THE LONDON MERCHANT, adapted by Philip Dart. Tour to 20 April.

Tour

THE LONDON MERCHANT
by George Lillo, freely adapted by Philip Dart, with music by Peter Cook, lyrics by Kate Hennessey

Channel Theatre Company tour to 20 April 2002
Runs 2 hr One interval

Review Hazel Brown 28 March at the Nuffield Theatre, Southampton

Free musical adaptation of 18th Century play highlighted by comparison with 20th Century financial misdeeds.Philip Dart's re-working of George Lillo's play opens with the four-strong cast, in 18th Century costumes, singing an a cappella hymn to the Dame of Trade. They set the tone of the whole production, with its pursuit of money against a background of sex. All sing beautifully and, later in the play, play musical instruments: keyboards, guitars and cello - a very talented bunch of actor/musicians, who slip seamlessly between 18th and 20th Century styles of music, costumes and mannerisms.

Taking Lillo's drama as his basis, Dart has created a thought-provoking and amusing play on the themes of sex and money. The original was a huge hit in 1730s London, and was later referred to by Dickens in Pickwick Papers. Dart juxtaposes the financial hotbed that existed in London in the 18th Century against an equivalent period of financial unrestraint in the 1980's.

In both periods, young men of any class speculated to accumulate large sums of money. As for the young women, Sarah Millwood in the 18th Century, cynically uses her sexual appeal to inveigle a young man into embezzlement and later murder to support her. Whilst Catriona, her 20th Century doppelganger, has a position of wealth and status through dealing ruthlessly in the stock market and uses a gullible young man to pull off a lucrative insider deal.

In both centuries, it is usually men who get away with double dealing in money matters and matters of the heart, whereas women are regarded as either chattels or helpless victims, but in this play both the modern woman and her 18th century counterpart forge their own destinies.

The play successfully explores themes of spiritual and moral corruption, with each actor changing adroitly from one century to the other at the side of the stage. It ends with a reprise of Dame of Trade, featuring the line "Though you've made a fortune, it will freeze your heart." An enjoyable evening.

Sarah Millwood/Catriona Harvey: Esme Folley
George Barnwell/Justin Treaves: Mark Graydon
Maria Thorowgood/Lucy/Sasha Niewski: Janine Hales
Trueman/Thorowgood/Marcus Cooper: Simon Matthews

Director: Philip Dart
Designer/Costume: Phil Newman
Musical Director: Peter Cook

2002-04-10 09:37:06