Lea Selezn'ova
Drama I pd1
The Boys From Syracuse
(Center Stage, Baltimore)
...Plautus wrote his comedy in ancient Roman Empire. Shakespeare based his "Comedy of Errors" on it during the Renaissance. And now, based on the work of splendid trio of Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart and George Abbott, David Schweizer created something unforgettable in his interpretation of "The Boys from Syracuse". Schweizer's final (and actual) play is represented in the form of vaudeville - even, to me more precise, burlesque. Acrobatic staging, unforgettable songs and hilarious confusement made up by the plot makes this play especially unforgettable.
The actual play has been performed at the Center Stage in Baltimore, MD. We arrive into the theater, and the first thing we see is great scenery, set especially for the play. And the story begins...
Separated as infants, two brothers (identical twins with the same names), Antipholus of Ephesus and the one of Syracuse, together with their twin slaves, Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse, get confused in all sorts of ways. Antipholus and Dromio of Syracuse arrive in Ephesus searching for their long-lost brothers, and much confusion follows as the Syracusans are repeatedly mistaken for their local twins. And one more thing: Schweizer's "identical" twins hardly could look more different, and the only things similar about them are their clothes and the fact all of them are males. Casting had been held in the way that the actual play would have been even funnier.
Of all he characters, I think I liked the pair Dromio-Antipholus of Syracuse best. The actors' emphasized bodily language helped telling the story and making it hilarious. Nice projection had been used - even though I've been sitting among front rows, I'm pretty much sure the actors were heard in the back of the theater as well. Almost everything about them helped to tell the story: professional voice and movement usage, facial and bodily expressions, as well as lo-o-ots of energy! Add impressive lighting and music - and you'll get Schweizer's "Boys from Syracuse".
Though in some cases the play evokes confusement, the performing (realization) itself easily compensates the complication of the plot. The Boys from Syracuse will be found enjoyable for audience of both genders, especially those among the high school and college students.