The Way of The World

Chichester’s second festival offering of the season opens with an empty stage filled with hanging brass chandeliers which slowly rise whilst the company, led by a fellow playing a violin, perambulate around the vast expanse of the apron stage which for this occasion is completely made of and surrounded by reflective antiqued gold mirrors. I go into such detail because the costumes, beautifully made from vibrant sari fabrics are again shot throughout with more gold. It makes for the most impressive moment, a sparkling confusion of characters led almost pied piper like by the fiddle player.

But the key word is ‘confusion’. In the first act I fear that I was not alone in being muddled. Beautiful as the costumes were, it was often hard to work out just who was who, and the cast were taking things at such a pace that at moments I sensed some of them had a train to catch. So as the interval arrived I had a sense of true bewilderment and annoyance that I had simply been unable to keep up.

After the interval it was almost as if the company had taken a deep breath, and thank heavens for that because now we could experience that talent that is Penelope Keith. She plays Lady Wishfort with such precision, such comic skill, that finally I eased into the production and started to enjoy it. Of course one could level the idea that Lady Wishfort is yet another, rather pompous posh role for Keith, another – dare I say it – Margot Leadbetter. Well I dare say but not as criticism but merely to point out that Congreve’s Wishfort is the original, the role model for overblown posh girls everywhere – and who better than Keith to assume that role. We have seen her in ‘Entertaining Angels’ at Chichester proving the breadth of her talent, but to see her ‘Dangling her foot, so’ was pure joy.

It may seem odd to say that all that gold muddied the water, but I fear it does and it would be nice if the director gave a note to take things just a little slower so that we, the audience, might enjoy the words rather than simply being dazzled by spectacle.

Festival Theatre, Chichester, 20 April 2012
Rating:
Andrew Kay