When British playwright Tom Stoppard died last fall at the age of 88, the only bright side was the hope that theaters would be inspired to produce more of his work. That hope is beginning to be realized, with Park Square Theatre's production of Stoppard's 1981 comedy farce
On the Razzle! to open their 51st season. Despite being
a Stoppard fan (
Arcadia is my favorite play), I had never heard of this one. Park Square's Artistic Director Stephen DiMenna, who also directs, chose it because "of all his plays, this is perhaps the most luscious comic farce of them all." Turns out it's based on the same play as Thornton Wilder's
The Matchmaker (the 19th Century Austrian play
Einen Jux will er sich machen), which was in turn the inspiration for the musical
Hello Dolly! It's a familiar story told in an even more comedic way, with lots of clever wordplay as one would expect from Stoppard, although this is the frothiest play of his I've seen. This 13-person cast is full of #TCTheater powerhouses, as well as some young and upcoming talent, and the design is positively gorgeous. Go
On the Razzle! with Park Square Theater in the Historic Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul now
through October 25.
