Photo by Angie Stong
Written by Andrew Larimer
This weekend at the Mondanaro Theater in Crites Hall, SCAD’s School of Entertainment Arts students performed the comedy “Lovers & Players.” Written by Kathryn Walat, a performing arts and dramatic writing professor at SCAD, this cleverly crafted play portrays the essence of commedia dell’arte, a form of theater originating in 16th century Italy in which a close-knit troupe of actors travel from city to city and perform pieces both improvised and scripted.
The play takes the audience back in time and drops them in 1569 Padua, Italy, where a troupe of colorful actors struggles to make ends meet. The notorious carnival is their only hope to pay off their debts. Throughout the play, the group goes through trials and tribulations that could hinder their chances at a good show. A successful showing meant the troupe would be able pay off the main Mobster (played by Aaron Catano).
While the storyline of the play was strong, it was the brilliant and gaudy characters who stole the show. Each of the players came so alive through the actors’ portrayal that their dynamic development overshadowed the plot. With their unique mannerisms and carefully timed exchanges, these characters were miles away from being flat.
The beginning paved the way for how the comedy was going to be handled. A woman screams in Italian about God knows what, and Anna (Lucy Drew), the headstrong, logical thinker of the troupe, looks at the audience and says “Let me translate.” They were going to attempt the juxtaposition of a 16th century setting and today’s colloquial speech – successfully.
The romances between the players, or lovers, were believable. Anna wasn’t keen on true love and didn’t think it existed. The first half of the show spotlighted her reputation for never “rolling around the hay” and being somewhat of a tease. Later, it showed all she needed was Zita (Sara Turner), a strong female presence who was also grounded in such opinions.
Tender moments made up the backbone of the play. Rosalinda (Anne-Marie Trabolsi) was brokenhearted when she found out that Flavio (James Edwards) was in love with the opulent Isabella (Samantha Binkerd). But later she found an unmatched chemistry with astronomy student Marco (Will Swisher) while singing and talking to herself about her discarded love. “What is love?” Marco asked, to which Rosalinda – after pausing ever so slightly – replied “show me.” The theatre was blanketed with a collective “aw.”
Pastel-colored Italian villas covered the set, livening up the scenes. The changes to set were done with agility and flowed as smoothly as the story and character progression did. The lighting shone tints of soft pink and a mixture of paler yellows, further engulfing the audience in what a 16th century painting would have been like.
“Hysterical and talented group of friends,”said Amaya Murphy, a fourth-year performing arts major from Chevy Chase, Maryland, about the play. “The writing was fabulous, the acting was strong and everything just worked.”
More “Lovers & Players” showings are happening at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with a 3 p.m. matinee on Sunday. All performances are open to the public.