The Servant of Two Masters is comically complicated

The Servant of Two Masters, a play by Carlo Goldoni, is an engaging, fast-paced comedy full of fun moments. The play was performed Friday, Dec. 2 through Sunday, Dec. 4 and continues Thursday, Dec. 8 through Saturday, Dec. 10 on the Tower Fine Arts Main Stage. It was comically complicated, with lots of jokes and plot twists along the way.

It begins with a young couple, Clarice and Silvio (performed by Katie Unger and Nihal Advani, respectively) who were betrothed. The couple is deliriously happy and so are their fathers. Clarice's father, Pantalone (played by Ziv Noam), is a greedy, creepy old man. Silvio's father, Lombardi (played by James St. Jean), is a learned man who frequently makes long-winded speeches filled with Latin words.

As they all begin to celebrate the couple's betrothal, an oddly dressed servant interrupts. The man identifies himself as Truffaldino (played by Zac Darling), who is the servant of the man Clarice was betrothed to before he was killed.

Further, Truffaldino claims the man is still alive, and has come to Venice to claim his dowry. When Truffaldino's master comes to meet Pantalone, Brighella, the innkeeper (played by Tabitha Clark), immediately recognizes the "man" as Beatrice (played by Ali Campbell), the deceased man's sister.

Beatrice has come to Venice dressed as her brother, who was killed by Beatrice's lover in a duel. She was hoping to claim the dowry her brother had been promised when he was betrothed to Clarice. Pantalone, wanting to make money, decided Silvio wasn't as good of a match for his daughter as Beatrice ­— whom he thought was her brother. He chose to break up Clarice and Silvio, and Clarice went into dramatics.

She was comforted by her saucy servant, Smeraldina (played by Stephanie McKee). Meanwhile, Beatrice's lover, Florindo, has also come to Venice secretly. Florindo's old servant (played by Joseph Anthony Snyder) was no longer suitable for the job, so Florindo wanted to hire a different servant. Truffaldino, wanting double the meals and double the money, began to work for Florindo as well as Beatrice.

The real confusion begins when Truffaldino is unable to serve both of his masters. He's told to take things to his master, but is never told which one. As he continues to confuse the two, he's forced to scramble to cover his tracks. Despite the help of Brighella's lovely inn workers, Nora (played by Kara Dudley) and Pandora (Rachael Haring), he still fails to adequately serve both masters. Throughout the play, Truffaldino is hungry, but he's so busy he can barely find time to eat. The secrecy of Beatrice's character and Truffaldino's antics makes for a very interesting and engaging story.

The Main Stage, the largest of the stages in Tower, is used well. Scenic designer P. Gibson Ralph manages to clearly convey the feel of Venice without distracting from the play itself.

There are two buildings along the back. One is the home of Pantalone, and the other is an inn run by Brighella. A small table with two chairs in front of the inn round out the set.

Gail Argetsinger does a wonderful job as costume designer. The costumes look like clothing worn in 1700s Venice. Most of the costumes are detailed and colorful. The women's dresses are appropriate and made each person's status readily apparent. The men's costumes are no different and are also well put together. Truffaldino's costume is loud and colorful, with bright sashes and a funny hat. This complements his outlandish character perfectly.

Servant of Two Masters has enough twists and turns to keep anybody interested. The sound effects are made by a live two-person band which made for an entertaining live theater experience. Overall, the entire cast did an amazing job and brought the story to life. Subtle jokes — like the horse's name being "Sarah Parker" — and the wonderful acting makes this play a must-see.