BBC Radio 4, 31 December 2011
Appearing as a musical leitmotif throughout Pauline
Harris's and Sharon Sephton's production, Dvorak's Humouresque emphasized the light-heartedness of the material.
While taking a swipe at English snobberies - for example, the tendency to judge people by the number of titles they
possess, or the clothes they wear - Mark Twain has great fun telling the tale of Henry Adams (Trevor White), a young
American who becomes the subject of a £20,000 bet between two wealthy English gentlemen (Jonathan Keeble, Malcolm Raeburn).
Bryony Lavery's adaptation had great fun satirizing the gentlemen, who behaved like
squabbling children, claiming that the bet would be "the easiest £5000 I ever made," which soon increased into "the easiest
£20,000 I ever made." They rushed over to the window and yelled "me first!" as they competed with one another to see who could
find the appropriate subject for the bet.
Initially Henry had not the first clue what they were talking about; he described
the entire bet as "a near-sighted geriatric mistake." Once he understood its purpose, he settled quite happily into the role
of a nouveaux-riche millionaire. He confided his thoughts in direct addresses to listeners, which became more and
more confident in tone, as he realized just how easily he could exploit English prejudices. H occupied the Royal Suite
in an exclusive London hotel, bought the best suits, and ate at Mrs. Harris's (Kathryn Hunt's) eating establishment, confident
in the knowledge that he would never have to settle any bills. The fact that he carried a million pound banknote about
his person was sufficient.
Lavery's adaptation had great fun with those who encountered Henry. Once
the tailors realized they were dealing with "an eccentric millionaire," their attitude rapidly changed. They had treated
him with disdain when he entered their establishment in rags; now they fawned over him, admiring his "tailoring perfection!"
On a visit to the opera, Henry was observed through binoculars by three well-to-do patrons (Maximilan, Octavia and Julian), who
excitedly claimed that they had at last seen "the breast-pocket millionaire!" However Henry's wealth did not give him automatic
privileges; at a society ball he was told to wait by a supercilious Majordomo (Jonathan Keeble again), until all the
titled aristocrats had made their entrances. In the privileged world of nineteenth century London, it seemed that class
assumed more importance than money.
However Henry had the last laugh; at the end of the adaptation, when he re-encountered
the two old men once again, he revealed that he had made £200,000 through astute investments. Financially speaking, he was
the right kind of person to marry Portia Langham (Verity-May Henry), providing the old men with a suitable "advantage." Clearly
capitalism had triumphed over class.
Harris's and Sephton's production was full of lovely moments: I especially liked
the lengthy kisses between Henry and Portia. The first of these was prefaced by the phrase "next time, the lips!": as they
were not yet married, they could not express their feelings too intimately. They fulfilled their desires in a second
lengthy kiss at the end. This delightful adaptation play ended with the Majordomo reading out the credits, with
Humouresque playing once again in the background, suggesting that everyone had been invited to a celebration of Henry
and Portia's betrothal.
