Review of The School for Scandal at Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton

Written almost 250 years ago, Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play The School for Scandal, has, I freely admit, passed me by, and I had very little knowledge going into the theatre to see this new Tilted Wig production, directed by Seán Aydon, of what it was even about. Sadly, it has to be said, there was a great deal at the interval I didn't know either.

Looking back at the performance a day later, I feel that I have finally got a handle on why as a play this is very difficult to get into, and unlike my initial thought of the somewhat old language it exhibits (a slightly more modern Shakespeare vibe), I feel now that the direction of the performers is a little to blame. The School for Scandal you see is set in a world of larger-than-life characters and for much of the first act, these are played by the performers as larger than even that, with exaggerated delivery of lines, high emphasis on certain words, and delivered a decibel or two too high to be easy on the ear. As a result, for those who do not know the story (hands-up again here on that), the story can get swept away in all of this, leaving some audience members lost.

My realisation came I feel with the fact that the second act is so much easier to follow, so much more enjoyable to listen to and, just well, a much more fun experience as you are finally able to get a grip on the story hidden in Sheridan's play.

It is a great shame as an excellent cast has been assembled, excellent at playing multiple parts in most instances and full of energy and ability. Leading the ensemble is Joseph Marcell as Sir Peter Teazle, not exactly fresh from it, but a former cast member of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, who has more recently made a name for himself as a stage performer on our shores. His performance is one of the strongest and doesn't suffer from a great deal of the overplaying coaxed out of the other actors.

The rest of the cast each have a pair of characters to handle and nearly all have one excellent role and another played a little too frenetically. Maybe Guy Dennys as Rowley and the slippery Snake fairs the best as both of his characters lean to the less dramatic in their creation and prove both entertaining in their own way.

Elsewhere, Garmon Rhys provides an excellent Charles Surface, but with Backbite, the initial humour from the character is lost very rapidly with the sort of one-trick pony he is, over-the-top exuberance. This can be levelled at all the presentations of the "big" characters, over-played, over-the-top and relying too much on caricature to make them interesting within the story.

This leaves all of the actors best in their "normal" characters. Lydea Perkins is a delight as Lady Teazle, here only to make Sir Peter's life a misery until he decides no longer to have one, and Alex Phelps is an excellent Joseph, brother of Charles, constantly trying to dig himself out of trouble. I did I admit enjoy both of Tony Timberlake's characters both played at the right level with no need for this blasted exuberant style.

What The School of Scandal does have though is the looks, from Sarah Beaton's dramatically perfect cutback set onto the crispest of coloured costumes and all lit perfectly, and scene-driven, by Peter Small, there is nothing not to like the look of that is for sure.

Unfortunately, from a mixture of directorial decisions muddying the story and a surprising lack of pace in this long play,The School of Scandal never quite gels like you would hope leaving a muddied first half recovered slightly by a more solid second. It is fun but ultimately unfulfilling.

Full of colour and larger-than-life characters but often a confusing story to follow.
⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday 21st May 2024 at the Royal & Derngate (Royal), Northampton.

The School for Scandal is on stage at Royal & Derngate until Saturday 25th May 2024 before continuing its tour.

For further details about the Royal & Derngate and to book tickets see their website at http://www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Photos: Robling Photography