Ashley Ivey and Teresa Spencer in Constellation Theatre’s “ABSOLUTELY {perhaps}” at Source. Photo by Stan Barouh.
A nearly 100-year old play by Luigi Pirandello would seem to be a dusty old thing to attempt to stage.
But dress it up in kicky 60s clothes on a nifty modernist set with vintage Italian pop songs playing at any chance that comes and it becomes some pretty fine entertainment.
That the 2003 adaptation by Martin Sherman, best known for “Bent,” changed the title from the original “Right You Are, If You Think So” to the more splashy ABSOLUTELY! {perhaps] gives you an idea of how much he punched it up.
In fact, the most old fashioned thing about the play, currently getting a zingy revival by the Constellation Theatre Company at Source, is that townspeople would be concerned that a man who invited his mother in law to live there would install her at an apartment on the other side of town rather than home with his wife and her daughter.
It may be hard to get worked up over that arrangement, but the locals here, perhaps because they have nothing else to do, are absolutely in a lather about it, whipping up all kinds of rumors and speculation as they descend into a level of gossip that is too juicy to ignore.
...fun and fast-moving kaleidoscope of color and cunning…
Amid it all is one droll skeptic, Lamberto Laudisi, played with some measure of glee by Ashley Ivey. He presides over a phalanx of upset gossips that include his sister (Sarah Pretz), brother in-law (Toby Mulford) and niece (Julia Klavans) and their excitable friends (Catherine Deadman and Matt Dewberry). All are quite good, though another daft friend (Teresa Spencer) is slightly less convincing, as sometimes happens when someone too young is cast to play a middle aged lady.
Michael Glenn is quite melodramatic as the man they are all gossiping about. But that may be part of his intent: He’s overacting to convince the others. A big standout is Kimberly Schraf as the mother in law, who creates a character of mystery and intrigue.
(That isn’t even all of the cast: Tyler Herman, Julie Garner, Connor J. Hogan and Lizzi Albert round out the troupe).
Yet ABSOLUTELY {perhaps] isn’t just about finding out the truth of the situation (though it is none of their business), it’s about playing with the notion of truth itself.
For this, there’s nobody better than the chuckling, martini-sipping Lamberto, putting on ear splitting dance records on the hi-fi in between the others’ squabbling.
And it’s all played out on a set that fits right in with the most fashionable furniture boutiques on 14th Street, one you’ll want to disassemble and move to your own house. Reuniting the team that created Constellation’s “36 Views” a year ago, A.J. Guban turns out a dazzling mid-60s modernist set, with perfect little accents, including one whole wall of a metal cubist design and a ceiling that is big, circular and mirrored. With the seats set close in, it’s like we are guests of this glorious apartment (indeed some of its seats are right next to those in the front rows).
Just as eye-catching are the candy colored period costumes by Kendra Rai, whose uses of oranges, yellows, turquoises and pine greens in each of the outfits provide a continuity among even the most oddball character as the tasty and catchy songs chosen by sound designer Palmer Hefferan makes you wish there was a soundtrack album to pick up.
That they move and swirl and plop on the couch as one are thanks to Allison Arkell Stockman’s exacting direction, adding extra business to seemingly every scene, enhancing Pirandello’s already clever text with clever physical touches, such as the play’s memorable closing flourish.
On living up to Constellation’s stated goal of “visual spectacle, music and movement unit(ing) with an exuberant acting ensemble to create an exhilarating entertainment experience,” this fun and fast-moving kaleidoscope of color and cunning fills the bill absolutely (and not just perhaps).
Running Time: Two hours, including a 15 minute intermission.
Advisory: Designed for audiences 13 and up.
ABSOLUTELY! {perhaps} by the Constellation Theatre Company runs through Nov. 9 at Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Tickets from 202-204-7741 or online.
