Review : 'Beau Jest'
It's a stock farce situation: A character pretends to be someone they are not and hilarity ensues. Not all farces are created equal, but the best remain rooted in reality.
It is that heightened reality that makes Beau Jest so much fun. It helps that the cast assembled by Encore Entertainment create realistic three-dimensional characters. It also helps that the performers do not try to be funny. They rely on the situation and James Sherman's sharply written dialogue to carry the play. The result is a sparkling comedy that cuts across ethnic and religious boundaries with its touching truths.
The situation is quickly established: Sarah is dating Chris, a man who is not Jewish. This has upset Sarah's parents so she tells then she has broken up with Chris and is dating a handsome Jewish doctor. When the parents want to meet the doctor, Sarah hires an actor to play the role. His one night performance keeps getting extended with hilarious and unexpected results.
Alexis Davids' turn as Sarah perfectly captures the conflicted character. Strong and determined on her own, she becomes a little girl in a near futile attempt to gain her parents' approval. The flawless way she volleys banter about with Eddy Morassutti playing her hired fiancé adds wit and vigour to their scenes.
Morassutti reminds one of a young Dick Van Dyke as he nimbly moves about the stage catching clues from his co-star and pulling off the charade for the parents.
Marion Hirschberg and Lee David play the elders. It's hard to believe they are not an actual married couple, the way they finish each other's sentences. Hirschberg in particular delights in correcting small details but you get the sense that its one of the things he loves about her.
They are given solid support from Kevin Shaver as the heroine's suspicious brother and David Gosse as her secret boyfriend. Michael Ranieri directs the show with a light and nearly invisible touch. The secret of good direction is to create the illusion that the performers haven't been directed at all and are just playing out their lives for our benefit. The transitions between the scenes are the only area where some extra attention is needed. Musical selections have been chosen to punctuate the action, but some need a bit of judicious editing to shorten the break in the action and to avoid unnatural fades.
The audio mixing exacerbates this problem with some uneven levels. These are minor details that if corrected could add a little more sheen to a production that in all other respects is charming and funny and vastly entertaining. In a word: Go!
Encore Entertainment's production of Beau Jest continues at the Toronto Centre for the arts Tuesday through Saturday at 8 PM. For tickets call (416) 733-0558.
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