On the Razzle @ Ashland Shakespeare Festival

Every year this festival seems to put on one wacky, high energy, smart comedy. In terms of wacky, high energy, smart comedies, Tom Stoppard reigns supreme. He is better known for Arcadia or Rosencrantz and Guilenstern are dead or even the screen play for SHakespeare in love, but Rough Crossing is one of those pure comic masterpieces and On the Razzle is very much in that vein.


I could never do the premise justice so I am going to just copy the basic premise out of the playbill: Herr Zangler(Tony DeBruno, purveyor of high class provisions, is about to go to Vienna to strut in a parade and celebrate the birthday of his fiancee. Before he departs he arranges to hide his niece from a fortune hunter and leaves his shop in the hands of Weinberl(Rex Young) and Christopher(Tasso Feldman). Unsupervised and in charge, Weinberl and Christopher close up the shop and head of to Vienna for "adventure and hijinks." They are not the only ones, it turns out, with a longing to go "on the razzle"


This farce is ridiculously hilarious and ridiculously smart. The jokes come with every line and if you are not paying attention you will miss all kinds of amazing word play. Stoppard some how makes puns seem about as hilarious as the best joke ever and each of the actors are on top fo their game. I can't imagine this show had an easy rehearsal process with how important timing is to each and every joke. Because it is a farce we get mistaken identity, chases, people hiding in the same room as other people and just a mad cap sense of insanity but it never feels forced and even when we know exactly what is coming next we find ourselves laughing and not even caring because Stoppard finds a way to take a simple overused genre and flip it on its head. The Weinberl and Christopher characters are seeminely based on Cornelious and Banraby from The Matchmaker and Ferris Bueller may have taken his cues from these two characters as they pretend to be high class business men and escpaing without paying the bill. Weinberl even pretends to be married to a woman and when that woman shows up in the same store he lucks out that she seems interested in where he may be taking this whole wedding thing.


Weinberl and Christopher have exceptional comic timing and chesmistry. They manage to play off of each other with such grace and ease that it is impossible not to like them. The scene in the resturant gives them both a chance to stretch their comic muscles and each thing works. Inf act, in this entire play I cannot think of a single bit, side gag, pratfall, joke or set up that was not executed perfectly and even the small roles get a perfect chance to shine. Whether it is the annoyed french waiter, the carriage driver into big butts or the sexy red headed maid who realizes she enjoys being whipped, they all work. I wish I had some criticism but I do not. I laughed from the opening moments and laughed until five minutes after this thing was over and really wish everyone I knew who loved comedy on the live stage could this thing!