She Stoops to conquer

B oisterous and brimming with energy. Oliver Goldsmith's funniest and most famous play finds new life in this scrupulously faithful screen adaptation. The plot centers on Kate a well-bred, whip-smart lass who passes herself off as a barmaid to win the heart of her stuffy suitor. Full of mistaken identities and multiple deceptions, the play pokes fun at the various masks we all wear in social situations and proves as relevant now as it did when it debuted in 1773. Along the way, Goldsmith's conniving characters learn much about the nature of true love. Filmed entirely at a 17th-century English manor house, this production escapes the confines of the stage and enlivens Goldsmith's witty text in every scene. The stellar cast includes Mark Dexter (The Bill, From Hell), Roy Marsden (Devices and Desires), acclaimed newcomer Susannah Fielding, and veteran stage actors Polly Hemingway and Ian Redford.