There are few things more quintessentially “Oxford” than watching a group of students perform a garden play on one of Christ Church’s sumptuous lawns. So if you’re in search of this kind of evening’s entertainment – and it’s worth having at least once during your time at Oxford – I highly recommend this year’s Christ Church Cathedral Garden Comedy: Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops To Conquer.
She Stoops To Conquer has all the makings of a classic restoration comedy: deception, class politics, mistaken identity and jewel theft, all neatly ending with multiples marriages. Young man-about-town Marlow (Markian Mysko von Schultze is tricked into thinking that the home of his potential betrothed, Kate Hardcastle (Morag Davies) is actually an innkeepers. Meanwhile Mrs Hardcastle (Zoë Hare) wants Tony (Jamie Heredge) to marry Constance (Fatime Al-Kassab) who wants to marry Hastings (Tom Waterhouse).
The cast seem very strong. Hare is very comical as the meddling Mrs Hardcastle. Von Schultze, too, acts with humorous derision towards Mr Hardcastle (Titus Crook), when he believes him to be a lowly innkeeper. Testament to Crook’s acting skill is the fact that during the rehearsal when he forgot the occasional line and had to consult his script, he did so in character.
Director, Lily Slater, has made the decision to update Goldsmith’s Georgian drama to the 1930s, in order to make the play more accessible, without ridding it of its “fabulous costumes”. And indeed, the costumes are wonderful. Excited by arrival of their costumes earlier that day, the male members of the cast donned their velvet jackets, coordinated cravats and paisley waistcoats for their rehearsal.
The costumes are integral to the plot of the play. Marlow and Hastings, as London dandies, take a great deal of pride in their flamboyant attire, with good reason. On the other hand, Mrs Hardcastle, though she endlessly gushes about her love of metropolitan fashion, herself is decked out in a garish and unfashionable frock. Kate’s plain dress becomes the source of a great deal of misunderstanding when Marlow mistakes her for a barmaid.
All of the colours of the costumes, along with the peach-coloured fabric hanging at the back of the set are supposed to bring out the hues of Christ Church gardens, and in particular the large crimson tree, which overshadows the stage. And to complete the Oxford-garden-play experience, during the interval Christ Church bar will be serving drinks– Pimm’s and bellinis – which replicate those in the bar scene of the play.
