Review: ARMS AND THE MAN at Lamb's Players Theatre

“Arms and the Man”, the classic George Bernard Shaw play, is currently skewering the romantic ideals of going to battle or falling in love with wit at Lamb’s Players Theatre through November 16th.  Under the sharp and playful direction of Deborah Gilmour Smyth, it turns 19th-century notions of heroism and passion delightfully upside down. It’s brisk, bright, very funny, and may have you craving something chocolate before it’s over.

Set in 1885 Bulgaria, the story centers on Raina Petkoff (Megan Carmitchel), the privileged daughter of a wealthy family, who is engaged to the dazzling Major Sergius Saranoff (Spencer Gerber). Though it seems that Raina may be more in love with the idea of this handsome soldier than with who he is as a person.  Raina’s world of romantic ideals and heroic illusions is interrupted when a war-weary Swiss soldier, Captain Bluntschli (MJ Sieber), climbs into her bedroom to hide from the enemy. He’s a professional soldier who is also a practical pacifist at heart, preferring chocolate creams to bullets, and blunt honesty to performative preening.

Megan Carmitchel is a reliable performer, whether it be comedy or drama, and plays Raina with a comedic mix of fluttering vanity and mischievous curiosity. She’s especially fun when her confidence cracks and you can see the wheels turning behind that well-practiced charm. MJ Sieber’s Bluntschli is her opposite, a charming realist whose exasperation with everyone else’s nonsense, so he can go home already, earns him the audience’s instant sympathy. Together, their sparring gives the show its zip and comic rhythm.

Spencer Gerber, making his professional debut in this piece as Sergius, strides in as an over-the-top, preening peacock of a man whose pompous declarations are delivered with gusto and growls. His comic timing is impeccable, and his exaggerated self-seriousness earned some of the biggest laughs of the night.

Melissa and Manny Fernandes are fun as Raina’s blithely oblivious parents, Catherine and Major Petkoff. Their natural rapport and sharp comedic instincts make the Petkoff's affectionate bickering and self-satisfied pomposity a sense of cozy chaos. 

Understudies Michael Oakley and Lizzie Morris deserve praise for stepping into the roles of the family’s servant Nicola and the spirited maid Louka, respectively, on the night I attended. Both delivered lively, grounded performances that complemented the main ensemble beautifully. In a delightful bit of theatrical understudy multitasking, sound engineer Patrick Duffy popped up onstage as a Bulgarian soldier, proving that at Lamb’s, everyone’s ready to go to the front lines when duty calls.

Mike Buckley’s set allows for effective scene changes between rooms in the Petkoffs’ home, while Jemima Dutra’s costumes give us a range of coats and flowing gowns. Nathan Pierson’s lighting and Gilmour Smyth’s sound design keep things moving briskly, ensuring the laughs never lag.

“Arms and the Man” is clever without feeling stuffy, and farcical without tipping into chaos. It reminds us that the “noble” ideals of romance and war are often just theater with better costumes, and that sometimes the wisest man in the room is the one armed only with chocolate.

How To Get Tickets

“Arms and the Man” is playing at Lamb’s Players Theatre through November 16th. Ticket and showtime information can be found at www.lambsplayers.org

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