A night of laughs, romance and deceit were the common themes when The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s ‘The Servant of Two Masters’ came to life on their outdoor stage on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown.
‘The Servant of Two Masters,’ originally written by Carlo Goldini in 1746, was translated and adapted by The Shakespeare Theatre’s own, Bonnie J. Monte in 2010.
For the first time since being performed in that original 2010 debut, ‘The Servant of Two Masters,’ offers a hilarious and entertaining show for all in attendance.
Set in 18th century Venice, Italy, Beatrice Risponi (Izzie Steele) disguises herself as her murdered brother, Federigo, to fool Pantalone de Bisognosi (Jay Leibowitz) into gaining his fortune along with his daughter, Clarice (Miranda Rizzolo), who her deceased brother was betrothed to.
But, after hearing that Federigo was killed, Pantalone promises his daughter’s hand to her true love, Silvio (Russell Sperberg). When Pantalone sees Beatrice disguised as her brother, he believes that it is really him and takes back his agreement to Silvio to honor his original promise to Federigo.
Beatrice, who came to Venice for Pantalone’s fortune, was also following her true love, Florindo (Tug Rice), who killed her brother, Federigo, when he disagreed with their relationship.
Under the guise of her brother, Beatrice travelled with his servant, Truffaldino (James Michael Reilly), who does not realize her true identity.
Truffaldino, who feels mistreated by his master, patiently waits in the town square while Beatrice confronts Pantalone about the promised betrothal of his daughter, Clarice.
While waiting outside for Beatrice, Truffaldino sees a struggling porter attempting to carry a luggage trunk. Offering his assistance in hopes of a reward, the trunk’s owner, who turns out to be Florindo, offers Truffaldino a job as his servant when he sees him accompanying no master.
Truffaldino, seeing an opportunity to double his profits as well as his portions of food, eagerly accepts the position and the title of the production is now relevant. Truffaldino has become the servant of two masters.
Reilly stole the show with his performance as Truffaldino. Reilly offers humor, wit and spunk in his portrayal of the character and I was drawn in by his ability to connect with the audience.
My favorite scene in which I believe Reilly truly showed his acting ability was the opening scene of Act II. Truffaldino is tasked with bringing food to both of his masters. Beatrice and Florindo, who both happen to be staying at the same inn, unbeknownst to each other, are in separate rooms and both require dinner.
Truffaldino, who still has not eaten dinner himself, is starving, but must bring food to both of his masters. Going back and forth between both ends of the stage, Truffaldino scurries across the stage between the suspicions of the chef, Brighella (Connor Crew) and his two waiters and maid (Alexander Emond, Benjamin Lang & Abby Carroll).
Reilly exhibits such a hilarious depiction of the character. He really brought life to the stage and gave the audience many laughs.
Aside from the actors’ performances, director, Doug West, did an excellent job with the production. One of the best parts of the show, is whenever a character is having a thought. The scene freezes, and they turn their head out to the audience and share their inner monologue. In fast-paced scenes, the actors would jump in and out of them and share their thoughts without missing a beat; the flow of the scene never stopping.
Honorable Mentions:
Tug Rice as Florindo was one of my favorite parts of the show. Rice’s portrayal of the smug but loving character really came across and made you believe the performance. His hair was also nice, too!
Raphael Nash Thompson’s performance of Dottore Lombardi, Silvio’s father, was fun to watch! Though his time on stage was short, Thompson’s performance was very entertaining. From switching from English to Latin many times throughout the play to also providing humorous banter with Leibowitz’s Pantalone, Thompson really brought life to the stage every time he appeared.
‘The Servant of Two Masters,’ continues at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s Outdoor Stage on the campus of the College of St. Elizabeth in Morristown until Sunday, July 29. For more information and tickets, go to www.shakespearenj.org; 973-408-5600.