Review: LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN, Vaudeville Theatre

Sex, equality, morality and fidelity are all issues currently in the forefront of many people's minds. As part of a year-long celebration of Oscar Wilde, Dominic Droomgoole's Classic Spring theatre company now turn to Lady Windermere's Fan after A Woman Of No Importance. It is something of a relief to see a play that respects the serious themes of power and society's views of the morality of men and women, but yet remains gloriously funny and light-hearted.

The plot is not as rich as some of Wilde's other pieces, and the story often feels a little thin. Lady Windermere suspects her husband is having an affair with Mrs Erlynne and in retaliation considers an affair of her own. The reality is that Mrs Erlynne is the mother who abandoned Lady Windermere when she was a baby, due - again - to an affair.

What the writing does remind us of is the great compassion of Wilde in his attitude to women; he leaves the audience in no doubt that he is vehemently against the view of society that extramarital affairs make dashing heroes of men and whores of women.

The play relies on the wit of the author and of the cast to carry it along, rather than a strong plotline. It seems that the cast may be aware of this as there is sometimes a sense that the actors are waiting for the audience to react to their lines, rather than the flow being as smooth as it could be.

Grace Monoly makes a promising West End debut as the supposedly wronged Lady Windermere; she begins a little cold and priggish, but develops to show great vulnerability as the young wife, driven to contemplating an affair in retaliation for her husband's own supposed infidelities.

Samantha Spiro is excellent as Mrs Erlynne. Wilde makes it clear that her past behaviour was a reaction to her feelings of desperation and restriction through her marriage and motherhood. She behaved as a man and had an affair, but her comeuppance for such outrageous behaviour was social ostracisation. Spiro creates a balanced character who is outwardly a femme fatale, but underneath she recognises the full weight of the judgment of society from bitter experience.

As hard as it is to believe, this is Jennifer Saunders' first theatrical role in 25 years, after her one and only appearance alongside Dawn French in 1993. Those who saw her Downton Abbey sketch for Comic Relief a few years ago will recognise many traits from the hilarious Maggie Smith parody she performed there in her role as the Duchess Of Berwick.

She steals the show in this comparatively minor role, with judicious use of physical comedy, such as fixing her head so rigidly, she looks as though she is wearing a neck brace. She also delivers her lines as cuttingly as you could wish for.

Kathy Burke's direction uses some judicious editing to maintain the flow of the production. In the second half of the play, the Duchess of Berwick is entirely absent, but Burke has written an very amusing variety-style song for her to perform during a set change, just to remind the audience of her hilarious presence.

Kevin Bishop takes on the role of Lord Darlington. He creates a character that is slightly awkward and bumbling, rather than a slick womaniser. He is a safe option for Lady Windermere as he presents no danger to her and his comedy is gentle, not knowing.

Paul Wills' design is clean and uncluttered, with a lovely use of colour in both the set and costumes. The period costumes themselves are lush and luxurious, with a superbly large hat for the Duchess of Berwick, showcasing a perching, stuffed bird in the first act.

This is a production that relies on arch delivery and eager audience reaction, but it is a very pleasant evening and Saunders is a joy to watch.

Lady Windermere's Fan is at the Vaudeville Theatre until 7 April

Photo Credit: Marc Brenner