Review: CASTE, Finborough Theatre

Marking the 150th anniversary of T.W. Robertson's comedy drama, Caste tackles class in a way that might well have worked for the playwright's first audiences. Today, however, Peters' work falls flat, with its cheap laughs and rather predictable three-act form.

It's a familiar plot: nobleman George d'Alruy falls madly in love with poor young dancer Esther Eccles, saves her from poverty and then goes off to war, leaving her at the mercy of her drunken squanderer father and Victorian England's class prejudices.

Charlotte Peters' revival features too much overacting, but Rebecca Collingwood (who plays Polly Eccles, Esther's sister) and Ben Starr's (Captain Hawtree) exchanges are cleverly and subtly performed. Duncan Moore, in contrast, looks rather lost, perhaps getting too much into the character of the foolishly lovestruck aristocrat.

Robbie Butler's lighting design has ingenious touches, like ending the scenes with the bright flash of a camera while the actors freeze as if a photo's being taken. It's one of the scant highlights of the show - the other being the slickly choreographed scene change at the end of the first act.

Georgia de Grey's set design, borrowed from Incident at Vichy (which is playing at the same venue on different days) is naturalistic but unmemorable, matching the rather sloppy costumes. A heavy-handed production of a piece lacking appeal beyond its limited comedy.

Caste runs at Finborough Theatre on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday until 18 April.