She Stoops to Conquer (TACT) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"The jokes and one-liners in Goldsmith's 'She Stoops to Conquer,' a flagrantly silly comedy about love and mistaken identity, still hit the mark...Though it slouches for a few scenes in the beginning, the Actors Company Theatre production rights itself in the end and delivers some good old-fashioned hilarity. Goldsmith's 'She Stoops to Conquer' still packs a comical wallop, and the Actors Company Theatre proves it — no mistake about that."
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"An evening that ought to be uproarious is little more than mildly amusing. The problem, I think, is that Scott Alan Evans has pressed his cast to maintain such a cheerful, friendly tone that the play's wellsprings of laughter are severely discounted. These nice people don't really mean it, do they?...Evans' production is rarely, if ever, dull, but throughout it lacks a strong point of view and an eye for detail...This one doesn't conquer; it merely tries to ingratiate."
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"Lacking polish and with intrusive direction, this revival of Goldsmith’s classic 18th-century comedy of manners is an amiable but dull affair. The recorded snippets of harpsichord music periodically played are about the only energizing element of this dutiful production...Most crucially, it’s not that funny...They’re all technically accomplished actors but their aptitude for comedy and command of period style is individually variable...Overall this rendition is pleasantly adequate."
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"Scott Alan Evans keeps the action whizzing along from scene to scene with a roistering quality that diverts attention from the most outlandish points of Goldsmith's plot...Director Evans has adapted Goldsmith's text in a way that's solicitous of the limitations of today's audiences but respectful of the playwright...Evans and his cast are demonstrating that Goldsmith's gem holds up as a source of merriment and a fine chance for actors to flaunt their comic gifts."
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"The cast and crew have managed to execute a purely delightful production at a time when the theater is too often used as a soapbox...The cast knows exactly what they’re doing, and the chemistry between one another allows the story to flow freely...For a show that premiered in 1773, it holds up remarkably well...Scott Alan Evans’ direction allows certain moments to sizzle and pop, taking full advantage of the overtly theatrical world cultivated throughout the show."
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"The self-conscious antics are further heightened by the increasingly tired, Brechtian convention of having the cast remain visible on the sides as they wait to make their entrances. This isn’t the wisest of choices for a play whose plot may strain credulity but is kept alive by the warm-heartedness of its characters, in each of whom the audience must believe. Only now and then does anyone seem flesh and blood."
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"Three words to describe this production would be wit, whimsy and wherewithal...The actors are uniformly excellent and very well cast, each finding both the humor and the heart in the character...Within...the pared-down nature of the production, the actors find numerous colors and levels, in some ways liberated by the imposed limitations. It is a testament to their commitment and the director’s intelligence that they embrace this experience and run with it."
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"Yes, 'She Stoop to Conquer' deals in romantic silliness that Goldsmith gives the sort of oomph that requires inspired directing and playing to realize its full potential. That's exactly what fails to occur here. Though the actors strive mightily, that may be the problem: too much effortful thesping. But it's not their fault. Their unrewarding toil is a consequence of Evans's direction."
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