The School for Scandal
By Judith Fine-Sarchielli
The School for Scandal, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, is scheduled for summer evening performances at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon through September 27th. This 18th Century Restoration masterpiece is performed on the stage of the rustic 35 year-old outdoor amphitheater. Actor William Geer founded this repertory theatre, and Geer family members participate in various performances and capacities. May of the audiences include loyal fans of over 20 years, who have enjoyed everything from Shakespeare, family events, and chamber concerts performed by local musicians.
The School for Scandal, presented on various summer evenings through September 27th, is a comedy of manners written by the Restoration playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. First performed and wildly popular in London, at Drury Lane Theatre in May of 1777, it is considered his masterpiece. With principal themes of "the deceptive nature of appearances, the fickleness of reputation, and the often disreputable guises behind which goodness and honesty can conceal itself," it has been noted "The play remains to this day a crowd-pleaser and one of the standard repertory pieces in our dramatic literature."
The comedy of manners style was first developed in ancient Greece, imitated by the Roman playwrights, and copied during the Renaissance with the Commedia 'Del Arte. The best-known comedies of manners, however, may well be those of the French playwright, Moliere, who satirizes the manners and affectations of a social class often represented by stock characters such as the fop and the rake during the restoration, or an old person pretending to be young.
The plot of the comedy, often concerned with an illicit love affair or some other scandal, is generally less important than its witty and often bawdy dialogue. In The School for Scandal, Sheridan shows his culture's values (marriage, gossip, reputation, the lack of independence that comes through debt, true value vs. appearances, etc.) with a polished satirical approach.
The challenge of Sheridan's lightening- fast and seething dialog, so different than our modern day American language, is a challenge for both actors and audience. The Teatricum actors pull it off without a flaw, and the audience, after warming up to the rapid delivery, responds with appreciative laughs to the witty and sly dialog.
The characters in The School for Scandal all play with expertise. Sir Peter Teazle (Franc Ross), Lady Teazle (Willow Geer), Lady Candour, (Katherine Griffith), Rowley (Gerald Rivers), Widow Snake (Melora Marshall), and Sir Oliver Surface (Tim Halligan) stand out for their excellent handling of the stylized approach required for this type of performance.
Touches of Commedia Del Arte were visually delightful in the costumes, scenery, and makeup. The exaggerated wigs and hats were eye-catching, and colorful. In the last act, Lady Teazle, a voracious follower of the latest fashion, wears a spun-sugar-type galleon atop her towering pink wig, which leads to the comment, "Yes, your Ladyship!" Widow Snake is convincingly serpentine. She slithers around with a black umbrella with which she points and punctuates her silly and snide gossip, for which her patrons pay her.
The theme of hypocrisy, "Keeping up with the Jones", the devastating effect of gossip on reputations, the debilitating effect of debt, the interdependence of all members of society, and the danger of superficial communication, all point to today's American consumer society. America's susceptibility to today's media gossip and often-superficial approach to the news reflects Sheridan's satirical comments on the weaknesses of the 18th century society he experienced in his lifetime.
Sheridan lived a life that ranged form the heights of fashion to alcoholic poverty, and was dragged from his sickbed to jail at the end of his life. The School for Scandal reflects all of his insights about how fatal the fall from a society based on materialism and hypocrisy can be for anyone entrapped in the foibles of its web.
The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290 www.theatricum.com Box Office 310-455-3723