Tyranny Of Love

The third show of Granite Theatre's 10th Anniversary season is "The Tyranny of Love" by Norman Beim. This show is adapted from a classic Moliere comedy, "L'Amour Medicin" (Love is the Doctor). Drew Charteris, a self-centered, arrogant theatre critic refuses to let his 17 year-old daughter marry the successful young playwright she loves. Clara, a friend of the family schemes with the young girl to outwit the pompous father with the help of the girl's fiancée and his two friends. When Clara proclaims Susan is ill, a bunch of zany doctors descend upon the pompous father to outwit him for forbidding his daughter to be married. What they do has to be seen to be believed. The story rides an escalating wave of hilarity with a touch of 21st century Marx Brothers lunacy at it's best. Director Brian Olsen picks the best six performers for these roles. He gives them a lot of characterization and fantastic facial expressions to do in these madcap roles making the audience laugh all night long.   David Jepson creates a gorgeous apartment set for this show. Stage manager Sarah Gervasini keeps things running smoothly while Brian runs sounds and lights for his show. Geoff Leatham plays the pompous boor to the hilt. He has many comic lines and makes them all hit pay dirt. One of his funniest scenes occurs when the two psychiatrists show up and he lies down on the sofa telling about his past misdeeds. Mary Sue Chiaradio is delightful as Clara who hurls wisecracks and insults at Drew calling him a lecher. She empathizes with the young girl and decides to help her outwit her crafty father who she proclaims put the moves on her when the girl's mother was in labor. Erica Strickland plays Susan, the young girl with the right amount of naïveté and is wonderful as she outwits her overbearing father. When she pretends to be in a zombie-like state is hysterical. Matthew Royality-Lindman, Nicholas Mikkelsen and Patrick Wall are the biggest scene stealers in this show and are superb in their roles. They first show up as young doctors with horn-rimmed glasses trying to cure the girl of her malady and later in the second act they return with various wigs, disguises and old age make-up to fool the father as esteemed psychiatrists who never look at the girl but make their diagnosis anyway. The biggest laughs of the night came when they asked Drew to pay them in checks made out to cash. Matthew is really Adam, her suitor while Nicholas and Patrick are his two friends. (Nicholas wears a Dr. Einstein type wig while Patrick looks like Sigmund Freud in the second act.) Like in all farces there are many twists and turns that can't be revealed so it will not spoil the fun for audience members. For a laugh out loud show, be sure to catch "The Tyranny of Love". THE TYRANNY OF LOVE ( 28 May to 20 June, 2010) Granite Theatre, 1 Granite Street, Westerly,RI  1(401)596-2341 or www.granitetheatre.com