 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
'Triumph of Love' an imperfect treatBy JOHN FLEMING
© St. Petersburg Times, ST. PETERSBURG -- Like a lot of musicals, Triumph of Love runs out of steam in the second act as it madly tries to wrap things up, but the production at the Palladium Theater is still a treat. Under Jason Tucker's direction, the seven-member cast gave an inspired performance Thursday that almost made you care about the hoked-up debate between love and reason. Adapted by James Magruder from an 18th century romantic farce by Marivaux, the musical had only a brief run on Broadway in 1997, and it probably benefits from being staged in a more intimate setting. It tells the tale of Princess Leonide (Amanda Elend), who is on a mission for "the most ennobling and satisfying of all human endeavors -- love." She finds it in the person of Agis (Michael Raabe), a dethroned prince of Sparta, who has been raised in a "garden of reason" by his aunt and uncle, philosophers Hesione (Micki Schumacher) and Hermocrates (Gary L. Smith). In a swirl of mistaken identity and gender confusion, all fall in love with Leonide, who assumes no fewer than four identities before it is all over. With its appealing heroine, Triumph of Love tends to celebrate the cleverness of women at the expense of some rather dim men. It boasts superbly witty numbers by Jeffrey Stock (music) and Susan Birkenhead (lyrics), especially You May Call Me Phocion, a flowing duet by Leonide and Hesione, and much of the relatively spare dialogue is sublime. But the show never quite resolves whether it wants to be a Disney musical or a Sondheim musical. Elend's princess is pure Disney, full of spunky charm in Anything, her torch song to Agis. Her servant, Corine (Sadra Bostick), is a hilarious, man-crazy foil. In a delightful comic showstopper, Corine teams with the Harlequin (Fadi Akhtar) and the gardener Dimas (Fred Schumacher) on Henchmen Are Forgotten. But for every number that takes off, there's a patch of aimless badinage about the weather or a Sondheim knockoff like The Tree, and the philosophy angle grows tiresome. Ultimately, Triumph of Love falls into the category of being an interesting mixed bag, a work that musical theater fans in particular will cherish for its freshness amid a diet of stale standbys like Sweet Charity or Fiddler on the Roof. Brent Douglas conducted a 10-member orchestra, positioned at the back of the stage behind the simple, moveable set by James Demetrius. Even though the actors were miked, the orchestra still sounded too loud once in a while. THEATER REVIEWTriumph of Love has performances at 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. Tickets: $8 and $11. (727) 822-3590.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the wire |
