I spent the evening at the exquisite Richmond Theatre for a viewing of ‘Quality Street.’ The romantic comedy by JM Barrie first took to the stage in 1901 and has been updated in this recent production by Northern Broadsides and the New Vic.

A play in four acts, the story centres around the wooing of Phoebe Throssel by gentleman Valentine Brown and the audience takes its amusement predominantly from the quaintness, peculiar habits and outbursts of Phoebe and her sister Susan. As the on-stage chemistry of Paula Lane and Louisa-May Parker, playing the sisters, grows with the plot, laughs from the auditorium grew deservedly louder. The cast as a whole brings humour to the production through their physical performances - a testament to Ben Wright’s polished choreography. Particularly notable in this respect are the scenes at the sisters’ school which rely on slickly synchronised puppetry to personify the pupils, a further comic win. The modern disco dancing at the ball delivers a similar wittiness with foil gowns resembling Quality Street chocolate wrappers adding extra cause to chuckle.

During the 2020 staging of the play, Northern Broadsides invited a group of ladies who work at the Quality St factory today into their rehearsals (‘Mac’s Lasses’). The producers so enjoyed the ladies anecdotes on factory life and their own musings on romance, that they included Macs Lasses as characters who frame the play and provide commentary. This adds a valuable second dimension to the production, but also demonstrates an intention to prove that whilst the script is Edwardian, it’s teachings on love have relevance today. In this latter endeavour, for me the play fell slightly by the wayside.

When Phoebe expects a proposal from Brown in Act 1, his enlistment to the war instead humiliates her into hiding behind schoolmistress’ garm and proprietary for the 10 years to come. Brown returns and does not recognise tired and aged Phoebe so, insulted, she tricks him into falling instead for Livvy - her young and vivacious niece who is actually Phoebe’s undetected alter ego. As Phoebe hops between her double personas, we are treated to quick remarks on the difficulties women face at the hands of shallow men, including ‘why does thirty seem so much more than twenty-nine?’ and ‘if there were enough geese to go round, no woman of sense would ever get a husband’ - these lines succeed in feeling timeless and relatable.

It is in the second half that the message starts to feel outdated. After enjoying the balls with Livvy, Brown ultimately confesses it is Phoebe he has loved all along. His preference is not for a flirt but for a ‘modest violet’. Barbara, one of the older of Mac’s Lasses, tells that with age one understands that love is about compromise and reliability more so than fleeting lust; the aim being to use the turn in the plot to demonstrate the well-told truth that love is deeper than youth and beauty.

However, Phoebe’s chastisement of Livvy as hateful due to her being ‘forward’ and ‘flirting’ and Brown’s mansplaining that, essentially, if Livvy is going to be able to hold on to a suitor she ought to act with more grace, feel a step too close to slut-shaming for a 2023 audience. The production includes an original scene where Mac’s Lasses criticise Livvi’s flirting and air their hopes for Phoebe to win out. The eventual union of Brown and Phoebe does not feel uplifting but disappointing - a victory for the misogynist male protagonist at the expense of Phoebe’s sense of self and ambition. If the aim is to draw modern relatability from the script, I would enjoy a portrayal of Brown that highlights and pokes fun at his evident narcissism and perhaps one which sees the sisters ‘go it alone.’ We would celebrate this as a triumph far quicker than Phoebe’s betrothal; the latter seeming only to be a result of her willingness to routinely change her identity to suit her male counterpart’s desires.

Whilst I may have felt left with more of a coconut eclair than a golden barrel at the end of the story, the play certainly gave some strong performances. Gilly Tompkins was a clear standout and Jelani D’Aguilar kept us giggling throughout. I also thoroughly enjoyed Nick Sagar’s jingles. An evening in Richmond Theatre in and of itself is a delightful experience with the staff being particularly careful to make their guests comfortable  and I look forward to visiting again soon.

Click here for the theatre’s commendable pipeline of productions.

Date:  12 April - Sat 15 April 2023.Price: from £13 Location: Richmond Theatre, 1 Little Green, Richmond TW9 1QH.

Words by Lucy Firestone