The Displaced Theater Company's dynamic Nickel Theater players performed Shakespeare's "Love's Labours Lost" in Fairchild Tower in front of an eager audience over the weekend.
The actors used the building's distinct infrastructure to its maximum potential. Actors shimmy up poles to the floor above, drop props down to the ground level and call out their lines from every direction and distance.
The comedy follows five men as they fall in love with five different women. Confusion ensues after love letters find the wrong recipients. Matters are further complicated after the two factions decide to swap identities among themselves to trick the other camp.
"Love's Labours Lost" opened Thursday and played Saturday and Sunday nights. It will continue its run later this week, with 8 p.m. showings this Thursday and Friday.
Audience interaction and participation add to the fun. Actors asked for answers, pulled viewers onstage and performed among the audience.
The script kept to the original dialogue and plot line but transplanted the actors into a modern-day timeframe. A princess and her ladies are clad in matching Puma skirts that barely reach their knees, while male scholars snack on peanut M&Ms. At one point, a Discman appears; elsewhere, there is a sword fight with a LoJack anti-car-theft device.
The contemporary soundtrack adds to the energy level. For instance, the four night crawlers offer a live serenade of "Blue Moon" to a spectator pulled from the front row.
Effective use of the dark lamps create different atmospheres. Dramatic spotlights frame actors during their soliloquies.
Good use of props enhance the humor. During one scene of Saturday evening's performance, an actor knocked over a lamp which consequently sparked brightly before going dark. But the actors thought on their feet, incorporated the mishap into the scene and the performance didn't skip a beat.
Despite its length, the two-and-a-half-hour comedy moves along quickly. Judging by the hearty laughter throughout the show and applause at the end, the company kept the audience entertained and amused. Several gave standing ovations.
Tommy Dickie '05 plays a wonderfully zany Costard to an equally enthusiastic Don Armando (John Bair '06). Although Steve Kantor '03, did not have many lines, he was striking as Jaquenetta dressed in a long, fire-engine red negligee and matching head wrap. One has to wonder how long it took him to become an expert at sashaying around in open-toed mules with heels.
A great deal of work must have gone into this production,and all the pieces came together very well for Saturday's performance.
