REVIEW: COMMEDIA DELLE STELLE
Commedia delle Stelle has a fantastic concept: what would Star Trek look like if it was written 600 years ago in the style of commedia dell'arte? One would expect a ridiculous improvised romp. Sadly, this is not the case with Friendly Heretic Theatre Company’s less than stellar execution.
The show starts off with the lead player enthusiastically addressing the audience and preparing us to select one of three classic Star Trek episodes for the troupe of players to reenact. With the selection of “The Arena” made (and many ooohs from knowing Trek fans), the players quickly dress, don their masks and set the scene. There are some great props involved: from the spaceship with sails on it (medieval remember?) to the foam rockets thrown by the audience. The Gorn costume was also fantastic and the highlight of the performance.
The troupe is a mix of relatively skilled and very fresh players and this combination does not work together successfully. One of the great rules of improv (as few as there are) is to use the “yes and” practice to keep the story moving forward. These players feel too unsure of themselves and do not take nearly enough risks with their characterization of beloved Star Trek roles and tropes.
The action barely gets off the ground and the story is over. In an effort to re-engage, the lead player offers the audience the opportunity to change things up. These suggestions, thankfully, allow for more comedic moments than the original attempt. If the audience suggestions would have been utilized from the start, this may have helped the players navigate the story better. It just isn’t enough to maintain enthusiasm and the applause at the end is polite but there’s an air of disappointment that cannot be ignored.
Fringe is the best place to bring new ideas to the stage and Commedia delle Stelle has a great idea but with their relative inexperience, this company needs to build stronger confidence in the material, trust each other more and say “yes and” to make this particular production a success.
