Phillyist Reviews... Scapin

Argante (Leah Walton), Scapin (Benjamin Lloyd), and Geronte (Bradley K. Wrenn). Photo by Jeffrey Stockbridge.

Ah, puppets, how I have missed thee!

A couple of years ago, at the end of what would turn out to be its final season, Mum Puppettheatre announced that it would be producing a new version of Moliere's Scapin, written by heavyweights Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell and directed by Aaron Cromie. I was excited: aside from my aforementioned love of puppetry, I love French Farce—and Aaron Cromie, Bill Irwin, and Mark O'Donnell are all pretty damn amazing.

But then, rather abruptly, Mum shut its doors, and the season that had been announced was canceled. I'm sure I wasn't alone in wondering what would come of Scapin—and was relieved a year later to find that it had found a home in the Lantern Theater Company's 2009-2010 season.

But still, puppetry isn't always easy to pull off, and outside of Mum's intimate confines, I had my doubts. Good thing Cromie, a Mum alum (heh) himself pulled together some other Mum regulars to carry on the spirit of the former puppettheatre in a new location—and in so doing pulled off one helluva show.

The script, an adaptation more than a translation, transports the tale of a clever servant and his incompetent masters to the canals of Venice and uses contemporary references to make Moliere accessible to even the most casual theatre fan. It works perfectly for a cast of puppets voiced by Matthew Wright, Dave Johnson, Leah Walton, and Bradley K. Wrenn (plus one "real" actor, the versatile Benjamin Lloyd)—and unique puppets at that. Sure, there are hand puppets aplenty, but the more interesting puppets utilize the actors' full bodies beneath a large puppet, or use the actors' heads on small puppet bodies. The opportunities afforded the actors by these puppet prosthetics are impressive and it's obvious that the actors enjoy beng visible but still disguised. It's what makes the play's story—a typical French farce full of trickery, misguided love, and chase scenes—fresh, and what makes the performance one of the most joyous I've seen in some time. While at times it seemed like too much was being crammed into the play, in the end it all worked. What a fun way to end the holiday season.

The Lantern Theater Company's Scapin runs through January 10 at St. Stephen's Theater (10th and Ludlow in Center City). Tickets are available online.