Comedy slips into cornball affair more suited to kids

Published 7:11 pm Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Village Theatre can certainly whip up some prize-winning original musicals, with the recent Pulitzer Prize for drama for “Next to Normal” a huge case in point.

But the new musical comedy “The Gypsy King” needs some more time in the kitchen — and even then I’m not sure this can be made into lemonade.

I entered the theater ready for a little slapstick, a bit of nonsense, but this was so cornball as to spill over into the realm of childishness.

Then I reread the way Village Theatre has been selling this show, describing it as built for all ages.

Ah.

Come to think of it, I could take my 6-year-old and he’d probably get a kick out of all that physical humor.

But watching it through adult eyes, I’d say the show falls as a souffle might when you remove it from the oven too soon.

“The Gypsy King” is set in a generic kingdom long, long ago and follows a plot that is sadly predictable, though it tries to twist and turn.

But a story involving two guys who happen to look like identical twins and have probably been switched somehow at birth and who probably have a sister who is not really their sister and one of the twins and the sister are probably going to … well, you can figure it out from there.

The two twins are Alfonse, a prince craving to be king, and Frederick, who travels in an overstuffed wagon in a father-son act with his dad, Leo, and Alfonse, who is a prince craving to be king.

Stir in their sister, Anastasia, who doesn’t want to marry Prince Dijon, and an assassination plot on Prince Alfonse, which also involves Frederick, and the whole thing fizzes up into a frenzy of mistaken identities and chase scenes.

The one-liners and puns came out more medium than well-done. The music, most of it toe-tapping and bouncy, had a certain redundancy in its vaudeville-ness, except for the lovely ballad “I Don’t Need Diamonds.”

Randy Rogel, an Emmy Award winner who wrote the show’s book, music and lyrics, should get singled out though for the clever, tongue-twisting lyrics.

Again I think my son would have found all the physical comedy hilarious, and really eaten up the fight scene.

The talented cast of “The Gypsy King” cannot be faulted because they were all solid and all possessed serious comedy chops.

There were several Village Theatre veterans giving shining performances, including Cayman Ilika as Anastasia, Jessica Skerritt as Marguerite, John Patrick Lowrie as Leo and the very funny Nick DeSantis, who I don’t think was used to his full potential here, as Godfried.

“The Gypsy King” might not be the full-meal deal when it comes to adult entertainment. And though the comedy is oftentimes bawdy, this show serves up better as fun for the whole family.

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.

“The Gypsy King”

Opens at 8 tonight at Everett Performing Arts Center, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett. Shows are 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and 7 p.m. Sundays through May 23.

Tickets start at $17. Call 425-257-8600 or go to www.villagetheatre.org.