Your Arlington, your views

The following review was written by Danny Chin, a student at Arlington High School:

While the curtain may have closed on one of Arlington High’s fall comedies, there is still time to see “A Triumph of Love” at the Lowe Auditorium (the show starts at 7:30, and tickets are only $7). Triumph whisks the audience off to pre-Revolution France, where a young trickster Leonide, played by the talented Lilia Rubin, charms a trio of royals while she schemes and plots. Supporting Leonide are her aid Corine, played by Laura Gillan, and the comical Harlequin, played by Ryan Baker. These three mischief makers, teaming up with the gardener Diman, played by Sam Atlas, aim to pull the wool over the eyes of the scholar Hermocrate, played by James Wallis, and his sister Leotine, played by Rosalie Sard.

“A Triumph of Love” is a story of mistaken, and hidden, identity that will draw audiences in with witty humor and clever one-liners. Marivaux’s masterpiece is translated by Stephen Wadsworth, with director Michael Byrne taking a few snippets from other interpretations to amalgamate a delightful, light-hearted comedy. Each actor contributes generously, whether it is a bit of physical comedy or a scintillating one liner sure to draw out laughs. As the title suggests, there is more to this work than just comedy, there is a love story attached to the good-natured jests.

Although some audiences may shudder at the idea of a romantic comedy, “A Triumph of Love” focuses mainly on the comedy of love; the clever Leonide fools not one, but three people into marriage plans. But how does she do this? Disguised as a man, Leonide infiltrates the house of her would-be sworn enemy and begins her guise: Leonide’s true goal is to steal Agis’s heart, not his life. The innocent Agis, played by Sean Davenport, knows nothing of her scheme and soon falls into her web of playful deceit.

Young Lilia Rubin brings a great deal of experience to the role of Leonide and truly inhabits the young firecracker with great zeal. Ryan Baker, the “fool” of the play is anything but, he combines physical comedy with a sharp wit to keep the “smarter” characters in their place. His upper-class comrades are often the butt of many jokes, but they hold their own in a few instances. So how exactly will love triumph over all this comedy? You’ll have to find out for yourself!

Danny Chin