Not Shakespeare at the Shakespeare Theatre Company

For the last two years, my cousin, Jennie, has been my theatre buddy.  She's in med school, I work long hours, but with a lot of back and forth prompting, we have made it to a fair number of Kennedy Center and other local theatre events. 

We had seen one or two shows at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC each year, but this year took the plunge and bought season tickets.  STC's mission is, not only, to bring Shakespeare's classics to life, but also to produce some of the works of his lesser known contemporaries.  Their shows are held either at the Lansburgh Theatre or at their new theatre in Sydney Harman Hall (both near the Verizon Center).  The productions are remarkable...spectacular sets, great acting and (some) insertion of modern dialogue make the 17th and 18th stories relevant and entertaining for their 21st century audience. 

Lansburgh Theatre

This week, after a pre-theatre dinner at Fiola (I could live on the tuna carpaccio) we were off to see "A Servant of Two Masters", a 1745 play by Carlo Goldoni.  Goldoni was born in Florence and wrote many plays in the Italian Commedia dell'arte style.  Later in life, after a feud with another playwright, Goldoni moved to France, writing plays for, among others, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. 

Carlo Goldoni

"Servant.." is set in Florence and revolves around a pair of star-crossed lovers, Beatrice and Florindo.  Beatrice's brother forbade her to marry Florindo and was killed, by Florindo, in a duel.  Beatrice then came to Florence, dressed as her dead brother, to collect his money and find (and marry) Florindo.  Beatrice's cross dressing throws a wrench in the marriage plans of Clarice and Silvio (Clarice had been promised to Beatrice's brother).  Keep in mind, that these aren't even the main characters.  The principal character and star of the show is the lowly servant, Truffaldino.    Truffaldino's only love (at the start of the show) is food.  He, too, is kept from his love, in his service to not one, but two, masters each of whom is unaware of his service to the other.

"Servant.."'s set is, intentionally spare, focusing attention on the over-the-top costumes and slapstick comedy.  I will preface this by saying that I tend to be a purist when it comes to old plays.  I get annoyed with modernization of the dialogue and insertion of too many current references.   These abounded in this play, but I loved it all the same.  I can honestly say that I've never had a "laugh out loud" theatre experience like this.



Jesse J. Perez as Florindo, Allen Gilmore as Pantalone, Paul Reisman as a Waiter, Steven Epp as Truffaldino and Rachel Spencer Hewitt as Beatrice in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of 'The Servant of Two Masters,' directed by Christopher Bayes. Photo by S. Christian Low.

The play's run was extended for a few weeks through July 8, 2012.  Even if you miss this show, it is well worth looking into other STC shows.  This is a gem of the DC theatre scene (their 2012 Tony Award for best Regional Theatre is testimony to this).  If you're on the fence, check out the annual free show in August.   http://www.shakespearetheatre.org/about/ffa/