TOWNSHEND — The Leland & Gray Players close their 19th season on May 28-30 with the zany farce and slapstick of Commedia dell'arte in Carlo Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters.
In a madcap Italian comedy of love, disguise, duplicity, and dueling - adapted for today by Jeffrey Hatcher and Paolo Emilio Landi - betrothed couple Silvio and Clarice are devastated when a previous fiancé reappears, back from the dead.
In this farce, people, places, and things are not what they seem - disguises, traps, and trickery produce a whirlwind of mass confusion.
At the center of the romp is Truffaldino, the scheming - and perpetually hungry - servant who lands on a crazy way to double his wages (and his meals) by serving two masters at once.
Commedia dell'arte from 16th century Italy descended from Greek and Roman comedy and is the inspiration of some of the best-loved comedy of the last 100 years: Second City, Lucille Ball, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, “Saturday Night Live,” “The Simpsons,” and the “The Daily Show,” among others. As the improvisational and physical comedy of the commedia grew increasingly popular, it became less impromptu street theatre and more of an “art” involving trained performers.
Traditionally, many of the laughs were generated by ridiculously stupid, bumbling, often grotesque characters. When women were eventually allowed into commedia troupes, they rebelled against the demand that all characters be buffoons, so they injected cleverness and intrigue into plots that had otherwise relied only on slapstick. The physical humor remained, but was heightened by the contrast of the bumblers with their savvier counterparts as we see in Goldoni's 1743 play.
To ensure that the players could milk the script for all the laughs it allows, a commedia-trained New York actress Emma Wade visited the area for two days of workshops and for the cast's making of masks for the four characters called upon to wear them. (In earlier commedia, masks were worn by all characters, except the lovers.)
With training, research, and ample time spent combing the text, the players have uncovered marvelous laughs, subtle innuendos, and opportunities for high physicality.
The cast includes Alexa Litchfield as Truffaldino; Jesse Cannella as Pantalone; Madison Cannella as Beatrice; Tino Benson as Florindo; Veronica Stevens as Brighella; Giannina Gaspero-Beckstrom as Smeraldina; Nathaniel van Osdol as Dottore Lombardi; Adam Culver as Silvio Lombardi; Maria Groepler as Clarice; Vinny Ferrizzi as Pardone; Sam Thibault as stage manager; Nathan Claussen as mute prompter; Marissa Sparkman as Muffletta; Trey Crego as Luigi; Susie Francy as Marscapone; Madison Chase as Duck girl; Nastia Stevens as Nutella; Nic Tolbert as Al Fresco.
Original music for the production is composed by Susie Francy and played by Francy with Nathaniel van Osdol and Veronica Stevens. Nastia Stevens is assistant director; Dale Stevens is the players' technical director. Ann Landenberger directs.
Rachael Turner, Tino Benson, and Nathaniel van Osdol are costume designers; Nathaniel van Osdol and Fairen Stark are set designers, with tech director Stevens; Madison Cannella is graphic designer; Grant Cullen and Sage Hall run sound; Kenny Cashman, Anna-Cate Harrison, and John Butler are on lights.
Running crew captain is Olivia Reilly, and crew includes Kayla Gibbons, Kaylah Jacobs, Fairen Stark, Gabrel Vanni-Phillips, Jillian Carona, and Emily Frost. Volunteer coordinator is Bonnie Cramp and the players are supported by a team of adult volunteers.