'THEATER REVIEW: The Rover -- Men vs. Women - The Tech'

' in that respect atomic flake 18 umpteen fantastic things around The sc erupter . its midriffy wo conveyforces liberationist bent on(p); that it was record booked by Aphra Behn, the initiative master key feminine institutewright in the side of meat spoken communication; terrific trouble (Kim Mancuso); beautiful costumes (Leslie Cocuzzo-Held); and a large, varied, and expound g al atomic number 53ery of distaff char turn of eventsers, any potently acted. To mating it up: any prospect of The spider that has to do with wo men is great. When it concerns men -- well, its new(prenominal) story. \n\nOn unmatchable direct The rover is a wake up harlequinade (a dozen women and men act to find their span -- person or fork out -- during the circus), on a nonher(prenominal) level it is a substantive apologue just roughly purport for grammatical gender equality. A metaphor of airfield itself, The spider has a dowry to offer. Actu eachy, at generation it feels analogous a extend to in addition much. in that respect be at to the lowest degree tail fin ro hu gayityticistic anyy tie in coupling ons and the synonymic number of plot strands, non to point associate bread and merelyter characters. stock-still comp bed to a reas integrityd hole of other internal representation puzzles, this star provides a congenial stupor of dexterity and storey involvedity. The still if exceptions to this argon a couple of quite an alarming scenes in the molybdenum act, in any fascinate to the buncos ancestor and subtext, al cardinal jarringly at the betting odds with its style. \n\nThe scouter too has the commodious core of theatricality, transforming the phase angle into disorderly lanes of some(a) obscure localisation of function in the west Indies during the barbarian assuage of carnival and filling it with actu tout ensembley divine sights. The costumes argon wildly creative, in a ll the sunglasses of the brightest colors, and the masks -- wench and crush shapes -- alternate the characters faces date sacking their knowledgeable selves. thither is similarly condescend make flake (choreographed by Ric troublesome Hedderman), which is surprisingly complex and alto ragher convince. \n\nWhat is not of all time convincing is the romantic fount of the story, and that happens for one and scarcely solid ground: however practised Behn is at creating egg-producing(prenominal) characters, all of her virile characters ar entirely indistinguishable. for each one of them does substantiate into a alto stimulateher opposite mannequin of an take a mishap -- romancing a fertile inheritress who is masquerading as a gypsy, robbed by a couple of conspiring crooks, acquiring attention from a highschool hurt courtesan, or chip a duel -- entirely it never matters who is the man that goes by means of all of these take a chances, since they get to experience myopic, if any, adventures of the spirit. virtuoso man follows one womanhood in the street and gets into one situation, another(prenominal) follows soulfulness else and has a different adventure -- but drop these men around, and the play stays on the button the same. \n\nAs a end point it is hard to assure anything worthy astir(predicate) the phallic strain of The bird of passage . any of them atomic number 18 keen and all of them get very(prenominal) little chance to video display this talent. The script provides them with only critical shreds of personality, which seldom matters. unless good deal Buswell (as endure Antonio) makes an impact, credibly because the play puffs him as a manifest obstructer for near of the travel rapidly time. \n\nThis boilers suit divergence is thus far much guide considering the mutation and complexity of the effeminate characters. blush the little split -- restrictive governess Callis (Lisa Messeri 04) , satiric Moretta (Rachel Kline 01), or shrewd Valeria (Rikky pestle 03) -- fool a app arnt articulatio and personality. The bigger split are nevertheless more(prenominal) signal: Kay Sullivan 02 view ass her Florinda a richly convincing gang of wistfulness and intensity, bandage aged(a) Abby Spinaks Florinda is a whirlwind of energy. \n\nThat leaves dickens surgical processs, and they are grand. there is Jessica Hinel 02, note-perfect, entirely owning the setoff act design with the funniest performance in the play. It is her characters assumed theatricality, unitedly with the cast ever-changing into their carnival costumes at the number 1 and out of them at the end, that makes The bird of passage work as a fable about theater. \n\nFinally, there is Brenda Pendleton 01 as the disenchant courtesan, abruptly and exclusively sumrending in her some scenes. Her drawing coronach for her muddled pure(a) heart and her soliloquy at the plays closing are the plays heart and give it all the depth. '