THEATER NOTES/ The Little Theatre's Scapino

Photo courtesy of the Little Theater of Alexandria Ron Bianchi (Geronte) and Marianne Meyers (Scapino)

ALEXANDRIA, VA. -  The Little Theater of Alexandria in Old Town has opened "Scapino," an edgy comedy based on a work by Thomas Moliere.  
 
Adapted for modern audiences in 1974 by Jim Dale and Frank Dunlop, Scapino is what they used to call comedia dell’arte. It has a quirky, avant-garde quality, with the off-beat humor magnified by director Rick Hayes’ decision to cast a woman in the leading role, instead of a man, as Scapino happens to be.
 

Photo courtesy of the Little Theater of Alexandria Liz Owens, Rick Anderson, and Juliana Ejedoghaobi

The scenes evolve in a café in the coastal Italian city of Naples.  Complete with audience involvement and local touches, director Hayes took advantage of the nature of local theater to add touches that work well in a small, intimate venue, much in the manner of the late playwright Bertolt Brecht.  
 
The play also contains some vaudevillian moments, which keep the atmosphere lighthearted.  Scapino, the cleverest man in town, is a Mr. Fix it All, a social working Sherlock Holmes who works to unite lovers and set wrongs right in present-day Naples.  
 
Actress Marianne Meyers plays the title role with aplomb and self-possession.  Of the cross-dressing role, Meyers told Local Kicks, “In farce you can do anything.  The Little Theater is a wonderful place to try new things.  It’s been a real pleasure to work here."
 
The cast rehearsed since Thanksgiving, with time off for the holidays.  
 
Working with a simple but effective set, lighting cues and complex staging went smoothly this opening night.  
 
As for the general hilarious romp going on continuously onstage, actor Ron Bianchi said, “We didn’t smoke anything backstage.”  
 
Really?
 
Scapino runs until Feb. 6. www.lta.org.

Photo courtesy of the Little Theater of Alexandria Marianne Meyers, Joe Randazzo, Paul Laudiero, Mary Ayala-Bush

Photo by Kirsten Obadal/Local Kicks Ari McSherry and Mary Ayala-Bush enjoy the Scapino cast party