How odd for the highly skilled, realistic playwright, Donald Margulies, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Dinner with Friends, also Sight Unseen and Collected Stories, all critically and popularly acclaimed, to turn to writing something with the above-named title.
In Margulies' own words, he "wanted to simply write a rip-roaring yarn to return to a bare stage and literally get back to basics using as few props and as little scenery as possible a play that would invite people who had never seen one into the theater and give them a sense of the excitement I had when I was a kid at my first Broadway show."
Margulies has come up with Shipwrecked!..." a delicious mélange of (good) children's theater, vaudeville and old-time radio shows before an audience. The main character, and incidents, are all based on an actual person and events. Louis de Rougemont's exploits transfixed the Victorian era public.
As for this play: A circular platform takes up about three-quarters of the stage. At its edges are various accoutrements such as a large bass drum, cymbals, microphone, in short, various sound-effect paraphernalia.
Taking stage and directly addressing the audience is Louis de Rougemont himself, in the person of actor Michael Countryman. De Rougemont regales us with his adventures. Among his many exploits, he claims he was shipwrecked during a violent storm. Landed in the Coral Sea. Went pearl fishing and found enormous pearls, including natural, highly valuable black pearls. Was attacked by a gigantic octopus but survived to tell of it. Lived in Australia. Lived 30 years among a tribe of cannibals and married an aboriginal woman who bore him two daughters. He later returns to London and civilized society, and comes to wish he hadn't.
In Mr. Countryman's tour-de-force performance he exhibits charm, enthusiasm and shrewdness, and always keeps us interested, while never leaving the stage. The show makes one wonder: Is truth always to be desired, when deceit can be sometimes so enticing?
In this theatrical display, de Rougemont is assisted by Player 1 (Donnetta Lavinia Grays) and Player 2 (Jeremy Bobb). Ms. Grays plays a wide variety of roles: a rugged and wily sea captain, an aboriginal woman-smoothly changing her voice and physical carriage. She portrays male and female with equal ease. Mr. Bobb likewise essays male and female roles. My favorite was his portrayal of Queen Victoria, replete in velvet gown and wig. How he convincingly projects her short stature is a marvel of the actor's skill, and kneepads. Both performers move beautifully and are skilled mimes.
Director Lisa Peterson has created a slew of lively and unusual antics, undoubtedly aided by her trio of creative actors. Adding to the frolic are a few sound persons, attired in black, and thus "invisible" as in the Asian theatre manner, striking various gongs, whistles, and vibrating and scratchy instruments.
Set design by Neil Patel, in which the platform revolves, absolutely fills the bill as do costumes by Michael Krass, lighting by Stephen Strawbridge, with excellent original music and sound by John Gromada. Here's a treat for theatergoers of all ages.
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