The production "Restoration Comedy" leaves audiences with no question as to why its advertisements came with a disclaimer citing "sexually explicit material not suitable for young children. "There is kissing. There is groping. There is provocative dancing. There is bare skin. The show is undoubtedly sexy.
In a play called "Restoration Comedy," it is typical to see sexually suggestive material, as that is a characteristic that defines plays of the restoration, or 17th century. It is also typical to see large, ornate, cumbersome costumes. It is even typical to see actors dance a minuet, a social dance of the period. It is not, however, typical of restoration plays, to see actors grinding to the song, "Filthy and Gorgeous," by British band The Scissor Sisters in the opening number.
Connecticut Repertory Theatre (CRT) began its fall season with a preview of "Restoration Comedy," at the Naffe Katter Theatre Thursday night. The play follows the unfaithful lech, Loveless, as he returns to England after being away for 10 years on a sexual tour of Europe. He returns to find his long-lost wife, Amanda has been coached by her friend Worthy to appear less virtuous and more lewd in hopes to attract Loveless, who thought she was dead. The two reunite and both end up surprised by the tricks played on them by other characters in the games of love.
It is not only the contemporary song at the beginning of the show that gives audiences an immediate sense of director Dale AJ Rose's unique blend of modern and period influences. While actors wear clothes that move and fit like traditional 17th century dress, the colors of the costumes and sets are anything but period appropriate. The set floor is painted a sky blue with pink and yellow hearts and kisses. The buildings, retro furniture and period clothing are accented with bright orange and gold. The backdrop of the set is painted in a set of colored blocks a la Andy Warhol. As Loveless says, the atmosphere screams loud and clear that, "Variety is the spice of life, it's true."
"It's an interesting idea how they modernized it," said Nicholas Steanisci, a 5th-semester horticulture major.
Costume designer Kevin Thacker immediately attracts the eye to his intricate, detailed, creative clothing worn by characters such as Amanda, played by second-year graduate acting student Hillary Parker.
Thacker's costume masterpiece though, is worn by Christopher Hirsh, also a second-year graduate acting student, who plays Sir Novelty Fashion, later deemed Lord Foppington. The first time he comes on stage, his attire is so bright and flashy, it seems to be as over-the-top as possible. But he manages to overcome its extreme flamboyance in the second act when he wears a wig taller than his own head and three times as long, and a fur black and white, glittered leopard print cape. Hirsh's get-up is part of the collaboration of a small fashion show which is perhaps the play's most side-splitting and hysterical moment.
Alison Laturnau, a 7th-semester English education major said her favorite characters were Lord Foppington and the two played by Loretta Pope, also a second-year acting graduate student. After trekking to the theater from her Hilltop Apartment, Laturnau said the two actors, "Made it worth the walk."
Pope's portrayal of both characters put the audience in an uproar every time she appeared on stage. She effortlessly transitioned from the obnoxious, annoying young Brit, Narcissa, in the first act, to an even more obnoxious, sex-crazed Scot, Hoyden, in the second act.
Each character expressed sensuality in his or her own way, some, like Loveless, more blatantly than others.
"To him, a marriage bed's a coffin, unless it's someone else's," Worthy says of Loveless.
Students enjoyed the comic nature of the play and the sexually explicit material, while some older audience members looked not quite as amused.
"I was surprised with the students," said Jacob Marcek, a 5th-semester animal science major. "It was very well done."
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