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Post-Standard, The (Syracuse,
NY)
April 20, 2001
Section: Weekend
Edition: Final
Page: 21
ENTERTAINING 'ANTICS' IS
GREAT 'REALITY' THEATER
Laurel Saiz, Contributing
Writer
Forget "Survivor II," "Boot
Camp" and "The Weakest Link." Go to Appleseed Productions' "The Antics
of Romantics" for
reality programming in its most age-old form: improvisational theater.
The lively play, written
by Jeff Wirth and directed by Greg J. Hipius, draws on the centuries-old
roots of Italy's physical
and ribald art form, the
commedia del-l'arte. You can just as easily imagine this presented by a
troupe of wandering
minstrels in a European
cobblestone square as in a church basement on Syracuse's South Side.
Wirth wisely uses the concept
of audience participation in its most painless sense. The program's caveat
is,
"Remember, no one is going
to carry you kicking and screaming onto the stage." If audience members
want to go up,
they can but only voluntarily. The plot - a crafty, contrived
romance involving penniless wanderers, a conniving mother and evil pirates
- uses audience
members with other talents,
as well. You can blow up balloons, join a royal entourage or engage in
a spirited version of
"Mad Libs." Don't want to
make a fool of yourself under the limelight? Throw out some clever words
here and there. The trained improv group
features some strong actors, giving "Antics" a credible base. Of particular
note are Erin
Shaughnessy as Signora Prestigio
and Mark Allen Holt as Lasivio. Shaughnessy looks as if she
could handle Shakespearean high drama as easily as slapstick. Dustin M.
Czarny has a
blustery comic presence
as Capitano Farone. Amanda Raymond plays a beguiling French-maid type.
Doug Rougeux plays Fidello,
one of the wandering paupers, who also has the job of continually prompting
one of the
actors pulled from the crowd.
Thursday night it was a lad named Brent, who had to woo and win Prestigio's
daughter,
Angelina, a 30ish woman
named Cheri. The incongruity of age and height differences was part of
the fun. Occasional songs help move
the story line forward, as did cameos gleaned from the audience. My son,
Manuel, got
to play the priest in the
pivotal (dare I say it?) wedding scene. You see, the kudos in improv don't
just go to the
professional cast but to
the spontaneity of average people, unafraid of having a good time.
So if you're bored this weekend
with no new reality series to watch, stretch yourself by returning to theater's
roots:
Help entertain yourself
by getting involved.
The details
What: "The Antics of Romantics,"
presented by Appleseed Productions Thursday night.
Where: Atonement Lutheran
Stage, 116 W. Glen Ave., Syracuse.
Performance time: 2 hours,
including one intermission.
Final perfomances: at 8
p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; tickets $6 to $8; call 492-9766.
Family guide: Suitable for
the whole family.
Copyright (c) 2001 The Herald Company |
