Posts Tagged ‘Jeffrey King’
The Imaginary Invalid (2011)
Posted by John in OSF 2011 Monday, 21 February 2011 12:00 No Comments
The Imaginary Invalid has a hell of a pedigree to live up to. The play, originally by Moliere, has been adapted for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival this year by Oded Gross and Tracy Young, the same pair that adpated Goldoni’s Servant of Two Masters in 2009. Likewise the play is directed by Tracy Young, as in ’09. And as the director points out in the program notes, she has drawn heavily on her own expertise (once again) in commedia dell’arte to guide this production. With so many similarities, and with Servant being such a fond memory for this reviewer, the question becomes inescapable: is Invalid just as good?
To answer, I must crib from another ’09 production and “equivocate” just a bit (ha ha ho ho, I am a wit…): yes and no. Moliere’s original work has far more of a point to it than Goldoni’s does, and likewise this adaptation finds itself more grounded, perhaps more nuanced… which is a fine quality in and of itself but not exactly in sync with the farcical tone that permeates the show for most of its duration.
Dead Man’s Cell Phone (2009)
Posted by John in OSF 2009 Wednesday, 20 May 2009 12:00 No Comments
Photo by Jenny Graham
Can a man fall in love with a theater? There’s nothing wrong with the Angus Bowmer or the Elizabethan, but man I’ve been enjoying the New Theatre for the last few years now. The latest treat is Dead Man’s Cell Phone, a new-ish play by Sarah Ruhl. The play itself is good, but the company does such a great job of executing the production that it is elevated to a truly special place.