By Louise
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-z1GPKlu9E
Available until: Unknown
Charley’s Aunt is a really lovely farcical comedy about falling in love. I think it’s somewhere between Oscar Wilde and pantomimes so if you like one of them (or both), you’ll probably like Charley’s Aunt too.
A lot of comedies, especially farces, can seem a bit shallow and while they make you laugh a lot and they are very entertaining, you don’t really feel for the characters as you might do in a more serious play. Charley’s Aunt is a bit of an exception to that rule or it is in this production. The three young man especially are all so lovely and all you want is for everything to work out for them. But it is not always possible for everything to fall into place. Two of the men can’t marry the women they like without the consent of the women’s guardian and he is very strict. The other man has lost the woman he likes and he doesn’t know when or if he will ever see her again.
The men make a plan. Charley’s aunt is visiting. Jack and Charley think she will be the perfect person to convince Stephen Spettigue to let his ward and his niece marry them. It seems like a great idea till Charley’s aunt changes her mind and decides not to come. But then they have another idea which I won’t tell you, but it’s very funny and it causes a lot of mayhem.
Brandon Thomas’ play is very funny and it has been adapted by Paul Thain for this Zoom production. A farce on Zoom sounds very challenging because of all the hiding, but everyone hides all the time in Shakespeare too and Shakespeare’s plays all work brilliantly on Zoom. Charley’s Aunt works really well too. Even though the characters are either confused or deceived, it is very clear to the audience what is going on.
Although the play mentions Charley and his aunt, it’s Jack Chesney who has the biggest role and it’s brilliantly-performed by Ed MacArthur. He’s really sweet and likeable and he is equally perfect at the comedy moments and the romantic moments. He works really well with Karl Queensborough, who plays the title role in Hamilton in the West End and the role of Charley in this production. He’s very sweet and serious and he contrasts well with Jack. Jack is more the kind of comedy character who gets in a really obvious panic and Charley is more quietly bewildered so they make a really good pair.
The women they love are Kitty Verdun and Amy Spettigue. Skye Hallam is really lovely and kind as Kitty, but I think she really enjoys all the excitement and craziness, which is really good news because Jack is bound to get into a lot more messes in the future. Ruby Bentall plays Amy. She seems quite shy but really nice and not the type to get stressed over things which is good news for Charley.
But if any of these marriages are going to go ahead, there are a couple of fathers who need to consent and they are quite distinguished fathers. Gyles Brandreth characterises Colonel Sir Frances Chesney brilliantly. He’s very amusing and maybe a little bit scary and he has high standards, but he’s a good man really. Gary Wilmot’s Stephen Spettigue is maybe even scarier with higher standards. But the nice thing about this play is that all the characters are nice people and it just proves that you don’t need to have affairs and fights to make a story exciting.
Will Hislop is hilarious and loveable as Lord Fancourt Babberley and the wig he wears when he’s persuaded to disguise himself suits him amazingly well. I like the way he is quite understated when he is disguised because it makes the play feel a lot more real. Oliver Beamish puts lovely details into his performance as Brassett, Issy Randwyck is a really charming Donna-Lucia, and Katie Okehurst is full of life as Ela.
Proud Haddock’s production of Charley’s Aunt is
really funny and it’s lovely to see a play where everyone basically likes each
other most of the time.
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