r punches at it. Speed is overwhelmed by the physical exertion, brokenly shouting his lines. Director Calvin MacLean connects these opening images of leisure games with the later romantic antics of the male protagonists. Romance is approached as if just another frivolous game, conducted with selfish disregard for consequences and wounded feelings. The set is dark green and violet. with a grasslike surface and thickly entwining vines higher up. Purple buds and flowers abound on the vines, and pairs of putti are visible within the foliage, peering down upon the romantic farce. The period is pre-World War I Italy. Jaunty piano music plays during interludes and set changes, contributing to the whimsical atmosphere, as do a variety of clever staging techniques. For example, a baby grand piano, central to the 2.5 ballroom scene, is simply turned around to become the roulette and gaming table of the Duke's private 3.1 party. Each protagonist has fine moments in relatively thin characterizations: the moustached Proteus is sneakily conniving, Valentine charmingly dense, and Silvia slinky but sophisticated. Keytha Graves excels as a plucky Julia, especially in her 1.2 letter scene, one moment shredding a letter from Proteus, the next scrambling on her kneesto collect the scattered scraps of precious words. While the lead roles are effective, the supporting cast elevates this production, especially the clowns, Speed and Launce and the foolish suitor, Thurio. Darrel Ford portrays a bespectacled, slick-haired Speed with silent-comedy affectation, complete with Chaplinesque bowler and moustache and Stan Laurel-like physical mannerisms. He enters one scene upon a bicycle honking the horn as he rides through the audience and up the ramp at stage right. His efforts to make Valentine understand that Silvia loves him are exasperating for Speed; at one point, he falls to his hands and knees in frustration and pounds the stage with such force that his spect...
