A
Servant to Two Masters
- touring
Playwright - Carlo Goldini
Adaptation - Lee Hall
Co-Production - Young Vic and Royal Shakespeare Companies
Director - Tim Supple
Dates - Now on World tour contact www.rsc.org.uk at Albery
Theatre London from 18 July 20001 for 8 weeks
Reviewer Thelma Good
This is a very satisfying production. Comedy, misunderstandings galore
and moments where it's going awfully pear shaped for someone or other.
It's performed with clear understanding of pace by well cast actors
on a cleverly thought out revolving set, where there is always a Canaletto-like
view of the Grand Canal. This adaptation and production isn't a chip
off the old classic, it's the old classic rebuffed and restored to sparkling
vitality.
Goldini wrote this play for a famous Harlequin of his day. Lee Hall,
writer of Spoonfaced Steinburg and the Billy Elliot screenplay,
gives us a lively adaptation which fairly zings along with smashing
exchanges and routines. Hall adds some more twists to the vintage comedy
lines and set-ups to give it even more fizz. He also introduces famous
comedy lines and catchphrases which come from other places, even films.
In Hall's hands they regain their potency again and cease to be cliches.
The Harlequin part - the servant Truffaldino, is played by Jason
Watkins. He's a superb physical clown who handles his business,
slapstick and the audience with marvellous, sensuous skill.
The servant, Truffaldino, is in Venice looking for employment, early
in the play he hires himself to first one and then another master. Both
are visitors looking for one another, their servant Truffaldino/Pasquale
unwittingly confounds their search. The servant's hunger, which prompted
him to take two jobs, grows as the demands of his two masters interrupt
his attempts to feed himself with hilarious results. Smeraldina, the
maid who serves another household again, is a female servant more than
equal to Truffaldino. Catherine Tate plays her with a knowing
feistiness. She delivers Smeraldina's speech on men to well deserved
and understanding applause, particularly from the women in the audience.
As more affluent classes turn increasingly again to the use of servants,
this play is more relevant than it has been for a while! This is a particularly
pleasurable version - a don't miss for sure.
©Thelma Good 13 November 2000
