The Critic & The Dispute

Richard Brinsley Sheridan & Pierre Marivaux

directed by Matthew Lloyd
from 10 Oct to 11 Nov

Mr Puff, publicist par excellence, invites Mr Sneer and Mr Dangle, the ultimate theatrical hangers-on, to a sneak preview of his much-vaunted playwrighting debut. In The Critic, you too can witness the catastrophic extravaganza that results when a media hack is visited by the tragic muse. A delightful satire on the make-believe world of the theatre and the darlings, gossips and pundits that surround it, The Critic is crammed with wit, hilarity and lovingly detailed human observation including in the irresistible Mr Puff, one of Sheridan's finest comic creations. Presented as a companion-piece, is a second masterpiece of 18th century theatre, Marivaux's entrancing comic gem, The Dispute. In a remote wilderness, a scientific experiment in the nature of the human heart is conducted in front of a live audience. Four human beings raised in complete isolation are set free to enact the journey from total innocence to full maturity via all the highs and lows of love. Ecstasy and jealousy, seduction and betrayal with the lightest of touches, Marivaux assembles a pocket-size compendium of sexual role play and romantic entanglement.


The Dispute & The Critic

CASTING

*** MR PUFF Adam Godley

THE PRINCE MR DANGLE James Duke

AZOR SNEER Tom Goodman-Hill

 

MESROU SENTINEL, WHISKERANDOS, FLEET, as cast Ewen Cummins

MESRIN PROMPT, EARL OF LEICESTER,

BEEFEATER , FLEET, as cast Chris Middleton

SIR FRETFUL PLAGIARY, SIR

*** CHRISTOPHER HATTON,

GOVERNOR, CONSTABLE Derek Hutchinson

 

*** SIR WALTER RALEIGH, JUSTICE,

BURLEIGH, THAMES Jason Morell

 

MESLIS SERVANT, MASTER OF HORSE, FLEET, as cast Gregory Bell

EGL… TILBURINA Susannah Wise

ADINE CONFIDANT, NIECE,

THAMES BANK, as cast Lara Bobroff

CARISE MRS DANGLE + JUSTICE'S LADY Claire Benedict

HERMIANE NIECE, THAMES BANK, as cast ZoÎ Henry

DINA as cast Nicola Barnfield

 

 

 

Director Matthew Lloyd

Designer Ashley Martin Davis

Lighting Peter Mumford

Sound Steve Brown

Assistant Director Paul Robinson

 

Company Manager Louise Tischler

Stage Manager Katie Vine

Deputy Stage Manager Lisa Williams

Assistant Stage Manager Claire Casburn

 

 

DISPUTE & CRITIC REVIEWS

‘ TWO 18TH CENTURY MINI-MASTERPIECES’ The Daily Mai

‘DELICIOUSLY FUNNY’ The Guardian

‘GLORIOUS…SHEER BLISS’ The Daily Mail

‘INTENSELY FUNNY’ The Times

(dispute)

‘Dark and multi-layered…both seductive and horrible to watch’ The Guardian

‘…like seeing the history of the world and one’s own personal relationships pass by in flash’ The Guardian

‘Neil Bartlett’s fresh, colloquial version has been reconstituted with vigour, triggering laughs and shudders at satisfying intervals’ The Telegraph

‘Best illustrating the group’s metamorphosis is Egle (Susannah Wise)…her narcissistic layers are expressively unfolded in a tirelessly springy performance’ The Telegraph

‘The play works powerfully well in the round. James Duke is a coolly satanic Prince; Susannah Wise’s Egle, a charmingly excited, yet matter-of-fact innocent’ The Times

(critic)

‘Adam Godley - a brilliant performer’ The Daily Express

‘James Duke’s theatre-hound, dripping luvvyish fervour over the breakfast table, is a hilarious comic creation’ News North West

‘Adam Godley is in fine form as Mr. Puff’ The Guardian

‘Packed with viciously barbed wit’ MEN