REVIEW: She Stoops to Conquer

Jeff Kraus as Young Charles Marlow and Kate Brauneis-Krull as Miss Kate Hardcastle in Boulder's Upstart Crow's production of She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith.
Photo by Dan Sutherland.

It may seem hard to believe, but laughter fell out of fashion on the English stage during the 18th century. It took more than a hundred years, and four Irish playwrights to bring it back! When moralistic, sentimental comedies held sway, Oliver Goldsmith took a crack at cracking up audiences with She Stoops to Conquer, a “laughing comedy” presented in 1773.

The Upstart Crow, Boulder’s classical community theatre, is currently presenting this witty, charming, and colorful comedy, and it’s great to see that the laughs are still there. Boasting a wide variety of comic devices ranging from witty asides and double entendres to gags and pranks, from mistaken identity and mis-delivered letters to sprawling drunks and boisterous song, and concluding with a celebratory dance, She Stoops to Conquer has a little bit of everything we now hold dear in classical British comedy. And, like the sentimental shows it sought to reform, She Stoops also manages to maintain a high moral tone, even when flirting with impolite behavior.

Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle (Richard Bell and Katherine Dubois Reed) anticipate the arrival of a suitor, the young and presumably well-bred Mr. Marlowe (Jeff Kraus), for their daughter Kate (Kate Brauneis-Krull). The rascally ne’er do well Tony Lumpkin (Gregory Reed) tricks Marlowe into believing that Hardcastle Manor is a public inn, so Marlowe unwittingly abuses his host’s hospitality. Still, the normally tongue-tied suitor manages to successfully romance Kate, assuming she’s a bar maid. There’s also a sub-plot about another couple trying to steal the family jewels and elope that could have been lifted straight from Moliere’s playbook.

Director Joan Kuder Bell has done a fine job resuscitating this treasured antique, emphasizing the splendid text and dressing the play up in gorgeous costumes. At least three cast members are Upstart Crow hatchlings, proving that this company, now in its 29th season, has real staying power, just like the classics it stages with such affection, understanding and appreciation.

Upstart Crow’s production of She Stoops to Conquer plays at the Dairy Center for the Arts in Boulder through September 20. Call 303-442-1415 or visit www.theupstartcrow.org.