The 2018-19 ACC drama season ends on a delightfully high note this weekend with ?The Servant of Two Masters,? a tale of mixed identities, witty and rapid-fire dialogue and enough twists and turns to make a pretzel-maker blush.
Penned nearly 300 years ago by Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni, and translated for contemporary audiences by Jeffrey Hatcher and Paolo Emilio Landi, ?The Servant? tells the story of a young couple, Clarice and Silvio, whose pending nuptials are thrown awry with the arrival of Beatrice, a woman disguised as her late brother. Beatrice is pretending to be the very dead Federigo, who had originally been promised Clarice?s hand in marriage.
And if Beatrice can keep up the ruse long enough, she will collect a tidy sum from Clarice?s dowry.
Don?t worry if you have difficulty keeping up with the characters and their motives. The actors break down the fourth wall with occasional explanations, often with comical results.
Things take a turn to the absurd with the antics of one Truffaldino, Federigo Beatrice?s servant, who becomes the centerpiece of the story. Perpetually hungry, and never afraid to try to make an extra buck or two, Truffaldino soon crosses paths with Florindo, another nobleman ? and Beatrice?s lover ? who has arrived in Venice after having escaped from nearby Turin after killing the aforementioned brother.
Mollie Judd is a waiter and cue-card girl.
(Again, the actors will slow things down for the audience to catch up with the story.)
Truffaldino senses an opportunity, because Florindo, too, is in search of a servant. If he can serve two masters at once ? thus giving the play its title ? he can double his pay.
Of course, things don?t go according to plan. Truffaldino immediately gets mail for his two masters mixed up, setting in course an entirely new wave of unintended, but hysterical results.
Will the two sets of lovebirds wind up with their soulmates? Can Truffaldino keep up his scheme long enough to set things right? Or at least get fed?
The questions will be answered at 7:30 tonight, Friday and Saturday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Tickets sell for $6 apiece, $4 for students. Admission is free for ACC students.
AS IS expected, Allen Community College?s Toni Piazza?s brilliantly talented ensemble finds moments to shine, singularly and as a chorus.
Moran?s Lane Houk (as Silvio) and Humboldt?s Paige Durand, as Clarice, shine as the betrothed couple whose marriage plans hit the early detour. Clarice is distraught; the oafish Silvio is set on revenge, often with comical results.
Likewise, Padyne Duran is equally charming and amusing as Federigo Beatrice, whose exasperation with her duplicitous servant connects well with the audience. Morgan Jett, Iola, deserves a round of applause as Florindo, who isn?t as quick on the draw when it comes to figuring out what his servant is up to.
