Theatre Review
The Lions Part in association with Fresh Glory productions
The City Wives’ Confederacy
by John Vanbrugh
Directed by Sonia Ritter with Kali Peacock Music arranged by Tamsin Lewis
Greenwich Playhouse
9 December 2008 – 18 January 2009
A review by Aisha Walters for EXTRA! EXTRA!
John Vanbrugh’s restoration comedy, although set in 1705, felt as relevant as the day it was written. This play’s social commentary on the importance of wealth easily resonated with the modern audience, who gleefully laughed at the escapades of the greedy characters. The story centres around the wives Clarissa Gripe and Araminta Moneytrap, of two wealthy gentlemen, who decide to trick each other’s husbands to secure even more of their riches. Meanwhile gold digging con artist Dick Amlet impersonates a colonel to try and woo Clarissa Gripe’s step-daughter Corinna, so he can marry her for her fortune. Dick’s companion, Brass is not only his accomplice in trying to win Corinna’s heart, but also aides the brokers’ wives, Clarissa and Araminta with their scheme to deceive their husbands. Brass is assisted in tricking Misters Gripe and Moneytrap by Clarissa Gripe’s lady maid, his true love Flippanta. This story is by far not a simple one, with many different strands that interconnect throughout the play’s duration. Although the performance space could more than handle the cast, it felt overcrowded in the less intimate scenes. The beginning of the play saw most of the characters on stage in a market scene with musicians playing and cast members selling programmes and interacting with the audience. Although a valiant effort by the directors Sonia Ritter and Kali Peacock, the market scenario confused before the play had even begun, and neither Harry Arkwright’s prologue nor the first scene between Dick’s mother Mrs Amlet (Sarah Finch) and her neighbour (Mrs Cloggit) did anything to dispel this misunderstanding. No one could condemn any of the actors’ performances, as this truly was an ensemble piece with every member of the cast giving fine comedic turns. Kali Peacock’s Flippanta however, was a stand-out performance, especially as she is also the Assistant Director. She meddled wickedly in various schemes with great vivacity, for no other reason than her own personal amusement. Her eyes lit up when exercising one of her plans, and she sashayed around the stage warming the audience’s heart with her endearing performance. The stage and lighting design were both perhaps, too simple to arouse excitement, doing little to add to the dramatic quality of any scenes. The use of music at the beginning of the performance and, after the interval added to the lively feeling of the evening, and the musicians Alison Kinder and Steph Patten played fantastically. Musical Director Tamsin Lewis cleverly added Abba’s ‘Money, Money Money ’into their rendition of more traditional songs at the outset of the play, gaining more than a few laughs from the audience. The music, along with the costumes did much to set the scene with each piece of clothing being fine imitations of the clothes of that period. At points the performances were slightly over-exaggerated and the action on the stage became a little too cluttered to follow. However, overall, The City Wives’ Confederacy was a pleasant experience, asking a question as relevant today as when the play was written in the early 1700s - Can money bring you happiness? The answers we received were varied, but the entertaining journey was, nonetheless, a true delight to watch, with John Vanbrugh’s comic wit shining through as the true star of the evening.
Box Office: 020 8858 9256 No performances on 24-29, 31 Dec, 1-5 Jan
Tickets: £11, Concessions £9 Greenwich Playhouse
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ary Couzens