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Apr 2011  |  By Marjie Killeen  |  Comments

“The Mandrake”: Not Your Typical Machiavelli

“The Mandrake,” directed by Steve Scott, is a ridiculously clever romp.

Initially, I thought I drew the short straw when I was assigned to review the show. I vaguely knew Machiavelli was the imprisoned Italian philosopher who wrote about power and politics—the “ends justify the means” guy. I was sure any play he penned 500 years ago would be far too high brow for an intellectual lightweight like me. Boy, was I wrong.

From the opening moments, when actor Lance Baker obviously rustles behind the curtain and hisses “are you guys ready?” to his cast mates, it’s clear that this show is no stuffy relic. The actors proceed to cheerfully break all the rules while including the audience in every joke.

The situation in medieval Florence is this: Callimaco is so smitten with Lucrezia, the beautiful wife of dim-witted Messer Nicia, that he hires conman Ligurio to get him into her bedroom. They convince Nicia, desperate for an heir, to give his wife a fertility potion supposedly made from mandrake. There’s only one catch—the potion is so powerful it will kill the first man who beds her, so she must agree to sleep with another. Callimaco, in disguise, is just the man for the job.

Aided by a corrupt friar, a long suffering servant and Lucrezia’s foxy mom, the scheme is whacky and depraved, but the characters don’t let morality stand in the way of satisfying their desires. In fact, they freely use holiness to justify their base actions, and that, despite all the silliness, is the central theme of Machiavelli’s work.

Callimaco, thrilled when the devious plans have worked in his favor, exclaims, “Lord in heaven, what have I done to deserve so much grace?”

The entire cast is strong, but Lance Baker as the manipulative, hilarious Ligurio, and Steve Haggard, who plays Callimaco like an over-eager bad puppy, are outstanding. In the end, everyone gets what he or she wants, including the audience.

The Mandrake runs a brisk 90 minutes with no intermission, Thursday-Sunday through May 24 at A Red Orchid Theatre.