The School for Scandal

Comedians: just wind them up and let them go. Give them a restoration comedy and a dress-up box of wigs, bustles and stripy breeches and you’ve got yourself a show. The School for Scandal is rich pickings for the cast of comedians, full of saucy asides, venomous backbiting and outrageous caricatures. Paul Foot flowers his role with foppish delight, while Phil Nichol escalates through the play to a spit ball of rage and panic. The audience was playfully mocked for finding themselves no doubt lost at times in the ebullient language and plot of hide and seek. Sheridan’s language is sometimes a tongue twister for the cast, but the best moments come from the physical comedy and, as expected, the unstoppable ad libs. It should be said though that the production is more than its ensemble cast: with a beautiful unfussy set and a funky soundtrack, a colourfully unpredictable performance awaits you each night.