The Love of Three Oranges is based on Carlo Gozzi's fairy tale. This is not Prokofiev's opera, with its marches. It is a vision of Romanian Nona Ciobanu (director, co-scenic & costume Designer) and Iulian Baltatescu (co-scenic & costume designer, Lighting & Composer). It has the feel of commedia dell'arte in this American adaptation by James Magruder. He creates a language for the characters that is, at times, obtuse, and then he uses American slang almost as an aside. The piece thus wavers between aural confusion and amusement.
Ciobanu and Baltatescu's scenic and costume design define the play. A huge yellow material becomes a backdrop. It billows, gossamer-like at the slightest touch. At times, it's a floor-piece, then a king's throne, or talking heads appear in it as it flows and becomes strange shapes. All the costumes are of the same material, often covering the faces of the players. While mostly unadorned, occasional bits of colored decoration distinguish some characters.
The plot: Prince Tartaglia, a hypochondriac, can be saved only by a good laugh. Alas, his cousin and her lover are conspirators enlisting the evil witch Fata Morgana to ensure that the prince never laughs and, thusly, they ascend to the throne. Fata Morgana goofs and Tartaglia laughs. She puts a curse on him to fall in love with three of anything-but-ordinary oranges and chase them to the distant corners of the earth. He does!
The able cast here is presented with a tough task; create an enjoyable piece that was originally in Italian, translated and liberally interpreted in Romanian, and, finally, brought to both idiomatic and stylized English.
The Love of Three Oranges is certainly different, as have beens the last two productions at La Jolla Playhouse. While this production is professionally executed, it certainly is not one of my favorites. Be assured, though, that children in the audience will love it, as will adults who like this style of theater.
