Turns out, the Band of Toughs are a bunch of softies.
A whimsical bunch of softies who take a playful departure from the theatrical norm with “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers,” their ambitious musical reimagining of a 287-year-old French farce — which they’ve renamed for a lyric from a Judy Garland song (“You Wonderful You”).
The play goes on too long and never really comes full circle, but this fanciful fairy tale oozes with originality and fresh creative energy.
The Toughs (formerly the Aluminous Collective), have turned the Denver Civic’s studio theater into an elegant cabaret nightclub setting, complete with floor tables. It’s a bustling Manhattan hot spot where a live jazz combo plays, well-dressed couples coo and singles flirt. It’s run by a magical bartender who snaps his fingers to freeze his customers while he rearranges their pieces — like moving a woman’s hand to her lover’s cheek.
Soon a handsome, frustrated man breaks away from the chase and declares, “I want it like the movies.” Well, the bartender can do that. And we’re off — not into “Singin’ in the Rain” territory, but more “Once Upon a Time.”
It’s part “Company,” part “The Fantasticks” — and soon enough, it’s all Pierre Marivaux’s Enlightenment-era French comedy “The Double Inconstancy.”
Nearly three centuries ago, Marivaux asked the question: Why should the guy who got the girl first get the girl last? Is first love inherently best love?
Our unlucky New Yorker is now transformed into a royal prince who pines for a blue-haired flake named Silvia who’s promised to a sweet, simple dolt named Harlequin. So the prince pretends to be a commoner, kidnaps her, lies to her and tries to bribe her betrothed into getting lost.
Ain’t love grand? Like I often say, the only difference between a romantic comedy and a slasher film is whether the girl being stalked ever breaks down and says “yes.”
But this is a love story with an unexpected twist. All the way back in 1723, Marivaux imploded the “dude protocol” that’s been passed down for centuries: that no man should mess with another man’s girl. Mess away, and let the chips fall where they will.
Director Rebecca Easton’s staging is awash in fancy, with its constant live underscore, silent-film projections and (intentionally) silly musical outbursts that range in style from show tunes to modern-rock ballads (the prince sings Prince’s “The Beautiful Ones”) to Whitesnake to Lily Allen’s chart-topping musical epithet in four-part harmony, the one we’ll call the “please don’t stay in touch” song.
It’s fun to see the Band of Toughs, whose roots are deep in fringe, go off on their vaudevillian and Busby Berkeley flights of fancy. Winning are company stalwarts David Ortolano (the storyteller); Cynthia Ward in the tricky role of Sylvia; and especially Nicholas Barth as the open-hearted cuckold Harlequin. And newcomer Brian Powell strikes just the right tone as the lovably dishonest prince.
But there’s a disparity in acting confidence in a key support role or two. The staging could also use more dramaturgical discipline. Its competing styles and influences eventually come off as an exercise in trying to out-clever itself, and that works against realizing an ultimate emotional truth. Most unsatisfying: We never return to the opening’s modern-day premise to wrap things up.
I suspect that’s because the creative team found it irresistible not to end with the song “Our Mutual Friend,” a catchy power ballad by a British band called The Divine Comedy. Throw in some glitter and confetti and a chorus performing as human violins, and that song really is a beautiful way to end the show — as long as you don’t listen too closely to the lyrics. For the tale, let’s just say, does not end happily.
But, all in all, it’s a wonderful flight of theatrical fancy by a promising Band of Romantics.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers” *** (out of four stars)
Musical farce. Presented by Band of Toughs, through Nov. 20 at Su Teatro at the Denver Civic Theatre, 721 Santa Fe Drive; also Dec. 9-12 at Naropa University, 2130 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder. Written and performed by ensemble. Directed by Rebecca Easton. Through Dec. 12. 2 hours, 15 minutes. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, plus 2 p.m. Dec. 11. $7.50-$15. 303-641-3872 or
Audio podcast: Running Lines with Denny Paschall of “Shrek”
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Actor Denny Paschall, who graduated from Pomona High School in 1996, returns home this week to perform in the national touring production of “Shrek,” the musical stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning animated tale of the ogre and his beloved ogress. Paschall began taking dance lessons at the Arvada Center when he was 8 and has performed all over the metro area, including the Country Dinner Playhouse and Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, before breaking for Broadway in 2001 and never looking back. We caught up with him on his last pre-homecoming stop, in Oklahoma City. Listen to our “Running Lines” audio podcast
Best bet: Stories on Stage’s “Secrets and Lies”
Stories on Stage leaves the comfort zone of the Denver Center for its “Out of the Box” series, which it takes to the Denver Civic Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 13, for “Secrets and Lies.” Actors John Hutton, Josh Robinson and Jeanine Serralles will read themed stories dealing with the human propensity to stifle the truth . . . even when such lies gain us nothing. On tap: “The Lie,” by T.C Boyle, read by Robinson; “Walter John Harmon,” by E.L Doctorow, read by Hutton; and “Naomi and the Writer,” read by Serralles; an original story by Lighthouse Writers Workshop Contest winner Laurie Sleeper. 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. $25 at 721 Santa Fe Drive, 303-494-0523 or .
This weekend’s theater openings
“Art Dog” In this small-town farce, a local arts council gets into hot water when they inadvertently place the wrong statue on the town pedestal, causing a comic uproar that culminates in the mandated clothing of all male dogs. Through Nov. 28. Manitou Art Theatre, 1367 Pecan St., Colorado Springs, 719-685-4729 or
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” On Christmas Eve 1953 in Korea, a close-knit troupe of USO performers performs songs and comedy of the late 1940s and early ’50s. Through Dec. 31. Heritage Square Music Hall, 18301 W. Colfax Ave., Golden, 303-279-7800 or
“Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” The Vic presents its “defiantly funny” alternative to “A Christmas Carol,” told from the perspective of Scrooge’s curmudgeonly business partner. Starring Chris Kendall. Through Dec. 19. Victorian Playhouse, 4201 Hooker St., 303-433-4343 or
“King John” Shakespeare’s play, centered on the weak son of King Henry II and brother of the late King Richard the Lion Heart, is filled with unresolved disputes involving family members, often resulting in murder. Through Nov. 27. Presented by Upstart Crow at the Dairy Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-444-7328 or
“The Radio City Christmas Spectacular” Radio City Music Hall’s 77-year-old “Christmas Spectacular” visits the Pepsi Center for five shows Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 13-14) as part of its 25-city holiday tour. It returns for four shows at Colorado Springs’ World Arena from Nov. 23-24.
See our feature story
“The Vagina Monologues” Eve Ensler’s landmark 1996 collection of interviews with women about their bodies is told here by four female actors bringing to life real characters including a 6-year-old girl, a septuagenarian New Yorker, a woman who witnesses the birth of her granddaughter and a Bosnian survivor of rape. Through Nov. 19. Presented by Afterthought Theatre at the Crossroads Theatre, 2590 Washington St., 720-365-7754 or
“White Christmas” Christmas classic about two Army veterans who have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II — and they have romance on their minds. The score has 17 Irving Berlin songs including “Blue Skies,” “I Love a Piano” and the title song. Appropriate for all ages. Through Dec. 26. Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-794-2787 or
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of theater news and dialogue.
