SEATTLE – Comedy is king in the season-opening production at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.
| “The King Stag”: Through Oct. 22 at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center. Tickets, $10-$46, 206-443-2222, 800-900-9285, www.seattlerep.org. |
In “The King Stag,” the company has put a contemporary spin on an 18th century Italian farce, a combination that registers pretty high on the laugh meter.
While not every joke that comes rapid-fire across the stage hits the bull’s eye, “The King Stag” remains a lively production delivered by a strong cast and enlivened by stylish design.
The performance I saw, early in the run, was hampered by occasional lapses in timing, a situation likely to be resolved as performances continue.
“The King Stag” by 18th century playwright Carlo Gozzi is a prime example of commedia dell’arte, a type of comedy from 16th and 17th century Italy that relied on theatrical buffoonery and slapstick, quick-witted clowns, acrobats, dancers and musicians.
The Rep’s world-premiere production is an adaptation by Shelley Berc and Andrei Belgrader, who also directs.
It opens with the arrival of a man-sized green parrot, a la Big Bird, trapped in a cage and wheeled on stage by a baggy pants clown (Michael Urie), who in commedia dell’arte fashion begins an impromptu dialogue with the audience, some of whom are seated on stage.
Warning to the folks in the balcony: You are not immune to this clown’s long reach.
The setting is Serendippo, a fantasy land of magical deer, a giant bear and courtiers – scheming, guileless and clueless. This is the land of King Deramo (Todd Waring), whose fruitless search for a suitable queen has stirred up various plots, one which is a sinister scheme by the traitorous Tartaglia (the hilarious R. Hamilton Wright in a sneering white mask and with a bad stutter whose keen performance is an important ingredient in the success of this show).
Deramo has some tricks up his sleeve, including a laughing statue that can detect a lie, and magic words that can transform the living into the dead, and the other way around.
But Tartaglia learns the magic words, and uses them to assume the king’s body, turning Deramo into a fallen stag. Just to make sure the deer is dead, Tartaglia whips out a saw and decapitates the beast.
Among the star turns in this production is Sarah Rudinoff, whose over-the-top performance as the blowsy, man-chasing Smeraldina gets the biggest laughs in the show.
She’s broad of beam, with a bawdy sense of humor, and, it turns out, is one heck of a blues singer.
Sean G. Griffin has some fun in the parrot suit, and Caroline Hall and Kelly Mak are fine as potential queen material for the king.
“The King Stag” is the opening production of David Esbjornson, the Seattle Rep’s new artistic director, and performances continue through Oct. 22.
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