The normally invisible line running through Western theater – from medieval passion plays to Italian Renaissance commedia dell’arte to contemporary stagings – is delightfully illuminated in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s production of Carlo Goldoni’s classic “The Servant of Two Masters.”
Mixing stock characters, improvisation and topical references, director Scott Schwartz leverages Christina Sibul’s lucid translation and Constance Congdon’s fresh adaptation, turning this Commedia masterpiece into a living marvel.
In traditional Commedia, servants often exchanged roles with their masters, but in Goldoni’s version, generally considered the first nonimprovisational, fully-scripted of the genre, the plot is turned inside out: Truffaldino, a poor servant with a big appetite, contracts himself to two masters, each paying him a salary.
That his two masters are the engaged, but tragically separated, young lovers (Florindo and Beatrice), doubles the fun, which is multiplied by the lascivious maid (Smeraldina) who turns Truffaldino’s head; and by the fathers of the betrothed – doddering Pantalone and pompous Il Dottore. Toss in a lusty chef, Brighella, whose elaborate presentations include two heartily proportioned waitresses and desserts that match their assets.
A mischievous John Plumpis mines the scripted asides and cleverly synchronized mayhem to ingratiate Truffaldino with the audience while the character digs an ever-deeper hole for himself by lying to both his employers.
When a timely wind rushed through the amphitheatre, Plumpis enlisted audience members to hold the scraps of paper – a letter of credit that Beatrice has given him to secure, which he has shredded – that he is using to explain to Brighella how to place the entrees on a table.
A natural act to be sure, but one that delightfully highlighted the traditional Commedia feel of the production and underscored Truffaldino’s resourcefulness at staying afloat in a topsy-turvy world.
Truffaldino arrives in town with his master, Federigo – actually the disguised Beatrice, Federigo’s sister – who seeks the dowry from her dead brother’s former betrothed, Clarice.
Clarice, who has fallen in love with Silvio, is horrified that Federigo has apparently been resurrected: She does not love him because she was forced into that relationship by her father. Truffaldino takes on Federigo as a second client, secrets and subterfuge abound, and the fun never stops.
Sarah Fallon, who has made a summer habit of snappy performances in trouser roles, again has it both ways, plying her talents as the noble Federigo and the passionate Beatrice. Richard Theriot’s Florindo is true to his name – florid with courtly embellishments and self-possessed “voguing” – mocking aristocratic pretensions while placing himself as the centerpiece of every tableau.
While Truffaldino ostensibly serves two masters, it is Pantalone (Bob Buckley) who illustrates the derivation of the play’s title – from Jesus’ admonition that one cannot serve God and mammon – by putting money over love in the marriage of his daughter, Clarice. Buckley’s polished, hyperbolic performance lends both dignity and ignominy to Pantalone’s intentions.
Emily Van Fleet (Clarice) owns the melodramatic moments that extend the daffiness of the production to further comedic heights. Stephen Weitz’s Brighella is a tasty recipe of self-aggrandizing chef and sensual lover, while Maria-Christina Oliveras’ Smeraldina is the saucy hot tomato.
Clare Henkel’s sparkling costumes mix period Venetian, contemporary urban and whimsical elements; Robert H. Abe’s sound design punctuates each stylistic send-up. Kudos to Schwartz and his team for a vibrant revival of this timeless farce.
Bob Bows also reviews theater for Variety, for KUVO/89.3 FM, and for his website,.
He can be reached at BBows@ColoradoDrama.com.
The Servant of Two Masters
FARCE | Directed by Scott Schwartz; written by Carlo Goldoni|Starring John Plumpis, Sarah Fallon, Richard Thierot, Stephen Weitz, Emily Van Fleet, Alan Henkin, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Bob Buckley, and William C. Kovacsik | THROUGH AUG. 17 | Presented by Colorado Shakespeare Festival at Mary Rippon Amphitheatre, University of Colorado-Boulder | Dates and times vary | $14-$54 | 303-492-0554
