The LITE Company’s production of "The
King Stag" in Prospect Park has lots of magic. Not just
the magic of transformation from man to beast and back again,
but also the magic of music, dance, costumes and effervescent
acting.
"The King Stag" is over 200 years old, but The LITE
Company, under the direction of Adam Melnick, has picked it up,
brushed it off and polished it until it sparkles. Written by
Carlo Gozzi, an Italian playwright determined to preserve the
heritage of commedia dell’arte, the play contains much of the
broad, slapstick humor and stylized characters that animate this
form of comedy. It also has a timely lesson for our age of avarice
and materialism.
The play opens with Eatalotti, servant to the great magician
Durandarte, popping out of a box, looking around Prospect Park
and pronouncing it the perfect place for her master – who has
become a parrot thanks to a spell gone awry – to turn himself
back into a man. The parrot (a pair of red feathers she holds
in her hand) is very particular about the spot he needs and somewhat
abusive, judging by Eatalotti’s reaction to words the audience
doesn’t hear. With a shrug and a sigh, the servant continues
her search.
"The King Stag" is a fairy tale set in the kingdom
of Serendippo. King Deramo is lonely and decides he needs a wife.
He sends for some of the most eligible young ladies in his kingdom
– Clarice, the daughter of Tartaglia, his prime minister; Angela,
the daughter of his second minister, Pantalona; and Smeraldina,
the sister of Brighella, his valet.
Of the three women, only Angela is in love with the king. Clarice
is in love with Leandro, Pantalona’s son and Angela’s brother.
And Smeraldina is in love with Traffaldino, a birdcatcher.
To further complicate matters, Tartaglia is in love with Angela
and forces his daughter to compete for the king so that Angela
will remain single and he will have more influence with the monarch.
Brighella urges his sister to do her best to win over Deramo
so they will become important people, too. But with the aid of
a magic statue, Deramo comes to see that Angela is the woman
for him.
Infuriated, Tartaglia usurps Durandarte’s magic, which allows
men to turn themselves into animals, and attempts to kill the
king. There’s a royal hunt, mistaken identity and lots of magic
to entertain the audience.
The 12 roles are played by six actors, which means considerable
doubling up. But that only adds to the fun. The confusion’s all
on stage. For the audience, it should all be perfectly clear.
Deborah Rosen has dressed each actor so distinctively – in pink,
purple and blue wigs, elaborate headdresses, capes and Renaissance-style
clothing – that it’s easy to distinguish one from the other.
The actors emerge from behind a small stage with a backdrop or
pop-out of a large chest placed on the stage. At one point puppets
surface from the box as hunters and animals in the royal chase.
Perhaps what makes "The King Stag" so thoroughly enjoyable
is that the actors seem to be so thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Their voices boom. Their gestures are grand.
David Gochfeld as Tartaglia stammers and lisps; he almost drools
with evil. Amalie Ceen is a sweet and naïve Angela. She
clasps her hands to her breast in breathless emotion. Leigh Anderson
creates a Smeraldina who is bawdy and brazen, gleefully seducing
the king while her heart belongs to another.
Sharon Cinnamon is especially delicious as both Eatalotti, the
wise-cracking and much abused servant, and as Pantalona, whom
she plays as an Italian lady who "grew up in a small apartment
with a toilet that never worked." Tanya Krohn not only switches
roles, but also sexes, effortlessly turning from Clarice into
Brighella. And Robert Weinstein is a sincere, if somewhat feeble-minded
king.
Like all good fairy tales, "The King Stag" has a moral.
Despite parents who coerce their children, lovers who forsake
their vows, and friends who betray for wealth and power, in the
end, true love triumphs. We learn that the greatest happiness
comes from within.
And like all good fairy tales, "The King Stag" is not
only about enchantment. It’s also enchanting.
The LITE Company will stage Carlo Gozzi’s
"The King Stag" through Aug. 11 in Prospect Park. Sunday
performances will take place in front of the steps and columns
of the Tennis House, at 2 pm and 5 pm; Saturday performances
will be at 3 pm at various locations around the park, including
the Harmony Playground (July 20 and 27), the Music Pagoda (Aug.
3) and the Roosevelt Memorial Hill near the Long Meadow (Aug.
10). Admission is free. Rain cancellations will be announced
one hour before show time on the LITE hotline. For more information,
call the hotline at (212) 414-7773 or visit www.theliteco.org.
