Shaw Festival's On The Razzle offers some dazzle-dazzle

 My second trip to the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake this month took me to the cozy confines of the Royal George Theatre for Tom Stoppard's light-hearted take on 19th-century Viennese society, "On The Razzle".  Based on Johann Nestroy's "Einen Jux will er sich machen", the play is really a departure for Stoppard, known perhaps more so for more weighty offerings such as "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead".

Stoppard himself described "On The Razzle" as a 'lark', and in his Director's Note, Craig Hall rightly posits after three tumultuous years of the pandemic, "a bit of harmless fun sounded right up my alley".  Ours too, as we return to some semblance of normalcy in this beleaguered world we find ourselves in.

The play dates from 1981 and premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival, before moving to London's National Theatre.  That production starred Dinsdale Landen and Felicity Kendal, and those of us who loved the short-lived gardening-themed mystery series on British telly called Rosemary & Thyme will be familiar with Kendal.  I must admit to having had a 'thing' for Felicity after watching that series!

But I digress...

This new production takes a pretty brisk pace bordering on farce yet not quite achieving that breakneck speed, but it comes close.  Director Hall has harnessed considerable talent in this new production and they all perform admirably, even if some of the many, many puns and double-entendres might get missed in the mad rush of things.  There is really no let up from the send ups it seems...

The original Nestroy story also inspired The Matchmaker years ago which spawned Hello, Dolly! of course, and it probably receives a better treatment in those vehicles than in Stoppard's play, but still, this is as he reminds us, really just a lot of mindless fun; a romp, if you will.

Basically the proprietor of a successful Viennese dry-goods store, Zangler, is full of himself and not shy about showing off just a bit.  In the opening scenes we see him squeezing into a new military uniform his tailor has made for him, tactfully suggesting the tighter fit is what's popular at the time rather than stating the obvious.

That being said, this particular tailor should be bound up in his measuring tape for leaving the sleeves on the old man's jacket simply too long.  It is a small slip up in this production but one I couldn't help but notice.

Zangler also cares for a young ward, Marie, and is not too keen on the young man she has her eye on, Sonders.  From there this pretty thin plot goes from scene to scene with mistaken identities, missed opportunities and general mayhem as they all rush headlong to the final curtain.

The cast is uniformly first-rate, as is usually the case at the Shaw Festival, and it is nice to see veteran actor Ric Reid have a ball in the plum role of Zangler.  His tailor, who also shows up in lesser roles throughout the play, is Jason Cadieux.  His role is rather thankless frankly but he makes the most of his opportunities in his assortment of roles.

The two key roles belong to the two clerks who run Zangler's shop for him, and when he leaves in full ill-fitting military regalia for a parade after telling them they will soon be promoted, they promptly close up shop and celebrate.  They hit the town or, as they would say perhaps, be out "On The Razzle."

Weinberl and Christopher are the two clerks and they steal scenes between them throughout the play, trying all the while to avoid coming in contact with Zangler while on the lam.  Reliable and always clever Mike Nadajewski has great fun as Weinberl, and his young assistant Christopher is played with great affection by Kristi Frank.  She imbues the role with a waif-like quality that instantly makes her an audience favourite.

Rounding out the strong cast is Drew Plummer as the suitor Sonders and Lindsay Wu as his love interest Marie, the ward of Zangler.  Both are solid but Marie's role especially is pretty thin.

Special mention must go to another Shaw veteran Patrick Galligan, who goes over-the-top with great style as both the Coachman and the Scotsman, always eying the ladies and looking for action.  Galligan more often than not is the gentleman on stage but here, he is anything but.  I can imagine his glee when offered the role...

Sets and costumes by Christina Poddubiuk are suitably Viennese although the sets are rather sparse in order to maximize the tight space on the Royal George stage.

So even though this is all mindless fun, is it worth your time? Yes, so long as you realize this is akin to what a situation comedy TV show would have been like in the 19th-century, had there been one.  It goes nowhere fast, but the journey is more than half the fun.

"On The Razzle" continues at the Royal George Theatre until October 8th and rates a three out of four.

For tickets, contact the Shaw online at www.shawfest.com.

Have a great week!

July 24th, 2023.