The Recruiting Officer - Review by Alice Wordsworth

** (2 Stars)

Salisbury Playhouse - 2 November, 2013

The Recruiting Officer is a Restoration Comedy written by George Farquhar and was first performed in 1706. It is a bawdy comedy of bed-hopping and meddling servants, set in the military town of Shrewsbury at the beginning of the 18th century.

The production captures the style of Restoration Theatre, incorporating period instruments to entertain the audience during the scene changes. Similarly the costumes mirror the era: the men in extravagant wigs and the ladies all bust and bustle. The production uses a multi-functional set with revolving sections that could be adapted for each scene. However, the simplicity of the set did not enhance my understanding of the plot line and although the costumes mirrored the era, the actors did not embody them to full effect.

This style of theatre and period of writing is challenging to a young audience and it is sometimes difficult to follow all the twists and turns in the plot. However, the audience clearly understood the raucous jokes. Confusion was exacerbated by the fact Plume dropped the end of several lines, thus leaving me further mystified to the plot’s progression. The production lacks pace and energy and unfortunately the night we attended Kite had to be played by one of the creative team who stepped up to the task at very short notice and I feel this must have affected the overall pace of the performance that evening. 

Nevertheless, the actors worked well off the audience, Emma Williams in particular capturing the excitement of Melinda's character, without falling into the trap of exaggerating or becoming too flamboyant – a common issue with this style of theatre. The cast did capture the eccentric nature of Restoration Theatre, yet a more exciting set and diverse direction was needed to maximise the comic potential of the script.   

The Recruiting Officer is at the Salisbury Playhouse until Saturday 23 November, 2013 - tickets can be purchased via the website: http://www.salisburyplayhouse.com/page/the-recruiting-officer 

Photo: Keith Pattison