To Fool the Eye

Playing at the Theater Lab located at 357 West 36th Street, third floor. It runs two hours and ten minutes with one intermission. The show closes on October 13, 2013.

Amanda (Jennifer Larkin) makes her living making hats. She just lost her job in Paris. Amanda is offered a job at the Duchess (Sidney Fortner) chateau. The Duchess hasn’t told her what the job is. It seems her nephew Prince Albert (Vince Gaton) has lost the love of his life. Amanda looks just like her. The Duchess tells if she can convince him she is Leordia he won’t kill himself. Leordia and the Prince only knew each other for three days before her death. She was an opera singer and love to wear long scarfs. Her scarf got caught up in the wheel of her car and killed her.

The Duchess has gone out of her way to recreate the places the Prince use to meet Leordia on her estate. The Prince goes to these places at night. Needless to say all is not what it seems. Amanda brings him back to reality.

There is no stage, the actors act as if there were one.

When the show opens four men and one woman are on the stage with instruments. Four of them each sing a song from the thirty’s. They sing into a micro phone center stage. It’s done in a way it reminds you radio show broadcast. The sound from the mike does that.

During scene changes they will sing, dance or play instruments.

For a moment I thought I was in the wrong theatre, when they first came and sang.

I’m not telling what they do, you will have to see the show yourself.

This is a different way of presenting a play. It’s refreshing, something different to see. There are times when you need a change.

By the way “Baron Hector” (Jared Reinmuth) has the best raised eye brows and facial expression I’ve seen in a while.

Review by Rozanna Radakovich.