The day begins in a quaint Italian town with cobblestone streets and a welcoming inn, complemented by forest green shutters and flowing tapestries.

This ambiance is the closest Syracuse University’s drama department’s production of ‘Servant of Two Masters’ ever comes to ordinary.

The comedy – which runs though Sunday in the Arthur Storch Theatre at Syracuse Stage – offers its audience the perfect mix of farce, mischief, love and deceit.

The plot follows the antics of a servant named Truffaldino, who simultaneously hires himself to two employers mostly to appease his ‘darling’ – the name he’s given his aching, empty stomach. Throughout the play, Truffaldino (played by Jacob Heimer, who shines in a role that balances intelligence, nervousness and chaotic behavior) becomes tangled in a web of surprising arranged marriages, a duel, demanding fathers and countless misunderstandings.

This performance – originally written in 1745 by Carlo Goldoni – uses outlandish costumes to lift the mood. Designs by Bethany Richards include an extravagant purple party dress, a blue and pink suit with an oversized pink bowtie and a frilly green striped dress.

The show’s strong point is its comedy. This ranges from physical humor – slamming doors and panic-stricken expressions – to dramatic irony. Kaitlin Dale cleverly plays Beatrice, a woman disguised as her brother in an attempt to find her lover in Venice. This results in a Romeo and Juliet-esque double-suicide attempt, between Beatrice and her lover.

‘I think the comedy worked really well, and it was interesting because it was a different art form,’ said Becky Leifman, a sophomore acting major. ‘They definitely made the comedy contemporary so that the audience could understand it.’

The fast-paced hilarity of the show stands out in one memorable scene, when Truffaldino attempts to serve dinner to his two masters at the same time. Grapes, meat, cold soup and a peculiar dessert fly through the air during the chaos. When a dog runs on stage and eats some of the food, the horror on the hungry servant’s face is priceless.

‘I really enjoyed the facial expressions that they did,’ said Lean Dro, from Westchester, N.Y. ‘They catch it just right. I like the way they set the scene, when they come in and that the music fits what they’re doing. And they work well together. I just enjoy watching them.’

SU Drama’s production of ‘Servant of Two Masters’ piles on the absurdity – more quips, more hilarity and more pandemonium – allowing this show to strike a perfect chord with its audience.

shmelike@syr.edu

Published on March 24, 2008 at 12:00 pm