Review: Trinity Rep's Uproarious THE HUNCHBACK OF SEVILLE

T.S. Eliot insists that April is the cruelest month, but I've always firmly believed that the correct answer is February. Between the unpredictable weather events and the cold; the sloppy sidewalks and the general malaise of realizing that spring is a long way off--February needs to have a few bright spots in order for us to power through. Thankfully, this year, we have Trinity Rep's THE HUNCHBACK OF SEVILLE to serve as one of those beacons. Though the story takes place on a cold day in 1504 Seville, it feels like a ray of sunshine-- perfect to thaw out your sense of humor and warm up your funny bone.

1504 Spain-- Columbus and his cronies are wreaking havoc in the "New World", Queen Isabella is still on the throne, but in very poor health; and a hunchback named Maxima Terrible Segunda lives in a tower in Seville. Maxima was abandoned by her parents at birth due to her deformity, and placed in a bulrush basket on the palace doorstep. From there, the king and queen at the time took pity on her, and raised her, kind of, by basically making sure she stayed alive, but out of sight. Maxima spends her time reading, looking at maps of the world, taking baths and hanging out with her cats. Eventually, Queen Isabella suggests that Maxima serve as advisor to the heir to the throne--Princess Juana, but in order to secure that position, Maxima needs to prove how Catholic she is by doing something only an Inquisition era monarch would think proves holy allegiance.

The beauty of this play, is that you can really get what you want to get out of it. It's an incredibly clever look at colonialism and religion on one hand, but on the other, it's a bawdy funfest with plenty of swearing. This juxtaposition works incredibly well in that the costumes and sets are absolutely flawless. The sets are perfectly Spanish--from the wall color, to the tile floor to the ornately carved set of double doors. The costumes are luxurious velvet with puffed elaborate sleeves; corsets and hoop skirts. The costumes also comes fully equipped with highly phallic, sparkly, codpieces and in addition to the swearing, which is made funnier by the fact that everyone is so well-dressed while cursing like sailors, there are plenty of props and visual and audio gags to keep the audience gasping for air between bursts of laughter.

Of course, the visual gags are only a small fraction of what makes this play so hilarious. The credit for the rest goes directly to the fantastic cast helmed by Phyllis Kay as Maxima and Anne Scurria as Maxima's longtime servant Espanta. Having seen these actresses in countless dramatic roles over the years, it's unfortunately easy to forget how talented the two of them are at comedy. Phyllis Kay is unrecognizable as Maxima in a patchy bald cap and later a Liberace-esque wig. She wears an expression of barely concealed impatience and disgust for most of the production as all manner of shenanigans go on around her, which makes her relatable despite how farcical and over-the-top the production is from start to finish. Like most perfect performances, it's hard to nail down specifics, because everything she does or says just works.

Anne Scurria as Espanta is much more dramatic than Maxima's subtle eyerolls, but she is pure fun, and it's obvious that Scurria is having a great time as well. From the opening scenes, this play completely dispenses with the 4th wall, and Espanta takes the audience into her confidence early and often. Accompanied by claps of thunder and flashes of lightening, she tells us the story of Maxima's ill-fated birth and early life, while making sure that we all know that a lot of what she's telling us may be essential to the plot of the play we're watching.

The cast is small, but everyone well-suited to their roles. Joe Wilson Jr. is intense and subtly funny as Maxima's longtime tutor and lover Talib Furozh. Wilson is really at his best in smaller supporting roles such as this where his tendency toward over acting can be contained and his talent and comic timing can shine through. Nicole Villamil, as Infanta Juana, the princess of Spain, manages to be both horrifying and hilarious all at once. She's a complicated character who may or may not be an idiot, but she's a lot of fun to watch.

This play is the perfect antidote to the winter blues. It may be a dark comedy, but it's a fun, frothy romp that doesn't take itself too seriously, and isn't afraid of blue language and skewering history with some modern twists.

Trinity Rep continues Season 52 Rebels, Renegades and Pioneers with Charise Castro Smith's The Hunchback of Seville, directed by Taibi Magar (A Christmas Carol 2014). Performances run through March 6, 2016. Tickets are on sale now by phone at (401) 351-4242, online at www.trinityrep.com, or in person at the theater's box office at 201 Washington Street, Providence.

The play runs 90 minutes with no intermission

(From left) Janice Duclos as HRH Queen Isabella of Spain and Nicole Villamil as Infanta Juana. Photo by Mark Turek

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