Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer

My favourite play is Oliver Goldsmith's She Stoops to Conquer, so I was excited to find that the innovative and exciting Orange Tree Theatre was staging a production, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the first performance in 1773. However, there was a problem, the location: Richmond, London, and in December! So, I resigned myself to disappointment. This wouldn't be the performance for me. And then, Chris discovered that they were streaming the production in January. I was so pleased.

We watched the performance, from the comfort of our own living room, at the weekend. Streaming is different from live theatre. I do prefer the "roar of the crowd and the smell of the greasepaint" but when it's a choice between watching a play or missing it, streaming is an excellent alternative.

This performance was wonderful and everything that I have come to expect from the Orange Tree Theatre. The director transported the play to the 1930s and updated some of the jokes and gags. The Hardcastle family also had the modern feeling of a blended family which added to the humour. The play zipped along with all the joy of Goldsmith's humour and wonderful words. The cast was fantastic and included Freddie Fox, Greta Saatchi and David Horovitch.

I loved the Orange Tree Theatre's production and it was so good not to miss the play because it was "down south". Theatre streaming is one of the good things to come out of the Pandemic.