• The School for Scandal

The School for Scandal
Tue 8 August to Thu 10 August 2023

3 performances
Hampton Hill Theatre, United Kingdom


The School for Scandal
by Richard Brinsley Sheridan

First performed in 1777, The School for Scandal is a witty and satirical comedy of manners that delves into the world of gossip, deception, and hypocrisy in 18th-century high society. The play revolves around a group of aristocrats who thrive on scandal, spreading rumours and manipulating reputations for their own amusement and gain.

At the heart of the story is Sir Peter Teazle, an older man trapped in a troubled marriage with his much younger wife, Lady Teazle. Meanwhile, Charles and Joseph Surface, two brothers with starkly contrasting personalities, become embroiled in a web of deceit. While Joseph presents himself as virtuous and upright, he is secretly conniving and self-serving. Charles, though reckless and carefree, ultimately proves himself to be honourable and sincere.

As the layers of deception unravel, the play brilliantly exposes the superficiality of high society, where appearances can be deceiving and moral integrity is often overlooked in favour of reputation. Filled with sharp dialogue and biting humour, The School for Scandal remains one of the greatest comedies in English theatre, offering timeless reflections on human nature and social pretence.

Review by Andrew Lawston for Mark Aspen (August 2023)

In a world where reputations can be built and demolished in the blink of an eye on social media, The School for Scandal is a particularly timely play with its clique of rumour-mongering gossips.  YAT’s “heavily-abridged” Edinburgh Fringe preview production, wastes no time in labouring any contemporary resonance, however, preferring to cram as much of Sheridan’s script as possible into the 55 minute EdFringe run time.

Joseph and Charles Surface are two brothers at the centre of Sheridan’s sharp comedy.  Both are courting Maria, though dissolute Charles has won her heart, while the smoothly unctuous Joseph resorts to intrigues and deception.  Having partied away all his money, Charles is also dependent on his benefactor uncle, Sir Oliver Surface.  Sir Oliver decides to test the character of his nephew.

The Coward studio is dressed simply with a chaise longue and a decorative screen, allowing Emily Moss’s flamboyant costumes to take centre stage.  From the opening scene between the wonderfully-named Lady Sneerwell and Snake, discussing their various intrigues, the young cast handle Sheridan’s dense prose with confidence and clarity.  Grace Allen’s Lady Sneerwell gives a commanding performance even in her playful conversation with Naomi Pink’s enigmatic Snake.

More characters soon arrive, each shown in by Liv Meades in a slight but rewarding role as the Maid.  First to barge past Meades is a gleefully exuberant Daniel Siner as Joseph Surface, whose lacy cuffs are flourished almost as often as Lady Sneerwell’s fan is unfolded with a lethal snap.  They are soon joined by Juliet Hill, who gives the demure Maria some solid backbone as she rejects Joseph’s advances.

In short order, they are joined by fellow gossips Mrs Candour (Robyn Marriott), Crabtree (Carmen Mackey) and Sir Benjamin Backbite (Kylie Pearson, who wins the awards both for most flamboyant costume and for most extravagant flourishing).  They in turn welcome Sir Peter Teazle and his young wife Lady Teazle, who is also armed with a fan that she is not afraid to snap, flourish and generally deploy during arguments.  The party proceed to exchange witty barbs at the expense of others, to Maria’s disgust, and also to Sir Peter Teazle’s.

Soon, the action moves to Joseph’s home, and it’s the turn of Oliver Keaton’s Servant to be barged past by various characters, as Sir Peter and Lady Teazle take turns to hide behind items of furniture and the tone lurches from sharp comedy of manners into highly-entertaining farce.  Keaton gets some good laughs with his brief performance and he was one of several characters we’d have liked to have seen more.

Daniel Burley as Sir Peter has a special challenge in playing a character who is specifically and frequently described as being significantly older than his wife.  He carries off the performance of a much older man with subtlety, relying on his powdered wig, formal costume, and stiff bearing, and wisely not putting too much pressure on his voice.  Leah Dawson also gives a highly spirited performance as Lady Teazle, in her scenes with her husband and with Joseph.  Sir Peter also shines in his scenes with Sir Oliver Surface, who is played with great charm and panache by Alfie Kennedy.

By the time Charles Surface appears, the audience has heard a great deal about him and his partying lifestyle.  Arthur Holmes puts everything into Charles, but as all the scenes of the young man actually partying have been cut for time, the only real indication of his misspent youth is that he’s very chirpy.  And the only indication of his essentially decent nature is also that … he’s very chirpy.  Luckily the actor’s charisma is such that the audience naturally side with him against his conniving brother Joseph, but it was a shame to miss the scene where Charles unknowingly sells the family portraits to his own uncle, although Sir Oliver does relate the incident later.

Matters are finally resolved, with much snapping of fans and flourishing of lace cuffs.  Josh Clarke has succeeded in directing a breezy and condensed version of this classic play, with his cast providing huge energy and compelling performances.  My only regret was that the show left me longing to see this talented cast and team tackle the play’s full text.  The production is a triumph for YAT and deserves to play to packed audiences both in Hampton Hill and in Edinburgh.

Originally published at The School for Scandal | Mark Aspen

Cast
Role Name
Sir Peter TeazleDaniel Burley
Lady TeazleLeah Dawson
Joseph SurfaceDaniel Siner
Charles SurfaceArthur Holmes
MariaJuliet Hill
Sir Oliver SurfaceAlfie Kennedy
Lady SneerwellGrace Allen
Mrs CandourRobyn Marriott
Sir Benjamin BackbiteKylie Pearson
CrabtreeCarmen Mackey
RowleyMeaghan Baxter
SnakeNaomi Pink
ServantOliver Keaton
MaidOlivia Meades
Crew
Role Name
DIRECTORJosh Clarke
STAGE MANAGERCaroline Gudge
ASSISTANT SMZoe Man
LIGHTINGJosh Bayfield
SOUNDJosh Bayfield
WARDROBEEmily Moss
PRODUCERJenna Powell
PHOTOGRAPHYJonathan Constant
CREATIVE CONSULTANTSarah Dowd
Elizabeth Lattimore
BOX OFFICEBill Compton - London
YAT - Edinburgh