Tonight I saw a show I cannot recommend and a show I cannot recommend enough.
The Servant of Two
Masters
First things first. I opened the evening by taking in a production
of The Servant of Two Masters, A Commedia dell’Arte play. While the original script was written in 1743
by Carlo Goldoni, the program does not credit a translator or adaptor.
This is a gem of a play, and I enjoy Commedia comedy, which is
in many ways the sit-com style of the eighteenth century. It is not high art,
but when done right, is the kind of comedy that can cause physical pain from
laughter.
Unfortunately, this production relies too heavily on mania,
and frantic movements that put me in mind of muppet panic, and left me exhausted
but not particularly satisfied at the end of the hour’s performance. While some
actors maintained a good sense of presence, Aaron Drake as Doctor Lombardi, and
MacKenzie Boyd-Garrison as Beatrice left a good impression, the general order
was overdone, sometime unintelligible, accents, and single-level (loud)
delivery of incredibly dense lines. Delivery was without shape or punctuation,
and there was a lack of comfort in character, and certainly no improvisation,
which is a common part of performances of this show.
Also lacking, as pointed out to me by my companion for the
evening, was a lack of sexual innuendo and rude humour, typically a mainstay of
Commedia material.
While not particularly bad, it was also not particularly
good, and I cannot recommend it.
The Musical of
Musicals, The Musical
Happily, the evening turned around with a show that already
has well deserved buzz, and which I am sure will be one of the hits of this
year’s Fringe.
If the name didn’t hint strongly enough at it, this show is
a musical send up of, well, musicals. It is, in fact, five short musicals in
one, each a rendition of the following plot:
“You must pay the rent!”“I can’t pay the rent!”“I’ll pay the rent!”
The gimmick (and one which pays off tremendously well) is
that each retelling is in the style of, and filled with references to, a specific composer or team: Rodgers and
Hammerstein; Stephen Sondheim; Jerry Herman; Andrew Lloyd Webber; and Kander
and Ebb.
You don’t have to be intimately familiar with any of the
composers above to enjoy the piece. However, there are many golden nuggets to
warm the heart of the die-hard musical theatre geeks that are sure to come to
the show.
Vinetta Strombergs’ direction serves the material well, and
puts just the right amount of tongue into the cheekiness of the show. The cast,
Mark Cassius, Adrian Marchuk, Dana Jean Pheonix, and Paula Wolfson is uniformly
strong. This is an experienced and highly talented cast who does an excellent
job with truly funny material and surprisingly little in the way of props and
costumes. Perhaps it is crass of me to say, but I do wish that Mr Marchuk would
have done with slightly less costume (or at least an unbuttoned vest) in the
Kander and Ebb portion of the evening, but I digress.
This is a spectacular amount of talent to be able to see for
the $10 cost of a ticket.
The performance ended with a heartfelt standing ovation from
the audience. Opening night, there was a
line around the corner with ticket holders. I have no doubt that advance
tickets will sell for this show quickly, so do get yours now. It will be one of
the gems of this year’s festival.
Tomorrow I take a break, but I will be back blogging Friday
night.
Get out there and FRINGE people!