Reviews OWE & Fringe Published 23 December 2012

Sauce for the Goose

Orange Tree Theatre ⋄ 19th December 2012 - 2nd February 2013

Farcical Christmas fare.

Neil Dowden

Georges Feydeau’s 1896 farce may be called Le Dindon but the Orange Tree’s Christmas show (using Peter Meyer’s witty translation Sauce for the Goose) is certainly no turkey. The master French farceur is at the top of his game here in this light-hearted but perceptive depiction of the absurdities of male/female relations, and in Sam Walters’ assured production the cast play their parts admirably straight, with the seriousness that farce demands.

As usual with Feydeau, the complicated intrigue revolves around potential adultery. Lucienne tells her unwanted pursuer Pontagnac that she will remain faithful to her husband Vatelin as long as he is true to her, but will take revenge in kind if he strays. When Vatelin confides that he has an assignation with former German flame Heidi, who is on a trip to Paris with her husband, Pontagnac sees his chance. However, he is unaware that not only has Lucienne told bachelor playboy Redillon that he would be her first option for sexual partner, but so has his own wife if she finds out he has been unfaithful.

Only Feydeau’s superb stagecraft enables him to juggle so many balls in the air simultaneously without losing the plot. The play features classic farcical tropes such as people discovered in a state of undress or hiding behind furniture, mistaken identity and mixed-up baggage, all coming to a hilarious climax in the middle act at Hotel Ultimus where the organized chaos brings tears of laughter to the eyes. But underneath it all there is a keenly observed study of the compromises of marriage, lust, infidelity, jealousy and hurt, in a decadent society where women face inequality and double standards.

The Orange Tree has staged this play once before, plus three others by Feydeau, not to mention numerous other farces in its 41-year-old history, so it’s not surprising that everything goes like clockwork – though the human heart behind the mechanics is never forgotten. Walters has championed the cause of ‘doorless farce’ (necessary in a theatre-in-the-round), with the actors miming opening, closing and knocking on doors, while a stage manager is visible in a corner producing the sound effects, which all adds to the fun. Sam Dowson’s colourful fabrics used for furniture and large rug seem a bit bright for fin de siècle Paris but set a jaunty mood for this sex comedy.

Beth Cordingly’s feisty Lucienne is witheringly sardonic about male hypocrisy, while Stuart Fox’s weak-willed Vatelin is very funny as a reluctant adulterer. David Antrobus gives a wonderfully physical performance as Pontagnac, squirming with embarrassment and unsatisfied sexual energy, with Amy Neilson Smith as his long-suffering wife. Damien Matthews is suitably louche as the womanizing Redillon, with Sarah Winter as his coquettish ‘side dish’. Rebecca Egan’s formidable Heidi is deliciously over-the-top, matched by Jonathan Tafler as her suspicious, duplicitous husband. And Vincent Brimble’s brusque ex-cavalry officer and his bemused deaf wife Auriol Smith get caught up in the bell-ringing mayhem.

Farce has to be done extremely well to stop it falling flat on its face, but this show succeeds with aplomb. This Goose is fine Christmas fare indeed.

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Neil Dowden

Neil's day job is working as a freelance editor for book publishers such as HarperCollins, Penguin, Faber and British Film Institute Publishing, but as a night person he prefers reviewing for Exeunt. He has also written features on the theatre and reviewed films, concerts, albums, opera, dance, exhibitions, books and restaurants for various newspapers and magazines, including The Stage and What's On in London, as well as contributing to a couple of books on 20th-century drama and writing a short tourist guide to London for Visit Britain. He insists he is not a playwright manqué but was born to be a critic and just likes sticking a knife into luvvies. In fact, as a boy he wanted to become a professional footballer, but claims there were no talent scouts where he then lived on the South Wales coast, and so has had to settle for playing Sunday league for a dodgy south London team. Apart from the arts and sport, his other main interest is travel, and he is never happier than when up a mountain, though Everest Base Camp is the highest he has been so far. He believes he has not yet reached his peak.

Sauce for the Goose Show Info


Directed by Sam Walters

Written by Georges Feydeau, translated by Peter Meyer

Cast includes David Antrobus, Vincent Brimble, Beth Cordingly, Rebecca Egan, Stuart Fox, Damien Matthews, Amy Nielson Smith, Auriol Smith, Jonathan Tafler, Sarah Winter

Link http://www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk/

Running Time 2 hrs 30 mins (including interval)

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