BWW Reviews: A Fun, Light Evening out with Washington Stage Guild's ON APPROVAL

Downton Abbey fans might recall a recent plot line in which our beloved, self-obsessed Lady Mary tries out a new beau for the weekend, to see if he's marriage material. Given the many anachronistic plot twists and ironic one-liners in the show, we could be forgiven for assuming that the series' author, Julian, Lord Fellows, was throwing in yet another modern-day touch to make Michelle Dockery's character more hip.

Well, well, well - Lady Mary, meet Frederick Lonsdale, whose classic comedy of marriage and manners, "On Approval," is receiving a spirited revival at the Washington Stage Guild. It seems that the Roaring 20's was indeed a time for women to take a more active role in the selection of their mates.

Lonsdale's women are every inch the model flappers of the age and - as veteran suffragettes - were anxious to take on the man's world. This London wit hit his prime in the 1920's, when television was unheard of and the cinema usually featured silent films accompanied by out-of-tune upright pianos and wee boys with tambourines. It was a golden age, in other words, for live theatre; and light, sitcom-like material could attract huge crowds in much the same way that we now flock to reruns on Netflix. The fare was often easily digested, but - much like today-to compete for audiences it had to be clever and it had to play go against our expectations of the typical comic plot.

In this case we find a merry widow, Maria Wislack (the incomparable Tricia McCauley) proposing to spend a month with her beau at her Scottish estate, to see whether he really is as good a match as he appears to be on the surface. The proposal isn't as scandalous as you might think - London theatres were strictly censored in those days - but of course this doesn't mean we can't have great fun at the expense of our own expectations. Her man, Richard Halton (solidly played by Paul Edward Hope) is the very milk of human kindness, and a real catch if Maria would only bother to make up her mind.

Meanwhile her kind young confidante, Helen Hayle (played here with relish by Constellation Theatre's Megan Dominy), has her heart set on the incredibly self-absorbed Duke of Bristol (Dylan Myers, as perfect an upper-class twit as you could hope to find). When she learns of her friend Maria's plan to take her man "on approval"--trying out the merchandise before committing to purchase--she resolves to try the Duke on for size.

What these four learn about each other in the highlands is, naturally, the meat of the play and provides more than enough entertainment for a good night out. Lonsdale gives us a few twists and turns to the plot; but he also knows that only mediocre comedies end in weddings; good comedies end in a fine mess, and you can rest assured that the final tableaux is just what the script doctor ordered.

Director Steven Carpenter adopts a conservative style here, which can lead to some 'stand and deliver' moments early on, when a bit more stage business might have eased us through the exposition more nicely. Once the plot thickens, however, the action is well-timed and well done. Carl F. Gudenius, with the assistance of Sydney Moore, has created two charming settings (one in London, the other in Scotland), and Lynn Steinmetz has decked out the small cast in some very nice period threads indeed. Marcus Darnley provides us with some nice period music as well, which comments on the action.

"On Approval" is a great way to spend a warm spring evening, especially with a date; Washington Stage Guild has argued, once again, for more revivals of long-neglected British fare.

Production Photo, from left to right: Megan Dominy as Helen and Tricia McCauley as Maria. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

Performances of On Approval are at the Undercroft Theatre April 23-May 17, in the Undercroft Theatre at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachussetts Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. For tickets and directions call 240-582-0050, or at the Washington Stage Guild website: www.stageguild.org/

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