The Alchemist

B+

Red Bull Theater is in fine form with this lively version of Ben Jonson’s 1610 farce. The same creative team — Jesse Berger, director; Jeffrey Hatcher, adaptor; Alexis Distler, set designer; and Tilly Grimes, costume designer — who brought us The Government Inspector have created another audience pleaser. The uniformly excellent cast of ten skilled farceurs performs with a combination of precision and abandon. To escape the plague, a wealthy Londoner has retired to the country and left his house under the care of his butler (Manoel Felciano), who invites two con artists, Subtle (Reg Rogers) and Dol Common (Jennifer Sanchez), to join him and turn the house into a base for perpetrating lucrative scams on gullible locals. Their intended victims include Abel Drugger (Nathan Christopher), a meek tobacconist; Dapper (Carson Elrod), a legal clerk with a gambling habit; Sir Epicure Mammon (Jacob Ming-Trent), a rich man and his skeptical servant Surly (Louis Mustillo); Ananais (Stephen DeRosa), a religious fanatic; Kastril (Allen Tedder), an angry young man, and Dame Pliant (Teresa Avia Lim), his widowed sister. The ensuing antics are too convoluted to describe here. The six doors, two stairways and one secret panel all get lots of use. The dialogue is filled with amusing anachronisms. The plot even manages to work in a touch of James Bond and a Brooklyn accent. The frantic activity wears a bit thin after intermission, but that’s a minor complaint. It’s a delightful treat for those who care for this sort of thing. If you liked The Government Inspector, you will probably enjoy The Alchemist. (Running time: two hours including intermission.)

The Government Inspector

B+

Red Bull Theater is presenting Jeffrey Hatcher’s clever adaptation of Nikolai Gogol’s 1836 comic masterpiece about corruption in a provincial Russian town. One of the strengths of the play is that it is simultaneously deeply Russian and universal. Hatcher has wisely decided not to update it or deemphasize its Russianness. He lets the audience find their own similarities to our times. This production’s biggest plus is the casting of Michael Urie (Buyer and Cellar, TV’s Ugly Betty) as Hlestakov, the wastrel who is mistaken for the visiting inspector. He demonstrates a previously unseen talent for physical comedy that is prodigious. As the mayor, Michael McGrath channels his inner Nathan Lane to our delight. Mary Testa is a hoot as the mayor’s wife. Arnie Burton chews the scenery as the postmaster and is droll as Hlestakhov’s servant Osip. Most of the other ten actors (Stephen DeRosa, Ryan Garbayo, Kelly Hutchinson, David Manis, Ben Mehl, Talent Monohon, Luis Moreno, James Rana, Tom Alan Robbins, Mary Lou Rosato) create vivid characters and work well as an ensemble. At two hours, the comedy wears a little thin. Alexis Distler’s set design is problematic. While the sets for each of the play’s three locations are effective, presenting them as a bilevel unit seems to be an inelegant and unnecessary solution. I advise against sitting in the first two rows, because you might get a stiff neck from looking up at the set’s upper level, where the last 3/4 of the action takes place. Tilly Grimes’s period costumes are wonderful. Red Bull’s artistic director Jesse Berger keeps things moving fluidly. If you enjoy farce and slapstick, well-performed, you will have an enjoyable time. Running time: two hours including intermission.

’Tis Pity She’s a Whore ***

Red Bull Theater, which specializes in plays of the Jacobean era, is presenting John Ford’s bloody revenge drama in a solid production at The Duke on 42nd Street. Amelia Pedlow and Matthew Amendt, as incestuous siblings Annabella and Giovanni, lead a strong cast of fifteen. Annabella’s three suitors, Lord Soranzo, Grimaldi and Bergetto, are well-played by Clifton Duncan, Tramell Tillman and Ryan Garbayo respectively. Derek Smith is impressive in the critical role of Vasques, Soranzo’s loyal servant. Franchelle Stewart Dorn makes a fine Putana, Annabella’s tutoress. Everett Quinton is good as Signor Donado, Bergetto’s uncle. Christopher Innvar, as Giovanni’s tutor and confessor Friar Bonaventura, seemed less comfortable than the others with verse. Philip Goodwin, Ryan Farley, Kelley Curran, Marc Vietor, Auden Thornton and Rocco Sisto round out the cast. The complicated plot of competing revenge plots runs like a Swiss clock under Jesse Bergers brisk, confident direction. David M. Barber’s scenic design is elegantly simple and Sara Jean Tosetti’s costumes are attractive. The second act is quite a blood fest, but such were the conventions of the time. The production does not sensationalize the gore. All in all, it was an evening well-spent. Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes, including intermission.