Reviewed by Judy Richter
Playwright John Strand reached back to 17th century
France for the plot in his "Lovers & Executioners" and set the action in that
time period. His source was "La Femme juge et partie" by Antoine Jacob de
Montfleury, a
contemporary and bitter rival of Moliere. Montfleury in turn found his inspiration in a
Spanish play by Lope de Vega. Fans of Shakespeare might even find some resemblances
to characters and situations created by the Bard, but with nowhere near his
skill.
The
plot concerns a husband, Bernard (Jackson Davis), who believes his beloved wife,
Julie (Lisa Anne Porter), has been unfaithful to him, but he doesn't confront her with his
suspicions. Instead, he abandons her to a deserted island. Three years later,
having proclaimed himself a widower, he woos pretty young Constance (Alexandra
Creighton), who
can't stand him. She's more interested in a mysterious stranger who has just
arrived. That stranger, of course, is Julie, disguised as a young man,
Frederic. Julie's ultimate goal is to find out why Bernard so cruelly abandoned
her and perhaps to exact revenge.
She's
accompanied by Octavius (Liam Vincent), her confidant and servant. Completing the picture are
Guzman (Gary Grossman), Bernard's manservant; Beatrice (Gwen Loeb), Julie's former maid now in
service to Constance; and Don Lope (Lance Gardner), a volatile Spaniard who woos
Constance.
Although
the play looks at various forms of love and the ways they can change, it has
shortcomings. One of the most obvious is that it's in rhymed couplets, which
become distracting as one anticipates the next rhyme. Second, some of the
characters are stereotypes, making them hard to care about. This is especially
true of Gardner's Don Lope. Davis as Bernard and Porter as Julie are exceptions
because their emotions seem more genuine. Creighton's Constance also takes on
depth during the play.
Scenic
designer Steve Coleman's castle-like set resembles a child's pop-out book reinforcing the
caricatures seen in some characters. Moreover, director Josh Costello uses some tired sight gags and
allows fight captain Risa Aratyr's sword fights to go on too long. Likewise, Beatrice has
an Act 2 speech that seems endless. On the other hand, Fumiko Bielefeldt's costumes are handsome, and
lighting by Lucas Benjaminh Krech and music and sound by Chris Houston are effective.
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