Grads presents She Stoops to Conquer

She Stoops to Conquer A classic gem, rarely performed in Perth is soon to open at U.W.A.’s Dolphin Theatre. Stephen Lee is directing Oliver Goldsmith's hilarious comedy She Stoops to Conquer for GRADS. ‘It is still as fresh as paint after two and a half centuries: as funny as any modern comedy,’ he says. ‘It is a wonderfully warm-hearted and frantic comedy in which a series of small misunderstandings escalate into glorious farce.’ ‘The whole play takes place in just a few brief hours.’ Lee says. ‘It was originally titled The Mistakes of a Night. The plot is delightful. Mr Hardcastle and Sir Charles Marlow have arranged a match between Miss Kate Hardcastle and young Marlow. The fun arises when the Hardcastle’s mischievous son, Tony Lumpkin, directs Marlow and his friend Hastings to the Hardcastles' house, rather than to a neighbouring inn. There they mistake Hardcastle for the landlord and Kate for one of the servants. Kate plays along and the consequences are hilarious. “While in many ways it shares a lot with the Brian Rix farces of the 20th century,’ says Lee, ‘She Stoops to Conquer has a tremendous warmth and love of life, and is filled with human and appealing people.’ ‘Goldsmith even pulls off the remarkable tour de force of making his lead character Marlow - a chameleon who stammers and is awkward in the presence of well brought up ladies, but becomes arrogant and pushy when dealing with women ‘of another sort’ - into a sympathetic and likeable person.’ ‘She Stoops to Conquer shows us a world we would actually love to enter and people we would love to know. Stolid Mr Hardcastle, his intelligent and fast thinking daughter Kate, the snobbish and odious Mrs Hardcastle, and the wonderfully free-spirited Tony Lumpkin; even the maid, Pimple, are drawn with energy and good humour. And in Hastings and Constance, Goldsmith cannot resist sending up the sentimental hero and heroine.’ ‘It is one of those special plays that stood out from all those written at the time,’ Lee says. ‘Like Wilde's The Importance of being; Jarry's Ubu Roi; and Orton's What the Butler Saw it creates a world unique to itself.’ Lee feels sure that the play will delight Perth audiences as much as it did London audiences two centuries ago. His cast will be resplendent in glorious eighteenth century costumes designed by Merri Ford with whom Lee has worked on so many of his shows. This will be Lee's sixth play for GRADS, having directed for them: The Taming of the Shrew (2003), Noises Off (2004), What the Butler Saw (2005), A Midsummer Night's Dream (2006), and Much Ado about Nothing (2008). Lee moved to Western Australia in 2002. Until then he had been working in London as a professional actor and director, including a stint on The Bill (Thames) and directing at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the West End. Lee acted in numerous productions at the Edinburgh Festival, and has played in Grenada (Spain) and at the Raduga Festival in St. Petersburg. In Perth, Lee has appeared many plays and won the Finley Best Actor award 2004. He has adjudicated at State Drama Festivals and has taught at The Entertainment Factory, The Method Studio, the Academy and Stage Left. Professionally he has directed for Class Act Theatre and Bare Naked Theatre Company. GRADS have been presenting quality theatre at the University of Western Australia since 1953. With Stephen Lee’s precise direction, an experienced cast, and delightful period costumes, She Stoops to Conquer promises to be one of their finest productions. She Stoops to Conquer opens on 31st October (almost sold out!) and continues from the 4th to 7th Nov, and 11th to 14th Nov. Booking is at BOCS.