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Oxford Theatre Guild presents Lady Windemere's Fan
by Oscar Wilde directed by Peter Mottley
now playing at the Oxford Playhouse 11th - 15th April 2006
Lady Windemere's fan was the first of Oscar Wilde's plays
but it shows no signs of being an early work by this talented writer.
When I arrived in the packed Playhouse theatre I wondered how today's
audience would enjoy a play written more than 100 years ago. Would they
find it dated? Would they appreciate Wilde's wit and humour?
It became immediately obvious that this production by Peter
Mottley and the Oxford Theatre Guild was captivating the audience. Oxford
Theatre Guild is an amateur company of long standing quality. The
performers were excellent and they were well supported by the production
team to ensure a most enjoyable evening's entertainment.
The story is such that even if you have seen the play
before you find yourself hoping that it will all come right. Why does Mrs.
Erlynne not tell Lady Windermere the truth? But the ending is subtle and
clever. The play is amazingly well-crafted and you would be forgiven for
thinking that Wilde had already written many plays before this one. He
shows such a good understanding not only of the society of his day, but
also of human nature in general. I do not propose to spoil your enjoyment
by describing the plot, but I can thoroughly recommend this
production to you.
The actors were very well-cast. Felicity McCormack
portrayed Lady Windemere with just the right blend of youthful charm,
strong principles and then susceptibility to reason. She was supported by
Ross Brooks as her devoted husband. The pivotal role in the play, that of
Mrs. Erlynne, "a woman with a past" was excellently played by Clare
Denton, who looked just right for the part, and displayed a suitably wide
range of emotions.
Barbara Denton as the Duchess of Berwick was a delight from
her first step on the stage. She really brought the Duchess to life,
looking and sounding exactly right.
The men in the cast were very good and I particularly liked
the scene in Lord Darlington's rooms with Cecil Graham (Simon Vail) and
Mr. Dumby (Alistair Nunn) whose sparkling cameo roles contrasted well
with Lord Augustus (Colin Burnie) and Lord Darlington (Jon Crowley).
Even the minor parts were brought to life by this excellent
company.
Throughout the play the audience enjoyed the humour as well
as Wilde's famous witty epigrams. Many of his most famous ones are in this
play including "A cynic is someone who knows the price of everything and
the value of nothing" and "Life is far too important a thing ever to talk
seriously about it."
All in all, the play stands the test of time. It has a
cliff-hanger at the end of each act, and the tension extends almost to the
very end of the play. We see a wide variety of intense emotions but there
is plenty of humour as well.
A most enjoyable evening. All praise to Peter Mottley and
the Oxford Theatre Guild!
Reviewed by Alison Smedley for Theatreworld Internet
Magazine
April 12th 2006
- - - - - - Lady Windermere’s Fanby Oscar Wilde Oxford Theatre Guild Oxford Playhouse – April 2006 I wrote in my programme as the play began , “Wonderful start”. On came Bob Cambrey as Parker and got a laugh before any word had been uttered. Then Barbara Denton appeared as The Duchess of Berwick and I wrote “Outstanding!” If this continues, I thought, we are in for a treat, and we were. Thereafter the play got better and better and absolutely everyone was memorable and outstanding. I have seen the play many times and at one awful production fell asleep! Not so with this production which was slick, articulate, witty, funny and moving. How can one pick out performances when all were so exceptionally good? Felcity McCormack as Lady Windermere captured all the many moods of her complex character and grew in strength as the play progressed, a powerful performance, as was Clare Denton’s Mrs. Erlynne. I could go on for hours, not only about their characterisations and delivery, but also about that equally important side of acting - how to communicate feelings and emotions when listening. Their Act Three duologue was of the highest quality. Stunning. Marvellous cameos were created. I was especially taken by Grace Mountain’s performance. How many different ways can one say “Yes, Mamma”? Her Lady Agatha spoke volumes in what she didn’t say. Excellent. But so were all. Alex Reid’s laugh was infectious, Alex Rogers found every ounce of humour in Mr. Hopper, Alastair Nunn’s Dumby was played with a great sense of fun. Ross Brook’s Lord Windermere, a complex and difficult role, was played with realism and we were able to sympathise with his dilemma. Jon Crowley has a wonderfully natural way of delivering lines. Great performances too from Polly Mountain, Colin Burnie, Simon Vail and Liz Taylor (only Rosalie but noticeable). The direction of Peter Mottley was inspired, with those touches which make a play so much more than a mere recitation of the author’s words. Who will forget the trailing ball of wool or the punches of Mr. Hopper and the later pay off punch from Lady Agatha? Or the more subtle touches like Cecil Graham touching the curtain behind which Lady Windermere was hiding? I only mention a few! Background action, too, was noticeable without distracting – no “Rhubarb” here as so often happens – but real and committed. My only nit-picking criticism is that the hand gestures of Lord Windermere and Lord Darlington were somewhat restricted, but let this not detract from a production of the highest quality which all, actors and audience, will remember for years to come. David TudorRogues & Vagabonds: 12 April 2006
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