We find ourselves in Georgian Edinburgh where the elegant New Town is springing up all around, and the newly opened Assembly Rooms are the centre of social life and romantic intrigue. Despite being betrothed to him since birth, Letitia Hardy finds herself out of favour with the charming and arrogant Doricourt upon his return from Europe, as he declares that continental woman are so much more sophisticated than 'dull Scottish lassies'. Read more …
Determined not to marry without love, Letitia formulates a hilarious plan to capture his attention: behave so badly that he calls off the wedding, and then seduce him in disguise! Meanwhile, Doricourt’s close friend Sir George, has a beautiful new wife, the country-born Lady Frances. Escaping his overprotective gaze for an afternoon, she draws the attention of the rake, Courtall, who vows to seduce her.
A witty riposte to Farquhar’s The Beaux Stratagem, Hannah Cowley’s rediscovered gem turns the tables on the farcical goings-on and has the women coming out on top.
Tony Cownie wonderfully presides over a happy marriage of clever writing and brilliant acting, resulting in a frothy production that is a joy from beginning to end.
his glorious production of The Belle’s Stratagem manages the trick of providing a great night’s entertainment at the theatre while delivering a strong societal message about women’s place there.
Cownie and his cast have a riot with this, with the relocated wise-cracks giving things an extra potty-mouthed edge.
Vivacity, wit and downright stupidity abound in The Belle’s Stratagem at the Lyceum, a production of verve and cheek that produces as much laughter as anything seen on the Edinburgh stage in recent years.
It’s tremendously entertaining and, after an evening of dressing up and role play, it’s Letitia’s final message that hits home: “I’m a woman, I can be anything.”
Cownie as director ensures that his ensemble nevertheless works well together, with the whole production remaining larger than the sum of its parts. Familiar in many respects, but fun nonetheless.
The many outstanding comedy performances are the play’s saving grace.
A rollicking riotous dash through Georgian Edinburgh.
One day productions such as this will no longer be written, for all the right reasons. For now, we have pieces like this to laugh, share and enjoy.
If The Belle’s Stratagem is not a particularly radical piece of theatre, though, it is a hugely entertaining one.
A charming production that ultimately rings hollow.
Cownie’s adaptation provides ones of those rare occasions in the theatre in which the riches are distributed equitably among the ten-strong ensemble.
It's a light-hearted romp through the Enlightenment, but also a sad reminder that many female writers have been forgotten by history.
The Belle’s Stratagem provides an evening of enjoyable light entertainment and the opportunity to escape for a couple of hours to a rose-tinted view of a bygone era. It’s not ground-breaking or breath-taking, but neither should it be. It is, however, a whole lot of fun.
It is another comic triumph for Cownie at the Lyceum.
Theatre--The Belles Stratagem, The Lyceum
The Belle's Stratagem continues David Greig's campaign to reimagine classic texts
Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh from Thursday February 15, 2018, until Saturday March 10, 2018. More info: www.lyceum.org.uk
RSS feed of Theatre reviews