Actors make 'She Stoops' a laughable success

During the rehearsals leading up to this week's performances of "She Stoops to Conquer," director Fontaine Syer said repeatedly reminded actors that "The acting style this material requires has certain things in common with 'I Love Lucy.'" \nWithout a doubt, the greatest triumph of IU's Saturday evening production of "She Stoops to Conquer" was the actors' success in presenting exaggerated characters who were constantly scheming to manipulate each other and finding themselves in ludicrous situations. The actors developed the characters into lovable, endearing personages for whom the audience gained a deep affection. \nEach and every character in "She Stoops to Conquer" was magnificently played to craft a dizzying romp of mistaken identities, social embarrassment and overall uproarious confusion in the lives of two pairs of lovers. From the principal roles to the minor characters, including the maids and the household servants, every actor demonstrated immense comedic ability that had the audience in stitches long after the actors left the stage.\nParticularly notable was the performance of graduate student Reneé Racan Rodríguez. As Kate Hardcastle, she was able to create a memorably independent, spirited character who shattered whatever preconceptions the audience had of the typical subservient Georgian woman. Rodriguez radiated an air of confidence and manipulative wit that had not only the other characters, but also the audience, wrapped around her finger.\nOne of the elements of the show the audience was most receptive to was the costuming, designed by Linda Pisano. The rule of thumb for these 18th-century costumes was, apparently, size really does matter. Even more specifically, the gigantesque skirts and bonnets and the well-placed fake mole sported by Mrs. Hardcastle, played by graduate student Holly Holbrook, in her desperate attempt to keep up with contemporary fashions, literally stole the scene.\nOne of the most imaginative and resourceful aspects of the show, however, was the scenic design. The main set piece, created by Dathan Powell, gave real depth to the Hardcastle household, and the lighting design, orchestrated by Gregory C. Brenchley, allowed the scenery to go from the warmth of an inn to the coolness of a damp English moor in a perfectly seamless scene change. Because of this effortlessness and the ease with which the characters charmed the audience, "She Stoops to Conquer" proved to be fast-paced, dynamic and riotously funny. \n"Between the sharp dialogue, pointed wit, powdered wigs, trickery, British accents, humor and overall ridiculous fun, 'She Stoops to Conquer' was loads of laughs," said Ben Campbell, a freshman who attended Saturday night's performance.\n"She Stoops to Conquer" will run 7:30 p.m. tonight through Saturday at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre. For tickets and more information visit www.indiana.edu/~thtr/.