The School For Scandal
Can a play that was written and set in the 1700's have any relevance to present day life? Turns out the answer is yes, it can! A fair amount of relevance to be honest.
The School For Scandal is set in London. The aristocracy have low morals and are not afraid to target others in order to not only amuse themselves, but also to ruffle a few feathers. Lady Sneerwell's latest target is young bachelor Charles Surface. Together with Charles' brother Joseph, the scheme is orchestrated to stop him inheriting their Uncles fortune. Everyone gets found out in the end, though. Don't they?
Alex Lowde's elaborate and bright pink set and costume design certainly gets our attention. The colour choice reflecting a popular colour of the time in a more contemporary shade and also representing the scandal and lust as the stories themes.
Directed by Tinuke Craig, the production has some delightful exits and entrances by both cast and set alike. It's a very witty and easy to follow script, so for anyone not familiar with the story, don't worry!
It's a tale that can easily be reflected in today's society of social media and cancel culture.
Stefan Adegbola as Joseph Surface and John Leader as Charles Surface, are individually strong, but additionally work really well with each other in their brotherhood.
Geoffrey Streatfeild as Sir Peter Teazle is a delight to watch, his mix of emotions and 'bright ideas' are brilliantly portrayed. Equally as delightful is Tara Tijani as Lady Teazle, with her outrageous behaviour towards her new husband.
Actors are generally told at drama school that a part is what you make of it, not how many lines you have. A perfect and entertaining example of this is Jessica Alade's performance as Lappet. A marvel to watch and the best exit of the production by far, brilliant to watch.
Highly recommended to watch. Scandalously Funny!
This show was reviewed on the 9th July 2024 at The RSC, Stratford Upon Avon where it runs until the 6th September 2024. Tickets available here: About the play | The School for Scandal | Royal Shakespeare Company
Review written by Rachel Louise Martin
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Photo credit: Marc Brenner
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