The experiment had already begun several years before when four babies, two males and two females, were placed in separate parts of the forest where they were tended to by an elderly couple, each child raised to believe that they were the only person in the world besides their old guardians. Now that they are full grown, they will be allowed to come in contact with one another as the aristocrats look on from the treetops to see which gender will be unfaithful first.

Such is the premise behind Marivaux’s eighteenth-century one-act comedy. What follows is sixty minutes of theatrical paradise as guest director Darko Tresnjak and the cast and crew at UCSD weave their magic. Tresnjak, who received universal acclaim for his gorgeous and hilarious production of Pericles at The Old Globe, demonstrates his genius once again. From its clever, melodramatic introduction to its bittersweet conclusion, his creativity and sense of humor pervade the entire show, as does his keen eye for creating the most beautiful stage pictures. Jedediah Ike’s set consists of an all-white, two-dimensional forest of trees under which the young lovers frolic and from above which the aristocrats look on. Emily Pepper’s outrageously resplendent costume for the noblewoman contrasts to the plain white worn by the young lovers and the layers of gray adorning the old couple. Shirley Halahmy’s lighting provides a mood-setting backdrop to the events on the stage. Darko’s precise attention to the movements of the characters is ballet-like in its beauty and its ability to evoke emotions.

The cast is a marvelous group of comedians who are all on the same page throughout. Egle, the first of the four lovers to venture out from her old home, immediately and hysterically falls in love with herself upon seeing her reflection for the first time. Carmen Gill is just as irresistible as her character believes herself to be as she idolizes herself, becomes almost equally enamored of the first man she comes across, finds herself in a jealous catfight with the first woman, and tries to seduce that woman’s boyfriend. A.K. Murtadha and Samuel Stricklen are two-of-a-kind as the clueless guys who fall so easily for the beautiful women while hitting it off just as easily when they are together without the women. As one tells the other, “You’re a good companion, and I don’t care about your thoughts!” The women don’t hit it off quite as well, falling into a quick rage when neither finds the other stunningly beautiful, resulting in a most memorable round of dueling vanity mirrors between Carmen Gill and Keiana Richard.

Production runs through February 26, 2005.

Rob Hopper
San Diego Playbill