Review: THE CRITIC and THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND a Glorious, Hilarious Romp at Shakespeare Theatre

Theater critics - can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em either;

But at least you can make 'em squirm ...

That, dear reader, seems to be the thesis behind two of the stage's most famous satires of my somewhat esteemed, barely tolerated craft. Richard Brinsley Sheridan's biting farce The Critic has been a must-read in theater classes for years, and Tom Stoppard's The Real Inspector Hound adds a nicely surreal, contemporary touch to the old dilemma of what to do with those useless gits who sit next to you, scribbling furiously in the dark. Seeing them both together is a rare treat, not to be missed.

It's fitting that Shakespeare Theater's Artistic Director Michael Kahn has created an evening that bookends the early days of theater criticism with criticism in our own day. And his cracker-jack casting results in a fun evening with star turns-and slapstick routines-galore.

Sheridan was active in London when a certain group of colonies got uppity and declared their independence from the British crown. As Sheridan points out, however, the fact that The Critic opened in the middle of the Revolutionary War barely registered with some theater folk. So it's hardly surprising that as set designer James Noone's beautifully-designed curtain rises, we find Mr. Dangle (the amiable, charming John Ahlin) whining that his latest review got bumped from the front page because of some 'nonsense' to do with foreign policy. Dangle is far more concerned with cultivating budding young actresses, chasing hot foreign ingénues, and dodging the many darts sent his way by his wife Mrs. Dangle (played here by Naomi Jacobson, truly the Queen of Deadpan Humor).

Dangle's easy-going nature is contrasted by his fellow critic, Mr. Sneer (the dour Robert Dorfman) and we are treated to the delicious spectacle of their two widely divergent approaches when Sir Fretful Plagiary arrives for feedback on his latest work. As Plagiary, John Catron cuts a good, nervous figure, but he is soon upstaged by the entrance of Mr. Puff-played here with supreme foppish charm by Robert Stanton. Decked out in a style worthy of the late David Bowie (Murell Horton's costumes are a treat and Puff's wig, by Kelly Ann Jones, has a distinctly Ziggy-like look), we soon learn of Puff's first attempt at a tragedy, The Spanish Armada. Dangle and Sneer kindly volunteer to offer Puff advice at rehearsal, and then the laugh monster is unleashed.

What follows is an epic ROTFL treat, complete with a vivid re-enactment of 18th century theater technology. Catron tops himself over and over again as the hapless lone actor, suddenly forced to perform nearly every role in a rehearsal of Puff's Armada, while Sandra Struthers and Charity Jones struggle to keep up with the absurdities of the plot as Actress 1 and 2. Hugh Nees, meanwhile, brings down the house as a hapless prompter who not only has to act, he has to perform a one-man duel to the death (Who dies? Who cares, it's such a stitch).

At this point I must pause for a moment of special praise, because it's not often that a page from theater history is brought to life so vividly and brilliantly. As ridiculous as Puff's play may be, the theatrical machinery here that re-creates the rolling ocean and fiery battle at sea is so accurate that it makes you wonder whether theatergoers in London actually went to see the special effects, not the actors.

Given the spectacular turns in Sheridan's Critic, it is tempting to see Stoppard's Inspector Hound as a kind of afterthought; not so. After intermission, the cast returns to give us a typical "press night" with two critics, Moon and Birdfoot, clearly so obsessed with their reputations and intellect that the play they're supposed to be watching becomes irrelevant. Fortunately for us, the murder mystery they've been tasked with writing up is a hilariously execrable Agatha Christie rip-off. It is delicious to see a cluster of comic stars stretch their talents yet again, and to equally comic effect. Jacobson's maid Mrs. Drudge is a goggle-eyed, mock-Cockney classic, and Hugh Nees wheels himself into some trouble as Major Magnus. Charity Jones and Sandra Struthers, who cut up as Actresses 1 and 2 in Puff's Armada, also do fine turns here as the conniving Cynthia and Felicity.

Although the running time here is a bit on the long side - it flirts dangerously with the 2 ½ hour mark that Stoppard lampoons here - with these two one-acts Kahn has given the theater a joyful, irreverent valentine.

Running Time: 2 hours 40 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.

Production Photo: Naomi Jacobson as Mrs. Dangle and John Ahlin as Mr. Dangle. Photo by Scott Suchman.

Performances of The Critic and the Real Inspector Hound run January 5 - February 14 at the Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC. For tickets call 202-547-1122, Toll Free at 877-487-8849, or visit: www.ShakespeareTheatre.org

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