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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 29, No. 11. 1966.

French show sparkled, sputtered

page 8

French show sparkled, sputtered

Though the French Club's ambitiously staged programme sparkled and then sputtered, this does not mean that it was ultimately a damp squib. The composition of the programme—three scenes from L'ecole des femmes, La critique de l'ecole des femmes, L'impromptu de Versailles — was distinctly disappointing, as all those plays may be termed atypical of Moliere both in the esotericism of their concern (a contemporary literary quarrel), and in a jaded didacticism which hampered dialogue and dramatic impetus.

The stage-settings and costumes were really magnificent, down to a beautiful clay pipe (though the chairs looked drearily Victorian). The first two plays, which had essentially the same cast, were played with an enthusiasm which compensated at least partly for obvious blemishes in the handling of lines and of action. Outstanding was Marjorie McKee, by virtue of her sensitive acting, merely one aspect of a stage-presence' both charming and commanding.

Jonathan Fox was at times extremely funny in his portrayal ol an aristocratic jellyfish, but unfortunately lacked the capacity to distinguish between comic asides which support and which detract from the; action, though one must concede that he performed a vital function in diverting the audience from the pallid acting of David Shearer and Paul Egermayer. Up-staging — the subordination of important sequences for incidental effect—was so perniciously omnipresent as to be considered a major flaw of production.

L'impromptu de Versailles never looked like getting off the ground. The changed cast displayed neither enthusiasm nor ability In a play which would seem to make extraordinary claims on both, as its unveiled polemical intent left minimal scope for the: slapstick which could legitimately be employed in the other plays, and demanded a maximum of subtlety and sensitivity. qualities which were totally lacking.—R. J. Rigg.