Daily Mail, November 8, 1991, by Douglas Slater
-----------------------------------------------------------

From classical ballet to light comedy is not such a huge 
leap, as Natalia Makarova demonstrates in this West End 
transfer of a Chichester Festival production.

What is required is lightness on your feet and a sense of 
timing: two things sometimes short in supply on our stage 
today.

Of course this is nonsense, but it is delightful nonsense. 
Jacques Deval's fable of White Russian aristocrats winning 
out by becoming butler and maid to a vulgar Parisian banker, 
itself wins out by the wit of its invention.

Clever of Chichester to exploit its apparent topicality by 
staging it as the Bolsheviks finally got their come-uppance, 
but the skill of their choice was in the wit of the play's 
invention. Topicality dates; skill does not.

For M. Deval keeps his audience on their toes by a series of 
clever twists. First...but to tell how he does it would 
spoil the jokes. The fourth act may be a little weak--but by 
then the audience has more than had a good time, constantly 
being wrong-footed by M. Deval and laughing when they 
realise it.

It is one of the saddest aspects of our contemporary stage 
that we have largely lost the technique of such plays; and 
that is the compelling reason for seeing this show, because 
it gathers talents who are masters of this craft.

Pride of place goes to Miss Makarova, but only out of 
gallantry, for Robert Powell matches her in style and charm. 
Both achieve a lot by doing very little on stage.

And the whole company is guided by Patrick Garland, one of 
the few directors in England who still knows the difference 
between light farce and heavy ham.



-----------------------------------------------------------
                     Bentley's Bedlam
            http://www.BetsyDa.com/bedlam.html

This website is for information and entertainment purposes only 
and is not intended to infringe on copyrights held by others.