`SCHEME OF THINGS': PLOTTING AND WOOING APLENTY IN NOHO.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic PLAYING A SERVANT masterminding an elaborate identity con, Nicolas Pavlos ratchets the farce quotient somewhere into the triple digits. Others in the cast of Dan Oliverio's ``The Scheme of Things'' occasionally reach Pavlos' level, but not often enough. Not that anybody other than the wily servant is given a lot to work with. Oliverio - the production's director and translator - has brought a new spin to Jacinto Benavente's 1907 comedy. Accordingly, we have people dressed for a classically structured turn-of-the-century farce (set in 1607) but making Jackie Collins Jacqueline Jill "Jackie" Collins (born 4 October, 1937), is a British-born novelist. She is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins and the elder sister of real estate developer Bill Collins. and Starbucks jokes. Uh, OK. Crispin is clearly the brains of the outfit while his master, Leander (played by Tom Mesmer), is the beauty. And the conscience. Master and servant An archaic generic legal phrase that is used to describe the relationship arising between an employer and an employee. A servant is anyone who works for another individual, the master, with or without pay. have grifted their way across the countryside, leaving many an unpaid debt in their wake. Leander is about ready to go legit le·git adj. Slang Legitimate. , but Crispin is having none of an honest life, and he instantly dupes meals, lodgings and fanfare out of the local rubes Rubes is a syndicated newspaper single panel cartoon created by Leigh Rubin in 1984. Leigh Rubin began making and distributing his own greeting cards in 1979 through his company Rubes. on the premise that his master is a gentleman. Then Leander falls in love with the daughter (Teresa Anne Volgenau) of a no-nonsense nobleman (Richard Hilton Richard Howard Hilton (born August 17 1955) is an American heir of the Hilton Hotel chain, a real estate broker and developer specializing in exclusive, high-end property, Chairman of Hilton & Hyland Real Estate, and father of Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Barron Hilton, and Conrad ) and the con threatens to unwind. ``The Scheme of Things'' could certainly be funnier and brisker, and Pavlos' anxious ring-mastering to the crowds strains mightily when the El Portal's Circle Theatre isn't close to capacity. As it happens, the production's choicest bit of humor comes not from Pavlos, Mesmer or any of the town gulls, but from an exuberant secretary played by Debbie McMahon, who leaves a certain portion of the front row strewn strew tr.v. strewed, strewn or strewed, strew·ing, strews 1. To spread here and there; scatter: strewing flowers down the aisle. 2. with paper. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com THE SCHEME OF THINGS - Two and one half stars Where: El Portal Center El Portal Center is a regional 385,000 square foot indoor mall located in the north Rio Grande bank in downtown Laredo, Texas[1]. It was previously known as the River Drive Mall until 2003 when Morgan Stern Realty bought it and renovated it. for the Arts, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday; through Aug. 29. Tickets: $28. Call (888) 972-4363. In a nutshell: Intermittently funny. |
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