School For Scandal Scandilizing a Playhouse Near You

For those near LondonTown there is a play that you simply must see at the Barbican Theatre, The School For Scandal.  You may recall this was the play that Richard Sheridan wrote in which he based his main character, Lady Teazle, on Georgiana.  Other Devonshire Set friends could be found in it as well and he dedicated his play to Mrs. Crewe (who gleefully also saw herself in it).

The play seems to be taking the same approach as Sophia Coppola took when she directed Marie Antoinette; putting a modern outlook on a time period not too different from our own:

Deborah Warner's fresh take on Sheridan's The School For Scandal imbues this scorching comedy with contemporary resonance as our own celebrity-obsessed culture collides with the gossip-ridden, highfashion world of eighteenth-century London.

Just look at the play's site: a popart mesh of black, white, and pink.  One can only wonder how much of this ambiance carries over into the actual play.

I came across the play after seeing this not-so-flattering review in the The Evening Standard. So what is Henry Hitching's beef with the Barbican's production?  Not enough Sheridan.  Totally understandable!

The School For Scandal is now playing at the Barbican Theatre from now until 18 June.

Another Famous Actress Who Portrayed Lady Teazle

Fans of Gone with the Wind or Vivien Leigh might be interested in this little factoid.  In 1941 Leigh and her husband Sir Lawrence Olivier starred side by side in The School for Scandal and later took the play on tour in 1948-9.  The benefit performance of 1941 was also the same year Leigh and Olivier had starred in another film taking place in the 18th century, That Hamilton Woman.

The School of Scandal if you recall, was a play written by Georgiana's friend Richard Brinsley Sheridan.  Sheridan based his character off his own friends and the main character of the play, Lady Teazle was inspired by Georgiana.  So in a way, the legendary Leigh played the legendary duchess!

For more info on Leigh and Olivier's performances in The School for Scandal check out this lovely site.

The Sylph, Letters 15-23

Summary
We are finally introduced to the character in which the book is named after, the Sylph. He enters Julia’s life in the form of a mysterious letter offering advice and comfort in the environment that Julia is still so very uncomfortable in. He also warns her to be wary of the men she is frequently in the presence of, particularly Lord Biddluph. Both Julia and her sister welcome the guardian angel’s presence.

Julia writes again in a state of distress after finding a letter to Lord Stanley from Lucy Gardiner. Lucy’s letter reveals that Lord Stanley is also having an affair with the very woman he put Julia in the protection of, Lady Anne. The letter goes on to reveal that Lucy left Lord Biddluph to be with Sir William and Julia keenly notes that this makes Lord Biddluph eager for revenge.

To ease her stress, Julia begins a fondness for gambling and writes to her sister to tell her of a victorious comeback in a card game. She receives another letter from the Sylph warning her of the dangers of gambling and as a further example tells the story of a Lady D- who was blackmailed into sleeping with Lord L- to repay her gambling losses.

In the meantime Sir William admits his debts to Julia and she signs over marital assets to him. Lord Biddluph writes to Colonel Montague to complain that Julia suddenly had no interest in playing cards.

Discuss
Susan R. was correct! Sir William cannot handle a woman in his own set. Although Lucy is not a member of the ton per se, she obviously has a lot of experience with spending time with them and ahem knowing their ways.
The Georgiana Connection
One of the means that The Sylph could be identified to be Georgiana’s work was also one of the reasons for its popularity. Just like Richard Sheridan’s play, The School for Scandal, fans amused themselves by trying to pick out which notorious celebrity was represented in each character. Lady Besford may not have a large role in The Sylph but it is likely that she take upon the characteristics of Georgiana’s close friend and mentor, Lady Melbourne. Lady Melbourne was also known to be frank yet graceful, and carried on many affairs, but wasn’t as sloppy in them as other young aristocrats. In fact she remained on amiable terms with many of her old lovers.

Lady Anne Parker, the real jerk of the two companions, without a doubt in my mind is the insufferable Lady Jersey. This vindictive lass was known to be cruel to her friends for the fun of it, which is what Lady Anne did to Julia by purposely inviting her to an opera, knowing Lord Stanley would be there with his mistress. Lady Jersey had an affair with the Duke of Devonshire and made no secret of it to Georgiana and this was also incorporated into the novel with Lady Anne’s affair with Lord Stanley.

Georgiana was always searching for helpful advice to guide her into making the correct decisions. Her mother was her chief adviser although Georgiana would have probably liked to have a more neutral adviser such as the Sylph. In her letters to her mother there is always a tone of insecurity and apprehension in her actions.

How do you feel about Julia’s latest decisions? There were many in these letters which she faced. Should she have confronted her husband about the letter, perhaps tried gambling a little more, or even refused to sign over what little assets she had?

Tart of the Week: Frances Abington

Before Mrs. Abington was a leading actress playing roles such as Lady Teazle, she was just a simple flower girl and busker. Fanny Barton, as she was known then, soon after gained employment with a French milliner which proved to be beneficial because she learned both French and the art of costume. It is unclear as to the specifics, but around this time she had gained employment in a brothel, something that would be publicized later during her celebrity. She got her big break in 1755, acting in the Haymarket. Her career took her to Ireland where she enjoyed great success and could only be lured back to England by the coaxing of the theater-genius, David Garrick. By this point Frances had married; the lucky man was her music teacher, a James Abington. The marriage gave her the name that made her famous: Mrs Abington, but it also gave her a lot of grief. It was not a happy marriage. In 1773 Frances had made it onto Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, a notorious listing of prostitutes, which reported that James Abington had "sold her to Mr.--- for 500L. and entered into the articles never to molest him in the possession of her." Sold the divine Ms A?! I doubt she was a woman to be sold! Well, at least not by someone besides herself. By this time the couple had separated and were living apart. Frances had even taken up with a rich MP.

Frances' tartliness is perhaps best expressed in Joshua Reynolds' portrait of her, Mrs Abington as 'Miss Prue. The character of Mrs Prue was a naive country girl seduced by a dandy; Frances' portrayal of Miss Prue is exaggerated to the point of overt-sexuality. In modern terms this would be the 'girl-next-door look.' Frances is comfortable with her viewers, judging from the way she casually sits in the chair. By pressing her thumb to her parted lips she makes a very suggestive statement. The result is a gorgeous portrait, full of personality. And that is a great way to describe Mrs Abington herself, she was a gorgeous lady, full of ambition, very fashionable, and clever and I believe she was rewarded for it. Of all the tarts, it seems English society was the most forgiving of Mrs. Abington.

The School for Scandal

One of the best glimpses we have into the the life of the members of the ton is the satirical play The School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Being that Sheridan was a member of the Devonshire House circle he knew first hand how they operated, in fact he humorously put himself in the play in the role of Snake. In the play, the conniving group of elitist friends are schemeing to bing down Lord Teazle's young bride Lady Teazle who is a simple country girl whose spending on fashion is enraging her old husband. Lady Teazle, of course, was modeled after Georgiana. Her evil frenemy Lady Sneerwell is modeled after Lady Jersey and Lady Melbourne, or possibly a combination of all despicable ladies of the ton.

After being alerted to its existence, I was able to rent a 1975 version of the 1777 play. To be honest I went into it with low expectations. I was delighted to find that I liked it! It was like a funny British version of Dangerous Liasons. No wonder it was George Washington's favorite play! I only hope I can catch on stage at some point.