sweetness and light, wishing - not for the first time - that I was even half as witty as Oscar.

George Tew, 9.12.03  Daily Information.

LORD ARTHUR SAVILE’S CRIME

CITY OF OXFORD THEATRE GUILD

OLD FIRE STATION

Lord Arthur Savile, a loveable buffoon, is engaged to be married to the beautiful Sybil. But the gullible lord has been tricked by the villainous palmist Mr Podgers into believing he must commit a murder before the wedding can take place. And so chaos ensues as the bumbling aristocrat and his manservant Baines plot to murder one of his 49 eccentric relations.

Confusion with poisonous sweeties and exploding umbrellas kept the audience laughing out-loud throughout, as did the range of comedy characters. The endearing idiosyncrasies of Lord Arthur’s family, the zeal of strange German anarchist, Winkelkopf, and Lord Arthur’s own incredibly buffoonery, make the light-hearted play and very amusing.

Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime is one of Oscar Wilde’s earlier and lesser known works, and thrived more on slapstick and silliness than social satire. But Wilde’s inimitable razor-sharp wit is evident with some very funny one-liners.

When Lord Arthur is trying to decide on his next victim he says: "I’ve had the most rotten luck with Auntie, I’ll have to try Uncle instead. If there’s anyone who should be ready for death it’s a dean."

The Oxford Theatre Guild’s production at the Old Fire Station this week is highly professional and extremely well-cast. Alex Nicholls is excellent as the pompous, foolish lord and Alex Colman is utterly convincing in his appearance and manner as the conniving Mr Pogders. The costumes – dinner jackets, colourful silk and lace dresses – and set (Lord Arthur’s plush drawing room) evoke 1890’s London society perfectly.

The only fault of Constance Cox’s adaptation is the length. It last almost three hours, including two intervals of 15 minutes. Despite being entertaining, three hours of entertainment, in uncomfortable seats, is far too long.

Rosalind Miles   Oxford Times 12-12-03