elinej

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 13:23:23 -0600

Wow Anna I don't think you got it. You're right. Mark Lovell is fabulous and the play is fabulous. But it definatly wasn't oatmeal. It was fast paced, smartly satirized by the players, and fun. Collective directing definatly can have its challenges but this had a very consistant vision for the funny. As a spoof on classic text, acting and history I think they made some brilliant choices. Golf shirts with kilts (they definatly had proper garb in the wardrobe stock I'm sure but this was a funny choice on many levels), broad slapstick and broad dialects fit the satire perfectly. As for struggling with lines....I don't think anyone in town knows more about "speaking the text" than this group and their send-ups were clear and delightful. They delivered the play and made it funny. Mission accomplished. (And anyone who can't appreciate a truly proficient terrible Scottish accent should probably avoid the show altogether.) I walked in to the theater in a crabby bad mood but in minutes I was in a great mood. The fun and joy on stage made me really happy.

tim

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:48:16 -0600

Mark did rock. It's interesting you bring up the space. I've only seen one SVT show there, and they actually built a mini-stage inside the space that allowed them to tighten the lighting. I don't know if that's the plan and is why lighting design is so challenging there. This is one of the most enjoyable shows I've seen in years. And I see a lot of theater. I'd highly recommend it.

Austinist: Austinist Reviews: Brats of Clarence

elinej

tim