The Double Dealer

by William Congreve

seen at the Orange Tree Theatre Richmond on 19 December 2018

Selina Cadell directs Lloyd Everitt as Mellefont, Dharmesh Patel as Careless, Jonathan Broadbent as Brisk, Zoë Waites as both Cynthia and Lady Touchwood and Jenny Rainsford as Lady Plyant, and Edward MacLiam as Maskwell (the double dealer of the title) in this Restoration Comedy from 1693, designed by Madeleine Girling.

As the programme note points out, there are problems with Restoration comedy - the tradition of over-elaborate costumes and props, and a language which to modern ears often sounds over-complex and dismayingly elaborate. The visual aspect of these traditions has been stripped back here, with no wigs for the men, and fine but not extravagant dress. The language is inescapable, and the contests of wit, especially prominent in the first half, still sounded artificial and even at times strained rather than exuberant, despite the intimate setting of the theatre and the best efforts of the cast.

However, as the machinations of the plot became more prominent, the comic energy of the piece really took hold, and the second half in particular was fizzing with fun. There was some doubling for the minor characters, but Zoë Waites had the hardest task performing both the ingenue Cynthia - model of virtuous girlhood and the object of the hero Mellefont and the villain Maskwell - and the cynical and manipulative Lady Touchwood; she managed this with great skill, even if the critical scene where Cynthia witnesses Lady Touchwood's duplicity strained the bounds of credibility.

In an effort to revive the stage traditions of the time, the cast often broke the modern convention of ignoring the audience (the so-called 'fourth wall' effect) - indeed before the performance started several of them chatted directly with audience members; later, there were a number of asides and hearty winks, from which one could imagine the modern pantomime traditions emerging.

It was an enjoyable evening, though perhaps not the most satisfying production from this always interesting theatre.