The universal problem with good farces stems from the amount of exposition required to set up the story in the first act so that hilarious situations can arise in the second half. The writer expends so much energy concocting a to-be-comedic plot that the first act can become tedious and confusing.
This term's mainstage production, Richard Brinsley Sheridan's "School for Scandal" -- directed by James Loehlin -- is not an exception. Not only is the first act full of exposition, but the script's unique version of English builds a language barrier requiring an audience to listen extremely carefully and spend time becoming accustomed to the vernacular. The script, written in 1777, contains prose unlike Shakespeare's, so even those accustomed to Shakespearean English may have trouble understand the production in the beginning.
But once "Scandal" gets going, it is immensely entertaining. First, the extravagant costumes designed by Sherry Lyon perfectly compliment the play's story, its dialogue and the acting style employed by the actors. The costumes are so hilariously excessive that the play's drama becomes even more cleverly overblown. Wait until you see Jim McNicholas '01 in cute blue shoes with bows and huge diamonds and the actresses' horrendously tight corsets.
Loehlin's direction obviously contributed a great deal to making this production successful. His choice to have all performers give vastly exaggerated performances plays flawlessly in the play's thesis.
Also, like his set in 1998's "Much Ado About Nothing," Georgi Alexi Meskhishvili again designed a beautifully unique set, with flat, painted scenery and minimal props. The set's moving walls are decorated with traditional black-ink illustrations and give the play an aura of a 17th century fantasy world -- a world of fantasy in which the play's characters thrive.
Despite the differences in the prose style, "The School for Scandal" has a lot of similarities to Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing." Both scripts involve a set up in which some mischievous gossips who decide to intervene into others' relationships and wreak havoc. Also like "Much Ado," the second act turns into a humorous string of comedic situations that eventually resolve themselves into a tied-up ending.
The play itself, while similar to hundreds of other stories, still manages to be clever. Lines such as, "If you wanted authority over me, you should have adopted me, not married me," draw lots of laughs.
As with most Dartmouth student productions, "School for Scandal" is filled with impressive performances.
As usual, Jim McNicholas '01 manages to steal some of the show as Joseph Surface, the seemingly-ethical but deceitful gentleman who seems to sleep with almost everyone. McNicholas emits a complex combination of charming but despicable qualities that make his character both likable and contemptible.
With a much smaller part, Chad Goodridge '01 again (last time was "The World Goes 'Round") displays his impressive stage-presence with his rendition of Sir Benjamin Backbite, and even with his short stage-time, he enchants instantly.
Husband and wife combination Sir Peter Teazle (Andrew J. Hoey '01) and Lady Teazle (Christina Ritter '99) both turn in weighty and understated performances. Ritter's scene in which her infidelity is discovered is especially commendable. Kudos also go to Emily Schoonmaker '01 who, besides always reminding me of Julie Andrews, is a good balance to sophomore Kinohi Nishikawa's character of Sir Oliver Surface.
The play's theme, which seems to be a combination of deceit and "murder[ing] characters to kill time," is enhanced by everything from the costumes to the performances -- and because so many aspects of this production of "School for Scandal" ultimately and genuinely contribute to its message, the play works. If play-goers just make sure they endure the first half of the first act, they will find the production charming and clever.
"School for Scandal" will be performed in the Hopkins Center's Moore Theater this weekend from Thursday to Sunday and next weekend from Thursday to Saturday. All shows start at 8 p.m., except those on Saturdays, which start at 2 p.m.
