Comm-80s-a
Directed by Nick Freed and Derek Jarvis
at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee (map)
thru May 19 | tickets: $10-$15 | more info
It’s 16th century meets 1980s in high-spirited romp
Chicago dell’Arte presents
Comm-80s-a
Review by Clint May
As the title suggests, Comm-80s-a is a mash up of two grand traditions. One, the Commedia dell’Arte of the 16th century and the other the films of the 1980s—particularly those of John Hughes. Fans of the cult classic TV show “Strangers with Candy” will recognize this take on the zeitgeist of the 1980s, turning tropes on their heads and then ramping them up to absurdist levels. It’s replete with the requisite masks, Italian names and physical pratfalls of a commedia populated paired with the stereotypical characters from “The Breakfast Club”, “Pretty in Pink”, “Some Kind of Wonderful”—the list just goes on. Chicago dell’Arte’s loving homage to the movies that defined many Generation Xers’ coming-of-age experience is often funny and completely zany.
Where else could such a story begin but four days before prom, that oh-so-critical juncture of high school life where all that is known is coming to an end and the great expense of the unknown lies ahead. This tension has always made proms the perfect device to bring any plot to a head, and Comm-80s-a introduces us to the teachers and students whose lives are going to intersect with a clever montage of yearbook photos. There’s the Emperor of the team, the school Queen (or princess), the slutty TA, the lubricious principal, a bombastic coach, a scheming science teacher and a sarcastic best friend. The only thing missing is the nerd with big glasses (though I can’t think of a Hughes film offhand that employed one–I’m pretty sure he preferred outsiders to nerds).
It turns out the beautiful and impossibly chaste Clarina’s (Laura Marsh) relationship with jock boyfriend Adrino (Tommy Venuti) threatens the checks her uncle and teacher Dottore (Mark Soloff) receives for her care. To break them up, he’ll team with the overinflated Coach Capitano to concoct a ridiculous covert plan to undo the couple before prom can arrive and they can cement their love. While Capitano puts the plan in action, Clarina will get some help in love from her Ducky-esque friend Sarcastino (Christopher Thies-Lotito) and the insatiably vivacious Columbia (Laura Stephenson ). The ensuing “plot” is more of a series of vignettes that recall 80s movies, always mingled with the Commedia (this includes melodramatic stances).
As a mash-up, Comm-80s-a is unapologetically bizarre. Not every joke lands evenly, and the troupe is at its best employing its not-inconsiderable physicality and riffing off cliches, or throwing off a single one-liner (as opposed to the more operatic dialogue). It’s not a show for everyone, as a knowledge of Hughesian scripts is a prerequisite to much of the nostalgia-centric humor. Half the fun is reveling in that nostalgia. Having grown up watching the Coreys and Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy, that’s definitely grin-inducing if not always gut busting. While the entire troupe throws itself into their roles with the appropropriate energy and melodrama, it’s Marsh and Stephenson that stand out. Marsh’s balletic movements and wide-eyed innocence as the school princess are a delight, while Stephenson stands out not only for looking the part of an 80s Madonna groupie but for stealing every scene with her valley girl gusto. Marsh’s group choreographed dance numbers to classic 80s pop are worth the price of admission.
As a loving montage of the age of montages that doesn’t worry about plot or even a pronounced wrap-up, Comm-80s-a doesn’t overstay its welcome. Brimming with feel good vibes and that unselfconscious lack of irony that characterized the pre-grunge era, it’s a sweetly twisted trip back in time that anyone who loved big hair and a good synthesizer is sure to enjoy.
Rating: ★★★
Comm-80s-a continues through May 19th at The Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee (map), with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm. Tickets are $10-$15, and are available at BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at chicagodellarte.com. (Running time: 70 minutes, no intermission)
