Engaged

What sweeter way to celebrate summer, or a holiday with your honey, than with a trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake? Less than two hours' drive from Toronto, the picturesque town is home to some of Southern Ontario's most delicious food and wine, as well as to the acclaimed Shaw Festival theatre company. This season, artistic director Jackie Maxwell's last, boasts an ambitious lineup of shows, including a new production of W.S. Gilbert's rarely seen Victorian comedy Engaged directed by Morris Panych. A comic look at love, marriage and society's obsession with money, this 1877 satire went on to inspire the comedies of Shaw, Oscar Wilde and Noël Coward.

Act one is set in the garden of a cottage on the border between England and Scotland. Here we meet the home owner, a no-nonsense Mrs. Mcfarlane (Mary Haney), and her fiesty daughter Maggie (Julia Course) who has just been prosed to by the strapping yet sensitive Angus Macalister (Martin Happer)—all of them have highly exaggerated Scottish accents.

Hoping to secure additional income for his marriage to Maggie, Angus detrails a passing train so that the passengers may chance upon their humble cottage in search of refreshments and overnight accommodation. Little does Angus know what drama will unfold as the train passengers descend upon them: Belvawney (Jeff Meadows) and Belinda (Nicole Underhay) are fleeing Major McGillicuddy (Ric Reid) to whom Belinda was engaged to wed. Belvawney hopes to make Belinda his own, but in order to keep her he must convince her that his income is stable. Belvawney's income depends on the marital status of his friend, Cheviot Hill (Gray Powell), who has a most unfortunate habit of proposing marriage to every young woman he meets. Cheviot's father, recognising Belvawney's influence on Cheviot, provides Belvawney with £1000 yearly so long as Cheviot remains single. Should Cheviot die or marry, the money becomes the property of Cheviot's uncle, Symperson (Shawn Wright), who promises Cheviot the hand of his daughter Minnie (Diana Donnelly) so that he may keep the fortune for himself.

This already complex plot is further complicated when the group arrives at Mrs. Mcfarlane's cottage, where Cheviot finds himself engaged to Maggie, Belinda and Mr. Symperson's absent daughter Minnie a the same time. The first act ends with Belinda announcing that Cheviot is her husband, in order to escape the clutches of the cuckolded Major McGillicuddy, but Scottish customs dictate that this act of declaration is enough to make their marriage offical.

Act two takes place in the drawing room of Mr. Symperson's house in London. His daughter Minnie is all set to marry Cheviot as planned, but the arrival of her old friend Belinda throws Cheviot's marital status into uncertain territory. What follows is a delightful series of over-the-top negotiations that ultimately results in a satisfying business arrangement for all parties involved.

Featuring a flowery set, colourful costumes and solid performances by a top-notch cast, Panych's entertaining production serves up love and laughter in equal measure. Audiences will no doubt fall for Gray Powell who is immensely watchable as the shameless lothario Cheviot Hill.

Fun, flirty and cleverly staged, Engaged is the perfect theatrical fling. See it until to October 23, 2016 at the Royal George Theatre. Visit shawfest.com for more information and to buy tickets.