She Stoops to Conquer

Synopsis

Mistaken identity, lust and class are at the heart of this classic comedy set in the rustic England of the 1760s. Sub-titled The Mistakes of a Night. A rich handsome single man, Marlow, is very good at chatting up barmaids, but bashful in front of society ladies. The he falls for Miss Kate Hardcastle and things start to go wrong when his friend persuade him that her family home is in fact the local inn!

Our Review:

8 September 2010

When Oliver Goldsmith needed inspiration for a new comedy he did what any self-respecting writer would do, he took himself off to the country. His three month sojourn to find “something to make people laugh” certainly did the trick, and She Stoops to Conquer has been keeping audiences amused for more than two hundred and thirty years.

The “She” in question is Kate Hardcastle the lovely daughter of a wealthy country squire. He arranges for her to meet Charles Marlow, the son of an aristocratic old friend, with a view to matrimony but things go much awry in this popular comedy which centres on one vital misunderstanding.

The Squire’s stepson, Tony Lumpkin, tricks Marlow and his companion George Hastings in to believing his country mansion is in fact a local inn. While Squire Hardcastle makes the young man welcome he in turn treats the house as a commercial establishment, sets his servants to drink the place dry expecting the "landlord" to be pleased at the custom and dismiss...

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Latest User Review

victor welland - 18 September 2010:

Nick Brunger's "review" was merely a summary of the plot! He should have gone on to say that it was an extremely poor production and not at all up to Nottimngham Playhouse's usual standard. The casting was inept, none of the actors shone as you should in this brilliant play (from the 1700s!. The director admits in the programme that she was surprised to be asked to direct it because her skills are generally in heavy dramas. Quite! I have seen three versions of this play in the last couple of years and this is definitely the poorest. I didn't laugh once and, when well done, its hilarious. The brilliant Mappa Mundi company of Wales toured a superb production last year. I hope that the Playhouses's version of Amy's View is far better than this or i shall begin to think that Giles Croft has had his day there!...

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