The cast of the King’s production of A Company of Wayward Saints seem to have a lot of fun together, and that’s a good thing since one of the messages of the play is that theatre is a collaborative art form. The premise is that a commedia dell’arte troupe is performing for a Duke who will fund their trip home if their show pleases him. In the first act, the characters ham it up while exploring the theme “the history of man”. It’s energetic good fun. The second act, however, slows to a glacial pace. Much of the life and all of the fun is sucked from the play by the maudlin exploration of the high points—including birth, adolescence, marriage and death—of man singular. It makes for an uneven, but interesting, evening of entertainment.
Through April 2, 8 p.m. at the Arts and Administration Building, University of King’s College, 6350 Coburg. Phone 422-6011 ext. 10 for tickets.
This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2011.