Stooping to conquer the MC theatre world

by bryan blanks
Courier Staff

Crimson Masque opened its second show of the season with Oliver Goldsmith’s “She Stoops to Conquer.” Written in the late 1700s, “She Stoops To Conquer” is said to be “a celebrated story of class, courtship and dysfunctional families.” The show is a farcical comedy that was previously produced at the Monmouth Little Theatre in 1974, under the direction of Doctor DeYoung.

The show was directed and designed by theater professor Doug Rankin and with a cast of thirteen, twelve consisted of MC students. The role of Young Marlow was played by costume director for the college, Tim Holmes. Holmes is an active theater actor, but this was first onstage role at MC. Holmes stated, “I have always wanted to work with the students at Monmouth and it has been a great learning experience.” He gave one of the more solid performances in the show and worked very well with the other performers on stage.

Although there were many great moments, much of the story and humor of the show was lost due to lack of articulation. There were many times during the production when I could simply not hear what was being said. As a result, I found myself having to vigorously concentrate to understand what was happening. I also felt at times that the energy of the cast was not as high as needed in order keep up the pace of the show.

Some great aspects of the show included the fact that the cast  seemed to be having a great time performing on stage together. Junior cast member Mary O’Connor stated, “The show has been a blast and the cast has bonded impressively well over the rehearsal period.” After seeing the show on Sunday afternoon, the bond between this  cast was surely evident.

Although the show was written during the Restoration Period, “She Stoops to Conquer” is a timeless piece of work that is performed annually by countless colleges and universities. Filled with a number of interesting and witty characters, viewers were able to see this comical story come alive with an impressive set designed by Rankin. As an ensemble, the cast delivered a solid performance. Additional credit also goes to the cast members who portrayed the roles of the servants; even though they may have had only a few lines, they contributed much of the laughter on the Sunday afternoon performance. In addition, the play overall had many great moments, but I feel it ultimately lacked what the audience needed to appreciate this style of show.