THE MENAECHMUS TWINS by Plautus, directed by Melee Hutton, with Sarah Evans, Jeffrey R. Smith, Adrian Proszowski, Wayne Ward and Ryan Hollyman. Presented by Theatreworks Productions/Stone Circle Project at Withrow Park (south of Danforth between Logan and Carlaw). Previews Tuesday (July 28), opens Wednesday (July 29) and runs to August 9, Tuesday-Sunday 6 pm, matinee Saturday-Sunday 2 pm. Pwyc. theatreworksproductions.com. See listing.
Summer’s the time for light entertainment and lots of laughs.
You’ll find both in The Menaechmus Twins, a farce you’ve probably never seen before. No surprise, since it’s by the rarely produced Roman playwright Plautus.
Even so, if you’ve seen much Shakespeare, you know the story. Plautus’s script is the basis of the Bard’s The Comedy Of Errors, which exploits the comic mayhem involving two sets of twins, masters and servants. Neither pair knows of the other’s existence, but they’re mistaken for each other in Epidamnus, where one pair lives.
“Plautus’s story isn’t as complicated as Shakespeare’s,” says Adrian Proszowski, co-artistic director of Theatreworks, which is presenting the Stone Circle Project’s production. “Here there are two masters but only one servant.”
Stone Circle’s first production, Ned Dickens’s Creon, was staged two years ago in a literal circle of stones.
“This time we’re moving away from the original location and into Withrow Park,” adds Sarah Evans, who plays the trio of female roles in Twins. “That means the feel of the show will be different.
“After previously working close to the audience, we’re now in a much larger space. Rather than fight it, we’re going for large laughs and a carnival-like feel. In fact, it’s a travelling circus troupe that presents Plautus’s story.”
That XL-size presentation suits the show, which builds in comic madness as friends, family and servants confuse the twins. Menaechmus of Epidamnus cheats on his wife with Erotium, the courtesan who lives next door. His brother, Menaechmus of Syracuse, is mistaken for him by the Epidamnians, including the hanger-on Sponge even the Syracusan’s slave Messenio (Proszowski) mistakes the sibs.
“We’re discovering how much wacka-wacka comedy we can still find in a 2,000-year-old play,” notes Jeffrey R. Smith, who co-founded Stone Circle with Evans and Proszowski and plays Sponge. “How big can we get? At this point, director Melee Hutton’s letting us be as large as possible.”
“With this show, we have licence to do whatever we want,” continues Proszowski. “After all, Plautus poked fun at whatever he thought needed deflating. How can you not laugh with a playwright whose adopted name – Plautus Maccius Titus – translates as ‘flat-footed clown penis’?”
The company really wanted to present a comedy, says Evans, after performing the story of Antigone on their first outing.
“After all, in an outdoor setting, it’s easier to go for laughs than for the solemn suicides in Creon.”
No matter the play, the outdoor setting creates a special situation for the actors, and that’s not just because of the ongoing garbage strike.
“Anyone walking by can become part of the action,” offers Smith. “I remember during one performance of Creon, some kids rode up on their bikes and stood right in the middle of the death scene. At another, a woman got up and danced in the middle of the show.”
“You always have to maintain focus when you’re playing outside,” nods Evans. “You’ve got to deal with ice cream vendors, traffic, the drone of planes, dogs running through the area.
“So, yes, comedy is easier than tragedy to perform in the open air. We’re relying on songs and music by Bryce Kulak to help keep viewers’ attention.”
Even with the challenges, Smith and others look forward to introducing Toronto audiences to this classic farce. Smith spent most of the winter working on a remake of another classic, the TV show The Prisoner, with Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel.
“McKellen knows that The Prisoner will have a far larger audience than any play, but he told me never to forget the importance of keeping theatre alive in my heart.”
jonkap@nowtoronto.com
