Bourgeois Comedy Has A Taste For Word Play

Newcastle Herald

Friday January 11, 2008

Ken Longworth

REVIEW

THE PHILANTHROPIST

Presented by: Newcastle Theatre Company (phone 4952 4958)

Venue: Newcastle Repertory Theatre, Lambton

Season: Ends January 26

PHILIP, the title character, is an academic whose specialty is philology, the study of written records.

As one of his friends notes, Philip likes the sound of words rather than their meanings, and this becomes increasingly clear during the course of The Philanthropist as Philip's halting use of language fractures his relationships with all around him.

Christopher Hampton's play is subtitled "a bourgeois comedy", a nod to the works of 17th-century French playwright Moliere, and there are certainly amusing parallels between this contemporary tale and the mercilessly funny treatment meted out to the middle class of the Frenchman's day.

Most of the action of The Philanthropist takes place before and after a dinner party that Philip hosts.

The first half, when Philip and his guests engage in banter that's sharply funny, is followed by the more sobering next morning when Philip, who tries not to hurt anyone's feelings, is forced by fiancee Celia and best friend Don to assess his relationships.

Unsurprisingly, Hampton's text is most sparkling when the partygoers are in full flight. The morning-after scenes tend to be verbose because the author, unlike his central character, has a passion for what words can say.

It's fortunate that director Dudley Horque and his actors put bite into the lengthy second-act exchanges, with Roger Onslow's Philip, who spends much of the dinner party scenes reacting to what his guests say (and reacting very amusingly), being given the chance to show that he does indeed have feelings.

Onslow at times brings to mind Charlie Chaplin, whose facial expressions and silences could say so much about his characters. His use of body language is especially memorable in a scene showing Philip's reactions to the unsubtle efforts by the voluptuous Araminta (Lynda Rennie) to get him into bed.

Araminta is one character who doesn't get tangled up in the latter's words; and the exchanges between Rennie and Anika Means's hard-edged Celia have bounce.

Richard Murray's suave and self-seeking Don offers strong contrast to Philip's uncertainty; Stewart McGowan, as best-selling writer Braham, mercilessly sends up what one character calls hypocritical creeps; Amy Griffiths says a lot with her expressions in the only role that doesn't have any words; and Clifford Dinglasan-March briefly gives firepower to a would-be playwright.

© 2008 Newcastle Herald

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