Mischief is at large at York Theatre Royal this week as The School for Scandal brings a fresh new take of the 1777 classic – which must be doing something right to have maintained its success nearly 250 years on.
Sir Peter Teazle, played by the well-known Fresh Prince of Bel Air star Joseph Marcell, has heard his young spirited wife may be having an affair. She isn’t, but if he believes she is then why not have a little fun?
This is just one of the many storylines intertwined throughout the comedy, which introduces a plethora of actors meeting and greeting their way through the mayhem.
The School for Scandal is at York Theatre Royal from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 April.
When entering the auditorium we were graced with a sea of salmon curtains encompassing the entire stage, transporting us straight back to the 1950’s. Whilst there were limited additions to the set, this sea of colour was a great backdrop for the upper class characters to congregate throughout.
Where Tilted Wig have struck gold is the exquisite costume design by Sarah Beaton. Each character, many of which were multi-roled by this brilliant cast, looked absolutely fantastic – whether donning shoulder pads in dresses or kicking off their velvet loafers to relax.
The actors were fantastic as they quick-changed their way through the production and navigated a complex and challenging script. I particularly enjoyed Emily-Jane McNeill’s portrayal as Lady Sneerwell, but more so her hilarious appearance as Careless – she was so brilliant that it took me until Act Two to recognise this was the same actor.
The other standout masters of multi-role were Alex Phelps and Garmon Rhys, as the energetic brothers Joseph and Charles Surface, who despite the overall slow pace of the script, injected life into the stage upon entering it. Their scenes with their disguised uncle Sir Oliver (Tony Timberlake) were brilliantly directed by Seán Aydon, and we even had a surprise song which was a welcome addition to Act One.
It’s very rare the bows would be a highlight of a production, but it was particularly enjoyable to watch the characters dance together at the end of the show, with just as much fun in each others company as they appeared to have as their former characters. And despite the play feeling overall uneven and slow-paced you cannot fault the actors, as they gave everything to each portrayal. The audience certainly agreed as they got their well-deserved laughter and a large applause as the play came to a close.
If you want to watch the mayhem ensue and catch this Richard Brinsley Sheridan classic, head to York Theatre Royal this week, where The School for Scandal is showing until Saturday 27 April.
Tickets start from £15 can be found at the York Theatre Royal website.