“Where do you bank?” –
‘Anywhere; I simply don’t care’”
On Approval was written in 1926 by Frederick Lonsdale as a comedy of manners
capturing the shifting dynamics in gender roles in a world where suffragists
and the Great War had ushered in the potential for great change. Against this
backdrop, Lonsdale posits a scenario with two wealthy woman – one a young
pickle heiress, the other an older spoilt widow - seeking to test drive
potential future spouses by taking them up to a Scottish country estate ‘on
approval’ and spending a few weeks together to test their compatibility. But
though the promise of a witty evening is often raised, its light-hearted nature
too often feels insubstantial.
Anthony Biggs’ production polishes the play hard but never really comes up with
the cut-glass sharpness needed to elevate the performances above the comic
shortcomings of the writing nor the crispness of pacing that would create an irresistible
forward momentum. The intimacy of the Jermyn Street Theatre doesn’t always
help, leaving the quartet of actors frequently exposed at the lack of solid
dramatic foundation and missing the gumption necessary to paper over the
cracks.
The normally reliable Sara Crowe gets most of the best lines as the widowed
Maria Wislake as her narcissism drives even the most patient of men – her
plodding suitor Richard, played by Daniel Hill – to distraction, but not even
her strengths seem well-suited here. Louise Calf as the younger woman Helen
never really settles into the role and casts too much uncertainty over how her
scenes are going to be played out, which in turns leaves her would-be paramour
– Peter Sandys Clarke’s egotistical and haughty Duke – stranded in something of
a no-man’s land yet always on the cusp of a grandstandingly big performance.
One gets the feeling that the play, or certainly this production of it, would
be better suited to a larger venue where broad comic strokes would be much more
appropriate and allow the company to gain the confidence needed to renovate the
creaking structure of a comedy that rarely makes the case for its revival.
Running time: 2 hours (with interval)
Booking until 4th May
Labels: Daniel Hill, Frederick Lonsdale, Jermyn Street, Louise Calf, Peter Sandys-Clarke, Sara Crowe