Commentary by Cait Buckalew, Campus Carrier Entertainment Editor
The Berry College Theatre Company (BCTC) opens it’s newest show, “Servant of Two Masters” on Thursday night.
The play was written by Carlo Goldoni and premiered in 1753. The show follows the style commedia dell’arte, a form of theater that relies heavily on improvised acting that follows a roughly laid out plot. Goldoni took stock characters and made the play more literary, so there is less improvisation. He also removed the traditional masks worn by the actors during the play.
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| Jason Huynh, Photojournalism Editor Sophomore Hayley Westphal (right) and junior Stephen Tamps practice the sword fight between their characters Beatrice and Sylvio during dress rehearsal on Wednesday night. Beatrice is disguised as her brother Frederigo during this scene in order to hide her identity from the other characters. |
BCTC chose to bring the masks back in to pay homage to the tradition of commedia dell’arte. They are rather grotesque and require actors to rely more heavily on body language to express the emotions and personalities of the characters. The style was very far from what most of the actors were accustomed to, freshman Jessica Cannon said.
“The style of commedia, with the masks, is very different from modern theater and requires a different technique to get the point across,” Cannon said.
The actors look away from the stage when speaking and back toward the other cast members when they are listening. The effect visually shows the audience the quick banter between characters. In the case of this show, it also frequently helps some of the jokes along. The show is very fast paced with a healthy dose of comedy as well, junior Nicky McHugh said.
“That’s part of commedia, just raunchy, hilarious joke after joke,” McHugh said.
A large part of the humor in the show is physical. Because the actors are wearing masks, they use specific body language to represent each character, sophomore Ashlyn Foskey said.
“Each character has a different way that they move, a different way they walk and a different way that they talk,” Foskey said.
Some characters have very dainty walks while others move through heavy-footed trudging. It’s very clear that the actors put immense effort into developing the movements of each character, and it certainly pays off. The second a character steps on stage, you know exactly who it is, regardless of their costuming.
This is in part due to the characters lack of depth, director John Countryman, associate professor of theater said.
“The characters don’t have a lot of psychological depth. They rely on specific surface characteristics to create the distinct personalities,” Countryman said.
What the characters lack in depth, they make up for in humor. The show is a laughing riot from start to finish. It is filled to the brim with innuendos and quick-witted one-liners that will have audience members in stitches, thanks to the cast’s spot on comedic timing.
Additionally, the set and costumes are beautifully crafted and help set the tone for the hilarity that ensues as the main character, Truffaldino, tries to juggle his responsibilities after he commits himself as a servant to two separate masters.
The show is not one fit for anyone under the age of 13 according to signs posted around the theater’s lobby. However, it is a raunchy, sidesplitting and phenomenal experience.
Performances will be held in E.H. Young Theatre Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. from April 16 to April 26.