Dandy Dick

Synopsis

Dandy Dick tells the hilarious story of the Very Reverend Augustin Jedd, a pillar of Victorian respectability, who preaches regularly against the evils of the Turf. But a visit from his tearaway sister, herself an habitual gambler, leads him to risk all at the races, much against his better judgement. Mayhem ensues, with romantic intrigue, mistaken identity and a runaway horse..

Our Review:

Glenn Meads - 29 August 2012

Arthur Wing Pinero's Dandy Dick was written in 1887 and although this Theatre Royal/Ambassador Theatre Group production is as cute as a button and quietly amusing; it's not quite got the stamina of a thoroughbred.

Performance wise - you cannot go wrong with Patricia Hodge (Georgiana Tidman) and Nicholas Le Prevost (The very Rev Augustin Jedd, DD) as siblings who are like chalk and cheese. Hodge almost gallops onto the stage with verve and a knowing wink - linking the title character to the proceedngs with ease. Le Prevost is also reliably good, particularly in act two when the farcical elements begin to gallop and he is allowed to let loose.

The Reverend has financial difficulties which makes the play relevant as he and his daughters attempt to scrimp and save. The restoration of the church spire has to wait. Enter his sister, a racehorse and an opportunity that's too good to miss. Cue amusing scenarios and the shadow of Dandy Dick - the horse which...

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Latest User Review

Geoff Dagger - 30 August 2012:

If one word could sum up a play that word would be ‘dated’.  When the play was conceived the thought of a well-positioned clergyman fearing the scandal of being exposed for gambling, may have been relevant.  Today’s audiences with their regular fill of gossip from the red-tops obviously find it hard to relate.  The play itself also lacked both the  witty word play or the fast pace of modern comedies, so the overall impression was one of blandness.   The lacklustre play seemed to have also worked it’s spell on the cast as very few moments raised the audience from their semi-comatose state.  Patricia Hodge as the dean’s horsey sister at least seemed to be making an effort, but it was a very heavy load for this filly to carry.  Nicholas Le Provost  as the dean seemed to have pitched his character somewhere between Alistair Sim and Basil Fawltey, unfortunately he fell between two stools having neither the subtle mastery of Sim nor the manic buffoonery  of Cleese.   The dean’ daughter’s had the audience struggling to hear the dialogue, I fear this was through an inability to project rather than embarrassment at the feeble lines they were given.  The two military gentlemen were summed up by a line in the play – “Here come the waxworks”.   It was left to the bit part players to rescue anything from the feeble play. Rachel Lumberg as the policeman’s wife stole the show managing to wring the occasional laugh out of the limited script.  The policeman and the butler played their roles as over-the-top caricatures but in their small roles it seemed to work.   To carry on the horse racing  analogy of the play a little further, this was a real plodder and my money would not be on it having a reasonable run in the West End....

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