The School For Wives

The School for Wives is the latest production from the acclaimed Bell Shakespeare theatre company and sees Justin Fleming take on 17th century French playwright Molière with this brand new translation. The setting has been transposed to 1920s Paris and essentially the plot is this – Arnolde, a rich, slightly creepy old gentleman wants to find the ideal wife. His solution? He enlists a local convent to raise an orphan girl in isolation until she turns 18 – she'll be young and innocent and untouched by modern vices – perfect marriage material. What could possibly go wrong? Well plenty, as it turns out.

Including interval, the play lasts slightly over two and a half hours, and offers no shortage of laughs. Much of the amusement is down to the witty rhyming dialogue, which moves quickly and works best when it's at its most conversational, with two or more characters involved – the monologues slightly less so. The performances are all very good, particularly Harriet Dyer who plays the brilliantly naïve would-be bride Agnes – she's very genuine and funny. The real surprise of the evening, though, comes from Arnolde's faithful, doting, idiotic servants Alain and Georgette, whose fantastic slapstick routines are a real highlight of the play.

The plot is hardly going to leave you speechless, but director Lee Lewis gets around that with some unexpected and entertaining additions to proceedings. The show's high-energy finale is worth the ticket price alone. A fun night at the theatre.

Running at the Sydney Opera House until Saturday 24 November.