Witty, elegant comedy

Press, 21 October 1983, Page 13

Witty, elegant comedy

The Court Theatre’s next play, “London Assurance,” opens tomorrow for a fourweek season. Described as “a colourful, comic romp,” it is a comedy of love affairs and vanity,

set in London and in the countryside of early nine-teenth-century England. The title refers to “the cockiness of the townies” — Sir Harcourt and others.

Central to the story is the absurdly vain Sir Harcourt Courtly who goes to the country to meet a young heiress he is to marry in order to be able to pay off his debts. Sir Harcourt discovers that he has a rival — his own son, and the awkwardness of his predicament is compounded by his falling for the charms of the hunting fanatic, Lady Gay Spanker. Written in 1840 by Dion Boucicault, “London Assurance” was a great favourite through the nineteenth century and was performed frequently in Christchurch by touring professional companies in the 1870 s.

A comedy of humorous circumstances, lively, amusing dialogue and larger-than-life personalities, it

resembles the hugely successful comic plays of the late eighteenth century, such as “The Rivals” and “She Stoops to Conquer” — elegant, witty and hilarious.

The director is Elric Hooper, Tony Geddes has designed an imaginative, colourful and ingenious set; and Peter Lees-Jeffries has designed costumes from the late 1820 s — a period into which the Court is venturing for the first time. The ladies wear bonnets and shortened, hooped skirts with petticoats showing, while the gentlemen dress with the tailored look of early Dickens. The cast is headed by Elizabeth Moody as Lady Gay Spanker, the racy horsewoman; Geoffrey Heath plays Sir Harcourt Courtly, the vain, elderly fop from London; and Lex Mathesoh takes the part of the spectacular rogue, Dazzle.

Janet Fisher plays Grace Harkaway, the romantic heroine who does not believe in love and has agreed to a marriage of convenience — but then meets the son of the man she is to marry. Other memorable characters include Cool, Sir Harcourt’s valet, and Mark Meddle, the ludicrous lawyer who is always trying to provoke people into kicking him so he can take a legal action against them.