Review: 'She Stoops to Conquer' at Maidment Theatre

Antonia Prebble's role involves romantic tomfoolery. Photo / Richard Robinson

Oliver Goldsmith's 18th century comedy of manners is known as the perennial favourite of English regional theatre, but fully professional productions of She Stoops to Conquer are something of a rarity in Auckland.

Michael Hurst's high-spirited modernisation has a freshness and vitality that should make the classic story of mistaken identity accessible to a younger audience.

The play's multiple layers of dissimulation - with ironical asides pitched directly at the audience - creates a distinctly post-modern texture.

And the central idea of an upper-class intellectual who can lose his sexual inhibitions only when mixing with the lower classes throws a light on the "authenticity anxiety" that social critic Stanley Crouch has diagnosed as the quintessential neurosis of our times.

But the decision to set the play on the cusp of the swinging sixties seems primarily motivated by aesthetic concerns, with wonderfully stylish costumes and a great soundtrack combining to fashion the perfect location for the bewildered passions of the young lovers.

John Verryt's garden-themed design features a mischievous statue and layers of dense foliage that neatly reflect the thickets of mistaken identity.

Elizabeth Whiting's fantastic outfits catch the dynamic spirit of the period - though Antonia Prebble appears in a loose-fitting frock that seems rather tame in comparison with the contour-clinging stunner shown in programme's costume sketches.

The attractive cast all bring an infectious energy to their performances, and Michael Whalley - in the plum role of the prankster Tony Lumpkin - is particularly appealing as he builds a convincing facsimile of the classic fifties hoodlum.

Prebble and Arthur Meek embody the fresh-faced enthusiasm of a high-school musical as they throw themselves into the romantic tomfoolery, but the play's ornate language is an awkward fit for the cool style of fifties teenagers.

Cameron Rhodes delivers a superb performance as the old-fashioned country squire who rises to apoplectic rage when he is consistently mistaken for an inn-keeper, while Ellie Smith's domineering brashness captures the frustration of the provincial housewife who pines for the excitement of city life.

The production is nicely rounded off by Paul Barrett's hilarious physical comedy as the servant Diggory, and Michael Hurst's trademark theatricality is given a great outing in the rock'n' roll finale.