theatre review

Philotus

Commedia della Scozia

Surprisingly accessible, this resurrection of the rarely performed Scots play 'Philotus' is a mixed bag. The story is a romp of thwarted love and mistaken identity performed with all the subtlety of Dr Evil. It's not a prerequisite for Commedia dell'Arte, subtlety, but forced obviousness does not work, and though the cast enjoyed themselves, not many had a flair for physical comedy. Benjamin Dahlbeck as Philerno stands out, not least in his preposterous similarity to his sister (which is funny but could've been exploited further) and he performed with natural comic ability. More could have been made of this bawdy farce, though. Here it's silly and pleasant enough, but in the hands of the masters it could have been so much better.

Zoo Southside, 1 - 16 Aug, 3.45pm (5.15pm), £8.00 (£7.00), fpp 223

tw rating: 2/5

published: Aug-2008

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