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.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

adapted by David Harrower

seen at the Donmar Warehouse on 14 June 2018

Polly Findlay directs Lia Williams as Jean Brodie with Angus Wright as Gordon Lowther (the Music Master), Sylvestra le Touzel as Miss Mackay (the Headmistress), Edward MacLiam as Teddy Lloyd (the Art Master), Kit Young as the journalist and Rona Morison, Grace Saif, Emma Hindle, Nicola Coughlan and Helena Wilson as the girls Sandy, Monica, Mary, Joyce Emily and Jenny respectively in this new adaptation of Muriel Spark's novel about the charismatic but unorthodox teacher at a prestigious girls' junior school in Edinburgh in the 1930s.

A hint from the novel, which itself recounts events in the school lives of the girls while also looking forward to their adult careers, provides a framing device for this adaptation, whereby Sandy, the observant prospective writer, is being interviewed by a journalist on the day before she takes final vows in a convent. The ostensible reason for the interview is the publication of Sandy's book on psychology, but the journalist is keen to explore Sandy's memories of her schooldays, and it is his probing which generates the flashbacks telling the story of Miss Brodie's extraordinary influence on 'her' girls, an influence which begins with her dazzling teaching methods when they are eleven, but which continues to affect the favoured set (the only pupils that we actually see in the play) throughout their later years.