March 5, 2006

The Game of Love and Chance

Last night, my wife and I and a couple of friends went to Harlequin Productions’ current show, The Game of Love and Chance. I enjoyed it; I laughed a great deal. It had good writing, interesting costumes, and effective performances.

The translation by Stephen Wadsworth was interesting. Much of the feeling of the mid-eighteenth century language was preserved, but every now and then, he plugged in a very contemporary, colloquialism, like “Really?” or some other informality. I think it worked, but it clinked a little in my ear, especially at first.

It wasn’t as powerful as their last production, Frozen, but I really appreciate Harlequin’s commitment to doing new things and different things. They’ve matured from a few years ago, when it seemed that the same group of actors was in every production. Sometimes that worked and sometimes it didn’t. They seem now to have expanded their circle of actors and, so, have a wider selection of skills to choose from.

If you’re interested in supporting local theater, you could do worse than Harlequin.

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