THE GAME HUNTER to 12 July
Scarborough
THE GAME HUNTER by Georges Feydeau
Translated by Richard Cottrell
Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond 24 April-24 May 2003
Transfers to Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough 29-31 May, then in rep 12 June-12 July 2003.
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat 31 May, 21 June, 5 July 2.30pm
Audio-described 18 June, 21 June 2.30pm
BSL Signed 13 June
Follow-up 17 June
Runs: 2hr 30min One interval
TICKETS: 01723 370541
Review: Emma Dunford 1 May 2003 at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond
Quick, sharp and a deft wit flaunted as Feydeau would have wanted.Georges Feydeau's conception of farce was simple enough: a display of life bordering on the side of tragedy but erring on the side of comedy. In The Game Hunter he is explicit as he sends up the adversity of adultery, but implicitly the audience is far enough removed from the misfortunes of those involved to find amusing what they would otherwise find morose - and the quick wit and perspicuous timing of the acting completes the picture.
Moricet tries to seduce Leotine while her husband, Duchotel, is off hunting with Cassange. But Cassange doesn't hunt and is more concerned with discovering his wife in flagrante delicto! They are all coerced together in the apartments maintained by the Countess of Northern Latour, with an unruly nephew and a discrete policeman concluding the contrived melange. Indeed what does a husband really do when off hunting for birds, and what kind of bird is he hunting?
Unlike many farcical playwrights Faydeau didn't create puppets on the stage, but was stringent in his creations of believable situations and believable characters. Even though he exploits a melee of improbable coincidences throughout The Game Hunter, it is credible, and the humour he instils is shrewd enough to keep you laughing. The quick, sharp and deft wit flaunted by the whole cast is as ostentatious and well thought out as Faydeau would have intended.
All actors have performed at the Orange Tree before and include Robert Benfield, Stuart Fox, Brian Miller, Amanda Royle, Janet Spencer-Turner, Philip York and Jake Thornton, who last appeared at the Orange Tree in 1991 aged 10. And with beautifully designed costumes, a functional set and a sound affects lady standing deftly in the corner - merit is definitely due for someone who manages to produce the sound of hundreds of opening, closing, slamming, locking and unlocking doors in the right places at the right times - all concur to produce three acts of untroubled slickness.
The intimacy of the Orange Tree can either make or break a play, and when that play is as intricate a comedy as Feydeau's The Game Hunter, the stakes become even higher - for comedy requires precision in timing, articulation and delivery, a much more demanding and intimidating task for actors when an audience is sitting on top of them on the stage. Thus there is no room for fault and, apart from a few inconsequential slips, The Game Hunter cannot be faulted. It is a funny play and the cast is meticulous in their execution of its comedy.
Leotine: Amanda Royle
Moricet, her admirer: Stuart Fox
Duchotel, her husband: Philip York
Gontran, her nephew: Jake Thornton
Babet, the maid: Janet Spencer-Turner
Cassange: Robert Benfield
The Countess of Northern Latour: Janet Spencer-Turner
Bridois, a police inspector: Brian Miller
Policemen: Robert Benfield, Stuart Burgess
Directed by: Sam Walters
Designed by: Pip Leckenby
Costumes by: Christine Wall
Lighting by: Kath Geraghty
2003-05-06 19:47:06