"Lust, Lies, Marriage" bubbles with laughs; spirited cast makes for fun evening
When they cross the stage, the cast of Piccolo Theatre's utterly beguiling "Lust, Lies and Marriage" don't simply walk.
In this sparkling, family-friendly show by Italian master of commedia dell'arte, Antonio Fava, they cavort. They gambol. They frolic. And the result is one of the merriest plays I've seen in some time.
Fava's enthusiastic cast emotes to delicious effect in a show that revels in slapstick and well-timed funny business. There's a soupçon of sexual innuendo and a jolly score (composed by Fava who also created the striking, feathered masks) accented by sound effects ranging from a cow bell to a whoopee cushion.
Typical of light-hearted, partly improvised style of theater popular in Italy from the 16th to 18th centuries, the unattributed "Lust, Lies and Marriage" centers around a group of stock characters and situations. Most examples of the style, including this one, involve the romantic intrigues of a young couple whose affair is simultaneously assisted by a sly servant and thwarted by an elderly curmudgeon.
Charming Isabella (Denita Linnertz) wants to marry the gallant Orazio (David Kelch) but her father (the blustery Ken Raabe) has another husband in mind. Meanwhile, Celia (Karen Yates), who is loved from afar by the fresh-faced Odoardo (Ryan Musil), only has eyes for Orazio, to whom she hasn't actually been introduced yet.
On hand to sort out, or perhaps further complicate, matters is the cunning Coviello (the quick-witted, very funny Sam Wooten, seemingly channeling Hank Azaria's Agador from "The Birdcage"). Coviello enlists the aid of Celia's servant, the affably dim-witted Pulcinella (a wonderfully goofy John Szostek) who's taken with the perceptive Rosetta (a standout performance by Deborah Proud).
Also on hand are Leeann Zahrt's Thief who nabs a curious collection of items and Brianna Sloane's swashbuckling Capitano, a refugee from another play who wanders in at the end of the first act.
It's a show of high spirits and whimsy, where schemes, diversions and mix-ups unfold on a simple wood plank stage to which Kurt Sharp's painted backdrop -- done in the style of 17th century printmaker Jacques Callot -- lends an Old World charm.
"Lust, Lies and Marriage" has plenty of that.
"Lust, Lies and Marriage"
3 1/2 stars
out of four
Location: Piccolo Theatre, Arts Depot, 600 Main St., Evanston
Times: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays through May 10
Running Time: About two hours with intermission
Tickets: $15 to $25
Parking: Street parking available
Box office: (847) 424-0089 or piccolotheatre.com
Rating: For most ages