BBC Bristol on Charley's Aunt, July 2005
Review: Charley's Aunt
The wild impetuosity of first love as experienced by Victorian Oxbridge undergraduates is the key to this highly successful comedy.
The play revolves around the bizarre strategy employed by Jack Chesney and Charley Wykeham to ensnare their respective female prey.
We open with Jack's agonised musing over how to write to his damsel. Matthew Parish convincingly portrays Jack the lovesick swain but the opening is marred by an over-long wait before his jolly chum, Charley, played by Christian Roe, appears to spark the action.
The two lads maintain a youthful exuberance and a hearty male banter throughout the show. Christian Roe is a talented comic actor and this enables him to match the intense physicality of Matthew Parish’s Jack.
Charley's aunt, a Brazilian millionairess who has paid Charley's fees through Eton and Oxford is coming to visit him so now instead of writing to the girls they can invite them to lunch to meet the aunt.
Next the lads' friend, Lord Fancourt Babberley (Babs), arrives, bringing with him a female costume he is going to wear for an amateur dramatics production. He sympathises with their lovesickness as he too once had a love but she was lost to him.
Unfortunately though Charley's aunt doesn't turn up and the girls arrive. As there is no chaperone, "we must leave immediately" they cry.
Worse still, then Jack's father arrives to explain that Jack will now have to work for a living – in India!
Andrew McDonald, as the father, shows a fine well trained voice for repertoire and has the good stage presence of a very experienced actor.
Resourcefully, Jack suggests his father woos Charley's aunt when she does eventually arrive. Disaster follows - the aunt has been delayed for several days.
Suddenly their friend, Babs, comes out dressed in his lady's costume and is persuaded to impersonate Charley's aunt.
At over six feet tall, Asa Joel fully milks the comic potential of the role of Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez by affecting a ludicrous "Edinburgh lady" accent, and making frequent lapses into "maleness".
Then Mr Stephen Spettigue appears, uncle of one girl, guardian of the other. David Pomerantz steals the show with his acting.
An American actor his English accent is perfect. His performance is like a spitfire raining down upon Donna Lucia as he interrogates her as to the whereabouts of his niece and his ward.
However, on learning of her wealth a highly comic volte-face takes place and he instantly decides to become her wooer!
Spot on casting sparring him against Andrew McDonald’s Colonel Chesney ensures that these men indulge in a simmering male rivalry which fuels the show.
High capers follow!
Queen Square lends itself to the men racing off stage and into the gardens in hot pursuit of "Donna Lucia" who of course is disgracefully flirting with both of them and also, much to Jack and Charley’s chagrin, physically mauling the girls.
Colonel Chesney then proposes to "Donna Lucia" who charmingly declines the offer. Asa Joel and Andrew McDonald display some particularly fine acting in this scene.
Of course none of them banked on the real Donna Lucia, excellently characterised by Esther Biddle, arriving after all and bringing with her none other than Ela Delahay, who is Babs' lost love.
By now Jack and Charley's proposals have been accepted by the girls but they need Mr Spettigue's written permission and the bogus Donna Lucia has agreed to get it and succeeds in doing so by pretending to consider Spettigue's proposal of marriage.
The real Donna Lucia is gleefully playing along with the masquerade, teasing the bogus Donna Lucia with jibes such as "I knew your late husband intimately". By now, Babs wants out of this dangerous game.
The real Donna Lucia has turned out to be Colonel Chesney's long lost love from 20 years' ago and they agree to marry.
Spettigue, blissfully deluded, thinks he is engaged to the bogus Donna Lucia. The young couples are happily engaged and Spettigue invites the party to dinner at his home.
Charley then confesses the whole trick and Babs walks in. Babs and Ela recognise each other and add their engagement to the other engagements and we are left with happiness all round except for poor old Spettigue.
Talented director, Miles Gregory, has produced a show rather like a wine tasting. The younger actors are outrageously funny like bubbles in a glass of champagne.
The three older actors, David Pomerantz, Andrew McDonald and Esther Biddle give the production its fully developed flavour like a vintage wine on a summer's evening.
Theresa Roche
