Theater Reviews

Feb 28, 2005 - Nevada Rep's "Epicene, or the Silent Woman" is a breezy, if a tad long, delight

By Jack Neal

Ben Jonson's 1609 renaissance play about a morose aversion to how noisy society had become makes one gasp over what Jonson might have written about today's noise-filled world of woofers, tweeters and boom boxes on wheels.

"Epicene, or the Silent Woman" is a broad, broad farce about conniving social climbers whose lives are filled with little more than hedonistic pursuits and whose bodies are covered with lots of outrageous finery. As swiftly directed by Jim Bernardi and adroitly acted by nearly two dozen cast members this Nevada Repertory Company presentation is fun, if a tad wordy, and - at two hours and thirty-five minutes (with intermission) - entertaining, if a tad too long. Nonetheless, it's an excellent re-creation of Jonson's silly comedy and one of Bernardi's finest accomplishments.

The production's look is handsome. Michelle Spencer Davidson's costumes suit every character to a "t," but never themselves lapse into mere caricatures. Michael Fernbach's sets and Justin Peeks's lighting designs are wonderfully integrated complements to the action and Davidson's vivid costumes.

The plot effervesces but never thickens and that is, of course, the point. The story swirls around Morose (Scott House), a well to-do bachelor who can't stand the noise of society so he pads as much as he can to cut down on the racket. Noise as it turns out isn't Morose's only problem. He can't stand his nephew - and heir - Dauphine (Scott D.F. Reeves). So he conspires to marry, produce an heir and deny Dauphine his inheritance.

Enter Epicene (Nick Nealon), the seemingly perfect bride. She's comely, rarely speaks, and is willing. Too willing as it turns out. She's part of an even larger conspiracy to make sure Morose never wants to marry anyone ever again. To make matters juicier Epicene falls in with a group of high maintenance femme fatales - Madam Haughty (John J. Adams), Madam Centaure (Nicholas Stanton), Mistress Mavis (Doug Milliron) - who drive Morose to total distraction and distress.

These ladies three, voracious sexual predators all, are played to the hilt by Adams, Stanton and Milliron. Combined with other colorful characters - notably the ball-busting Mistress Otter (wonderfully played by an over-the-top Benjamin Onyx Dowdy), the henpecked Thomas Otter (played by a marvelously disheveled Eric John Caldwell), the shrewdly conspiratorial Truewit (suavely brought off by Ryan Palomo), the more than willing co-conspirator Clerimont (imposingly managed by Drew Simbeck), and the naive Sir John Daw (hilariously realized by Phil Harriman) - and poor old Morose doesn't stand a chance. That the so-called Ladies Collegiate are also parlayed into stage-worthy presences by men in drag only heightens "Epicene's" penchant for good-natured gender-bending cleverness.

And, there's more.

If part of the play's point isn't to have Epicene score with Morose, Nealon certainly does score as Epicene. Then, in a deliriously zanny portrayal, actor and clown supreme Kevin M. Sak strikes comedic gold as Sir Amorous La Foole. To top it all off, Scott House is the kind of neurotic mess that makes this Nevada Rep outing with "Epicene, or the Silent Woman" a choice theater piece that's lots and lots of fun.

The Nevada Repertory Company's "Epicene, or the Silent Woman" can be seen at the Redfield Studio Theatre on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, 900 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, February 25 and 26, and March 2, 3, 4 and 5 (2005) at 7:30 p.m. For information call 775-784-6847.