Stratford Festival: London Assurance Review
Written by Ronald P. Frye
Monday, 04 June 2007 05:02
A great comic performance is turned in by that master
thespian, Brian Bedford, who plays the preening and lustful,
but utterly adorable, Sir Harcourt Courtly in Brian
Bedford's stylish production of Dion L. Boucicault's
London Assurance. Don't look for anything deep. London |
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The play begins slow and the ctors seem strained in their performance until Mr Bedford appears in over-rouged cheeks and a wonderfully ridiculous dark wig, perfect for a vain old coot pretending to be a young and eligible 40 years old. His pregnant pause before descending the step to centre stage gives the audience time to drink in the scene. The audience claps and, with perfect timing, Mr Bedford opens his arms and performs a dainty bow. Over the next two and a half insouciant hours Mr Bedford earns every ounce of the loving approval of his audience. One of the most enjoyable moments is when we watch Mr Bedford struggle with a knee |
| that won't bend, cling to the bodice of lusty Lady Gay Spanker, not out of prurient design but in a need of support. This scene leaves the audience laughing hysterically. | |
London Assurance is by no means a great play. There are far too many obvious devices which give the broad comedy by Boucicault a superficial quality. The unevenness can be distracting. But, as this Stratford production demonstrates, the work can be a witty mixture even if the story is spare at best. As in an old Max Sennett comedy, the plot of London Assurance is an excuse for an evening of priceless ostentation. Desmond Heeley's renderings of a London drawing room, an English garden and the common room of a country estate, are lavish in their presentation while at the same time keep within the farce they encompass. The costumes worn by Seana McKenna are a perfect complement to Mr Bedfords almost neon attire. They display a delightful affection for what we perceive as upper-class excess. The top hats, embroidered waistcoats and lush riding togs correctly overdress the characters in proportion to their exaggerated sense of themselves. |
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Boucicault provides us with a collection of stock types which are an excellent vehicle for the supporting actors. Most members of the cast avoid the obvious pitfalls of over acting their parts. The best include Seana McKenna's robust Lady Gay, an outdoors woman with enough zest to rival any man; Keith Dinicol, as Cool, Sir Harcourt's matter-of-fact valet, and Sara Topham makes a sweet but crafty Grace Harkaway, the object of Sir Harcourt's pecuniary interest, and the diminutive Brian Tree as Lady Gay's unassuming husband. For the most part you become not only amused but also involved with the characters. |
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| Some of the actors have tougher times with their supporting
roles; Tim MacDonald's scheming lawyer, Meddle, is a
bundle of mannerisms, and Adam O'Byrne and Sean Arbuckle
seem a bit modern and a bit stiff for their partnership in
deception as Sir Harcourt's son, Charles, and his newly won
but shifty pal, Richard Dazzle. It's clear, however, that this production first and foremost belongs to Mr. Bedford. LONDON ASSURANCE By Dion L. Boucicault; directed by Brian Bedford with Robert Beard as assistant director; sets and costumes by Desmond Heeley; lighting by Michael J Whitfield; sound by Jeff Riches and the composer is Don Horsburgh With: BRIAN BEDFORD as Sir Harcourt Courtly; SEANA McKENNA as Lady Gay Spanker; KEITH DINICOL as Cool; JEAN-MICHEL LE GAL as Martin; ADAM O'BYRNE as Charles Courtly; SEAN ARBUCKLE as Richard Dazzle;JAMES BLENDICK as Max Harkaway; ANDREW MASSINGHAM as Constable Isaacs; JACOB JAMES as Joseph; SOPHIE GOULET as Pert; SARA TOPHAM as Grace Harkaway; TIM MacDONALD as Mark Meddle; ROBERT PERSICHINI as James; BRIAN TREE as Adolphus Spanker; THOM MARRIOTT as Simpson; and ALISON DEON, MARTHA FARRELL, and JONATHAN GOULD, MATTHEW MacFADZEAN, TOVA SMITH as the servants |
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