This is not a proper review, because I went to this play with no intention to review it. But when I found out when this company is up to, I decided I needed to pass the word along, so let’s call this a recommendation in support of a relatively new theater in its brand new home.
Go to St. Louis Park, find the Lennox Center, and tucked away downstairs at the bottom of short ramp lined with sprigs of fresh flowers and jar lanterns you find a dandy surprise: a sweet little theater with comfy seats, just enough stage lighting, and a cast of true believers in making magic the old-fashioned way: solid acting, with careful attention to text, tight pacing, and a sense of joy and camaraderie. Yes, you feel that in the Lennox Center Little Theater, the new home of Maggie’s Farm Free-Range Theater.
The play is Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, and yes, I know it’s done a lot, but that’s because it’s a gem of a comedy, bursting with cleverness and not at all burdened with “period†bewilderment in this production. For that I credit the skillful direction of Bryan Bevell, who will make you think you are fluent in Elizabethan English. Bevell lays it all out in raucous Vaudevillian style. Wacky casting could have derailed it, but delighted instead. Isn’t a comedy supposed to be fun? Well, then have fun with it!
The audience was sparse – too sparse for the accomplishment of this production. They should be packing them in! But you can do something about that. This small but mighty company deserves your attention and support.
Comedy of Errors runs October 6-23, Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 7 p.m, and Sunday at 5 p.m.