The Stage

Where There’s a Will

Published Friday 13 February 2009 at 11:05 by John Thaxter

One of Feydeau’s lesser-known plays, The Ribadier System here gets a witty makeover by Nicki Frei and a staging by Peter Hall that cleverly emphasises the physical comedy .

More a farcical comedy than a farce, the plot has nothing to do with wills. Instead, it revolves around Charles Edwards’ Ribadier, who hypnotises his suspicious wife Angele, inducing a deep but peaceful coma, so he can leave the house undetected for an evening’s romp with his mistress.

But the scheme immediately starts to unravel when Tony Gardner as an old friend and rival turns up, too late to marry Angele, but determined to have his wicked way with her. Climbing the balcony followed by an impressive pratfall, he arouses the sleeping beauty just at the moment when Ribadier returns unexpectedly, followed hot foot by Teddy Kempner as a vengeful cuckold, a wine merchant more concerned with a decent order for cognac than a duel to the death.

While a fine cast keeps the laughs coming gently, the resonating open spaces of the Rose Theatre are not ideal for quick-fire verbal comedy. But the evening is rich in sight gags and the lavish period setting by Christopher Woods, using the full width of the stage, is a constant visual delight suggesting a pros-arch presentation.

Edwards brings his suave 39 Steps aplomb to the role of Ribadier, but the performance of the evening comes from blonde Sara Stewart as the put-upon Angele in superb fin de siecle costumes, delivering her asides to the audience with beautifully judged exasperation and engagement.