Classical Theatre Company’s ‘Figaro’ is a funny French toast
How about a season of laughs? Houston’s Classical Theatre Company (CTC) is celebrating its 15th anniversary season with just that, starting with a COVID-delayed production of Pierre de Beaumarchais’s “The Marriage of Figaro,” based on his Figaro trilogy of plays penned by Beaumarchais that were written before the well-known operas by Mozart were created.
In case you didn’t know, CTC is the only company in Texas that only produces classical drama. They only perform plays that are over 100 years old. Directed (and translated!) by executive artistic director John Johnston, this play forces us to remember how to laugh. That is no small thing, and as Steve Martin once said, comedy is not pretty.
It is hard to pull off.
But this play is fantastic and that is because of the players themselves. The sets of windows and gardens are fine (Matthew Keegan) and the costumes kind of Jazz-Agey cute (Leah Smith), but what really wows the audience is the sheer energy and comedic excellence of the cast.
You know how the French just loved Jerry Lewis? He had a je ne sais quoi that they loved and I don’t get. My heart sinks a little when I hear the phrase “French farce.” But I stand corrected. It is really more interesting than what I was sort of dreading. In fact, it was really fun. Almost three hours of fun, but fun.
The word “farce” derives from the late Latin “farsus,” which is connected to a verb meaning “to stuff.” And boy is there a lot of stuff in this plot that has so many twists and turns and hijinks that it is
hard to keep everything straight. But you don’t have to, because all you have to do is enjoy the scenes and the stellar acting in each one of them.
Later in French history, “farce” meant any sort of extemporaneous add-on in a play, especially jokes or gags or clowns going off script. “The Marriage of Figaro” has that “anything goes” vibe, and it’s entertaining to watch.
The action centers on smart-aleck and smarmy Figaro (Calvin Hudson), and his corrupt master, the Count Almaviva (a superlative Kregg Dailey). Figaro is going to
marry Suzanne (a vivacious and funny Elissa Cuellar), who has some great zingers, such as “Why are the clever ones always so stupid?”
This play is a clever hybrid of French and American humor, with winks to the audience about where we are and the ostensible setting of the play. Figaro starts to say something about the Fourth of July, but corrects himself with a smirk and says “Bastille Day.”
The breaking of the fourth wall as actors address the audience is humorous and fun, and the physical humor is often stunning. I was worried that the wonderful Wesley Whitson as Cherubim was going to fall during some of his contortions, but he never did. It was a dash of Cirque de Soleil nerve that I was not expecting, and it was hilarious.
Now the unbelievable and dizzying plot is funny because
it is unbelievable. But that is what comedy is for sometimes. Luckily, the ensemble cast as a whole has a wonderful chemistry and so all of the intrigue and disguises and switch-ups work well with some very funny lines. It didn’t feel like homework in French class at all.
One of the highlights was the comedic energy of Cuellar along with Marceline (Lyndsay Sweeney) and Countess Rosine (Brittny Bush). These women really know what they are doing, and these knockout performances really shine. I will never forget Bush’s riveting performance as the Countess, with perfectly timed expressions and uproarious physical movements.
This production is a fun nightcap of madcap and you will smile in spite of yourself.