One of the most
charming productions of the year comes at the very end of the year.
SHIPWRECKED! An Entertainment—The Amazing Adventures of Louis De Rougemont (As
Told By Himself) is elegantly performed by Moonbox Productions, with the same
talented cast alternating evenings in TWELFTH NIGHT, also a tale set into
motion by a shipwreck.
SHIPWRECKED’s playwright,
Donald Marguiles, creates a larger than life world where a sickly young lad can
dream of sea voyages, rugged sailors and strange animals like flying marsupials—then
sign on with an eager captain and discover new lands for himself. We sign on,
too, hanging on every word the elderly De Rougemont utters. We suspect he may
be embellishing the story but he seems so sincere and kind (a tour de force for
Kevin Cirone as both the old and the young explorer), that we give ourselves
over completely to him.
We appreciate
Marguiles’ tongue in cheek reminders here and there that the truth is being stretched
or misrepresented entirely (those flying wombats) but this is a NICHOLAS
NICKELBY experience and we’re all in. Part of the allure is Allison Olivia
Choat’s ingenious staging where everything can become something else in the
blink of an eye, as we watch Michael Lin’s “Foley” sound effects come to life (a
wind machine, aluminum panels for thunder, etc.). Most impressive is the music
(Dan Rodriguez’ department), performed on stage by the extraordinarily
versatile cast.
The sincerity of the
players allows us to laugh at De Rougemont’s innocence, as he recounts his wild
discoveries. But when De Rougemont counts his losses, Cirone breaks our hearts,
especially when he loses his faithful friend, Bruno (Sarah Gazdowicz in a star
turn) and when he loses favor with his fellow Londoners.
Levity is provided by
the barrelful by Arthur Gomez as the blustery captain, by Charlotte Kinder as
De Rougemont’s over-protective mother, by Gazdowicz and Andrew Winson as stuffy
old society ladies, by Matthew Zahnzinger as a doddering, pinched, octopus
expert…Every member of the taut ensemble has the chance to find laughter in a
moment and lose themselves in a touching character role.
