The characters in Triumph of Love have not all come to the usual conclusion, namely that love is (for the most part) reasonably bearable. Some, like Princess Leonide (Abby Baum), really dig it, while Hermocrates (Richard Rice Alan) and his ilk are less romantically inclined. In this musical version of Marivaux's play, the latter perspective is easier to understand: Even the players with their hearts set on one another, such as Leonide and Agis (Tripp Pettigrew), have an uphill battle before them. See, Leonide is a woman pretending to be a man who has two men and a woman trying to woo her; her servant Corine (Ashley Speigel) is in the same predicament, minus the woman. Or maybe you don't see.
Don't worry, understanding is not all that important to the enjoyment of the story, at least not in Marivaux's original, which featured so much cleverer-than-thou badinage between horny couples that there's a whole new word for it: marivaudage. Yes, really. A lot has been lost in translator-book writer James Magruder's musical version, which has music by Jeffrey Stock and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. The musical is deeply earnest, which takes the fun out of knowing that the characters who aren't getting the figurative shaft are getting the literal one.
As performed at the Astoria Performing Arts Center, there are further hurdles, some insurmountable. For one thing, there's the space, which is certainly problematic, but it would be less so if director Brian Swasey hadn't staged the whole thing like it's being performed at the Lyceum when his actors are two feet from the audience. Added to that, the perky Spiegel and the earthy Baum are very much cast in one another's roles. Granted, they've been cast for their vocal ranges, but Triumph of Love isn't an opera, and a flat or two would be a lot more forgivable than miscasting. At this nose-to-nose distance, in fact, it really isn't opera. Alan does a nice Alan Rickman-like turn as Agis' pompous prof and knows how to apply his own makeup, which is a plus. (Please, less eyeliner guys, and leave your jaw lines alone. Remember, we're right here!) Erika Amato is good enough as his sister Hesione to make you mourn her character's prudishness.
Though there's a lot of overacting here, some of the performers (notably Baum) sing their roles beautifully and have energy to spare, which carries Triumph of Love over many of its rough patches. But, ultimately, this show is on a road paved with good intentions -- and we all know where that goes.
Presented by APAC
at the Astoria Performing Arts Center's Broccoli Theatre, Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens, 21-12 30th Rd., Astoria, Queens, NYC.
April 25-May 11. Thu.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.
(212) 352-3101 or (866) 811-4111 or www.theatermania.com or www.apacny.org.