Word: anouilh
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Recently back into prominence in America with The Lark and Waltz of the Toreadors, Anouilh divides his output into four classes--pieces roses (rosy, pleasant plays), pieces noires (sombre, unpleasant plays), pieces brillantes (shining plays), andpieces grincantes (grating plays). Thieves' Carnival is a piece rose, a delightful comedy of wit and frolic. But even here, every once in a while little undertones of sadness poke through the surface...
...Anouilh has conceived of his main characters in pairs, which balance off against each other in perfect classical symmetry. There is the rich, middle-aged Lady Hurf and the poor, middle-aged master thief Peterbono, each constantly trying to outwit the other. There are the two young nieces and the two young apprentice thieves; the gay niece pursues the sad thief and is repulsed, while the gay thief pursues the sad niece and is repulsed. Elderly Lord Edgard wants peace and quiet; the youthful musician thrives on sound and activity. There are Dupont-Dufort pere and fils, who always dress...
...Warren Enters, who directed it a few seasons back for its highly successful off-Broadway run. He is inventive and clearly knows what he is about, abetted by Jack Brown's serviceable sets and Al Petruccelli's effective lighting. On opening night, some of the bubbles had escaped from Anouilh's effervescent champagne; but by now the performance should be consistently heady...
...would be a mistake to regard Thieves' Carnival solely as a play. Anouilh went back to some of the Moliere works and resurrected the term comedie ballet. For its full effect, this show relies heavily on dancing. The roles of the Musician, the two policemen and the nursemaid are all dancing parts...
...this frolicsome, inoui comedy from Anouilh is guaranteed to keep you from ennui...