In October 2016 we performed Oliver Goldsmith’s much-loved comedy She Stoops to Conquer in a new adaptation that included music from some of the best-loved operas of Mozart, Goldsmith’s close contemporary.
This light-hearted farce of mistaken identities is set in the rustic English countryside and truly lives up its sub-title The Mistakes of a Night. It is based on an event from Goldsmith’s own life where he mistook the house of a friend of his father’s for an inn, and it pokes gentle fun at city folk at the hands of humbler rural folk, including the rumbustious Tony Lumpkin, one of the great creations of English literature.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was a contemporary of Goldsmith’s and is responsible for some of the world’s best-loved classical music. Yet, despite creating superlative music, Mozart struggled to find good-quality librettos. After enjoying the perfect pairing of Mozart’s music with Goldsmith’s words, we can only wonder what operatic jewels could have been produced if only they had been able to work together, for what a partnership that would have been!
Cast
- Dorothy Hardcastle: Joan Self
- Kate Hardcastle: Claire Johnson
- Constance Neville: Tracy Humphreys
- Mistress Diggory: Fiona Robson
- Mistress Muggins: Ingrid Stevens
- Sir Charles Marlow: Martin Cosgrif
- Charles Marlow: Paul Tomlinson
- Dick Hardcastle: David Stevens
- George Hastings: Tim Johnson
- Tony Lumpkin: Graham Robson
- Stingo: Martin Cosgrif
Production
- Adaptation & Direction: Tim Johnson
- Accompanist: Rachel Bird
- Sets: Graham Robson