Critics’ Forum
Theater
Critics’ Forum Article, 9.16.06
A Triumphant "Love’s Labor’s Lost"
By Aram Kouyoumdjian

In some quarters of the literary world, "Love’s Labor’s Lost" is
considered one of Shakespeare’s "lesser" comedies. After seeing its
recent incarnation by the Actors’ Gang, you’d never believe it. In
director Simon Abkarian’s hands, "Love’s Labor’s Lost" (playing
through September 30 at the Ivy Substation), is a visual feast of
choreography and color that achieves a delicate balance between
levity and profundity.

Perhaps better known in the United States for his film acting – he
portrayed Arshile Gorky in Atom Egoyan’s "Ararat," starred with Joan
Allen in Sally Potter’s "Yes," and plays a villain in the latest
James Bond installment, "Casino Royale" – Abkarian, who is based in
France, boasts impressive theater credentials (including a Moliere
Award) and experience in the commedia dell’arte style, which he puts
to great use in "Love’s Labor’s Lost."

The premise of the play itself is somewhat weak, even silly.
Essentially, the King of Navarre and his lords join in an oath to
give up the temptations of their physical world – including the lure
of women – and devote themselves to three years of scholarship.
This being Shakespeare, however, no sooner have they committed to
this oath than the Princess of France appears on the scene, with her
ladies in tow. Temptations are re-awakened, love letters dispatched
and accidentally switched, and identities mistaken. Romantic
upheaval ensues.

Perhaps "Love’s Labor’s Lost" does have the makings of a "lesser"
comedy. Abkarian, however, makes it bloom into a masterwork of
imagination, awash in surreal images and gorgeous stylized movement,
all bathed in luminous light. To be sure, Abkarian mines the play’s
humor and lends to it an absurdist sensibility. Yet, the boldness
of his tableaux (among them, striking variations on the crucifixion
theme) and his keen sense of the play’s shifting moods ensure
that "Love’s Labor’s Lost" is elevated from a "lesser" comedy to an
emotionally complex and sexually charged piece of theater.

A sequence in which the King and his lords disguise themselves as
Russians to secretly mingle with the Princess and her ladies, for
instance, serves as an exemplar of farcical chaos, featuring masks,
confetti, and vigorous dancing in a brilliant bit of pandemonium.

Still, the comedy, while integral to the production’s lively spirit,
never compromises the play’s emotional heft and its treatment of
deeper questions of love and coupling. When the King and his lords
finally realize the extent of their loneliness in the absence of the
women they’ve come to love, their clingy embrace of one another,
while funny, is even more heartbreaking. In the course of
comprehending love, these characters undergo an awakening and
maturation that Abkarian’s actors capture and communicate with
poignancy.

Indeed, a young, energetic cast executes Abkarian’s ambitious
staging with poise. Brian Kimmet and Ethan Kogan are well suited as
lords to Matt Huffman’s King. Huffman brings to the role a
vulnerability that proves quite moving, while Nancy Stone, as the
Princess, offers a perfect blend of strength and grace. Among the
characters populating the play’s less-successful subplots, Mary
Eileen O’Donnell crafts a memorable turn as Holofernes, proving that
sometimes the best man for the part may well be a woman.

The production greatly benefits from the talents of its design team,
including Francois-Pierre Couture, who does double duty with sets
and lighting, both to stellar effect. Sarah Le Feber’s modern
costumes (at times, lingerie-inspired) manage to be smart and
sensual in their elegant simplicity. And Ara Dabandjian’s musical
score, much of which he plays live on stage, sublimely accentuates
the action.

As breathtaking in its interpretation as Eric Tucker’s industrial
take on "Macbeth" was last year, Abkarian’s production proves, once
again, that Shakespeare’s words, as lauded as they may be, are only
a starting point to an unforgettable theatrical experience.

All Rights Reserved: Critics’ Forum, 2006

Aram Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for both playwriting
("The Farewells") and directing ("Three Hotels"). His collaborative
script for "Little Armenia" recently had its world premiere at the
Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles.

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