'National Theatre Live: She Stoops to Conquer' (2012)
Opening thoughts: Have for a long time loved viewing the live cinema streamings of the National Theatre Live series. So many gems in the series and very few misses, and what strikes me about watching these productions are how they are made available so accessibly while making one feel like they are there. Am always up for seeing something different to Shakespeare and other theatre standards, and 'She Stoops to Conquer' (a lot of fun as a play but not an easy one to adapt with very few productions/versions nailing the tone) more than fitted the bill.
This National Theatre Live production 'She Stoops to Conquer' is one of the series' gems and is a contender for the best version of the play this reviewer has seen. It is one of the few to capture the spirit of the play perfectly and as it ought, while also being enormously entertaining in its own way. This is a fine example of how to do farcical comedy and irony while still bringing out the heart and in a way that always feel natural and not contrived, which is not easy for 'She Stoops to Conquer'.
Good things: Everything. It is a beautiful looking production, the settings never looking too fussy while not being simplistic or too sparse. The costumes are elegant and tasteful instead of being too much of a mishmash. The photography is intimate without being claustrophobic. On an audible level, there is nothing cheap or ill fitting and everything is done with clarity.
Moreover, the dialogue is deliciously witty and sharp, delivered clearly and with gusto. The action never feels confusing or over-stuffed, big potential traps for a play that has so much going on. Even the additional stuff that could easily have come over as mugging was great fun to watch and didn't feel superfluous. The staging is always in good taste, even in the more over the top parts, with the chaos being deliciously wild and not subdued like it has been in other versions and the irony also intact and always witty and amusingly droll.
All without ever forgetting the play's heart, which is done movingly without becoming too serious. The production is wonderfully acted throughout, everybody seems to be really into their roles and while the roles are played big it felt natural and unforced.
Closing thoughts: Overall, a sheer delight all round.
10/10.
