Word: comic
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...directors unmistakably have a theory underlying their spontaneity. "People aren't used to comic theater enough to know what to laugh at," Aron says, explaining why they chose to parody a television show. "A sitcom format can draw on pieces of television culture that people are used to, so they know when to expect the climax and laugh lines...
John (Karl Saddlemeyer), Geoffrey (Richard Claflin) and Richard Lionheart (Adam Geyer), Henry's sons, provide both comic relief and a tragic element as they struggle for the throne. Saddlemeyer's fatuous complacence amuses the audience: "I'm Father's favorite--that's what counts." Claflin shows resentment at being the proverbial second son by spitting out every sarcastic line. Geyer shows the roots of Richard's Oedipal dilemma early in the play with his seemingly inexplicable hatred of his mother...
Harvard's production, under the direction of Gina Fried-Miller, wisely sustains the light and comic aspects of the story and places it in a traditional context--1840's Great Britain. Conductor Sarah Hicks sets the mood with Gilbert and Sullivan's time-honored "God Save The Queen...
...play opens with Frederic's (remarkable tenor Joel Derfner) 21st birthday, marking the official end of his legal apprenticeship to a band of pirates. His nursemaid, Ruth, (a clear and comic Diana Graham) had mistaken his father's request of "pilot" for "pirate" training and, now that Frederic is free, he seeks to destroy piracy...
...wives--a euphemism for raping them--but agree to let them go when the Major General appeals to their sympathy as fellow orphans--the pirates' well-known weak spot. Torbay, decked in britches, cape and sideburns, is the quintessential G&S nobleman, lovable and powerless. His skillful voice and comic ability shine in a song describing the Major General's impractical knowledge recounted in rhyme...