McCarter delivers again with an amusing period comedy

A buck's antlers mounted above the hearth, a painting of a freshly bagged hare and partridge, a central staircase leading up to the bedchambers - the trappings of the prototypical old English manor abound in McCarter Theatre's take on Oliver Goldsmith's enduring period comedy "She Stoops to Conquer." And with a dazzling set, high-energy performances and a frenetic pace, it takes little effort to heed artistic director Emily Mann's encouragement in the playbill to "relax, let go and enjoy the ride!"

Theatergoers have indeed been enjoying Goldsmith's wild ride since the days when the Reverend John Witherspoon was president of Princeton, and, despite (or because of) the play's extensive production history, director Nicholas Martin has crafted an engaging, if conventional, rendition.

The nature and construction of personal identity is a topic with profound philosophical implications, but here it's used for something much simpler: good old slapstick comedy. There is something inevitably funny about watching characters bumble around hopelessly and humiliatingly because they have mistaken each other, and Goldsmith plays to this well.

The dashing but insecure Charles Marlow (Jon Patrick Walker) has ventured to the English countryside along with his friend George Hastings (Jeremy Webb) to court the daughter of the eminent local gentleman Mr. Hardcastle (Paxton Whitehead). Their plans go horribly awry when they encounter Hardcastle's boisterous stepson Tony Lumpkin (Brooks Ashmanskas) at a pub and are quickly tricked into believing that Hardcastle's mansion is the local inn.

Taking Mr. Hardcastle as the innkeeper and his intended love interest Kate (Jessica Stone) as a mere barmaid, Marlow proceeds to dismissively order punch and dinner from his astonished host, setting in motion a cascade of social improprieties and identity mix-ups that take the remainder of the show to sort out. For his part, Hastings quickly becomes consumed in a side plot to elope with Kate's friend Constance Neville (Rebecca Brooksher), but they must first make off with some valuable jewelry from underneath the watchful eyes of the avaricious Mrs. Hardcastle (Kristine Nielsen).

Despite the carefully convoluted plot, the play never quite reaches hilarity. The extended build to an outcome scarcely in question necessitates wading through scene after scene of (often repetitive) confusion and humor. Of course, "She Stoops to Conquer" demands caricatured acting, and by and large, the cast of the McCarter production executes this well, frequently pulling off amusingly overzealous movements that capture the spirit of the comedy perfectly. Lumpkin's thunderous first entrance suggests a thoroughbred charging out of the gates, and he never lets up for the remainder of the show; Marlow bows so low upon first meeting Kate that one can't help but marvel at his balance; and Hardcastle's servants, terrified by his calls for impeccable discipline during Marlow's visit, move with an absurdly impractical but most entertaining stiffness.

But behind the hijinks is a quaint portrait of life in the countryside and a gentle critique of the rigidity of high society. David Korins' elaborate, multidimensional set does a masterful job of transporting the viewer into the (very particular) physical confines of Goldsmith's comedy. In probably the most nuanced performance of the show, Whitehead excels at capturing the essence of Mr. Hardcastle - he's a pragmatic retired military man who despairs equally at the incompetence of his servants and his wife's decadent tastes, and he gets a little too excited when telling an old war story. Opposing this is Mrs. Hardcastle's taste for ostentation and myopic focus on hoarding her jewels, and indeed her amusing obsession with luxury generated nearly as many laughs as Marlow's unfortunate social indiscretions.

There is very little that is shocking or radically innovative in this production of "She Stoops to Conquer," but that does not detract from an entertaining, well-executed take on a classic comedy. By chance, I ended up seeing "Having Our Say" and "She Stoops to Conquer" on successive days, and the jarring contrast between the two reminded me of just how diverse a season Emily Mann has put together for her 20th year at McCarter. Take advantage of this - go out for a fun night and wild ride, knowing that there will be a lot more to think about around the corner.