Overview

THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS

By CARLO GOLDONI
Adapted by CONSTANCE CONGDON
Translated by CHRISTINA SIBUL
Further adapted by CHRISTOPHER BAYES and STEVEN EPP
Featuring STEVEN EPP
Directed by CHRISTOPHER BAYES

“★★★★ Elegant… Energetic… Broadly colorful…
masks, songs and snatches of anachronistic improvisation.” 
– Adam Feldman, Time Out New York

“Mr. Epp’s frenetic, knockabout performance is IMPECCABLE.” Charles Isherwood, The New York Times

“Christopher Bayes’s much-lauded ‘Servant,’ had its premiere in 2010 at Yale Repertory Theater and has played across the country since then. The critic Peter Marks, in The Washington Post,
described the show as ‘deliriously happy-making,’ taking pains to note that it is not the sort of ‘calcified frivolity’ that so often gives commedia a bad name.” – Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times

The Servant of Two Masters is a wondrous thing, a campy, happy romp.” – Joel Benjamin, TheaterPizzazz

“Hilarious, rowdy…Raucous entertainment.” – Lore Croghan, Brooklyn Daily Eagle

“Delightful… Screamingly funny… A comic masterpiece! The Servant of Two Masters is thoroughly enjoyable and deliriously well-performed.” – The Brooklyn Paper

The Servant of Two Masters is a timeless 18th century Italian comic masterpiece by Carlo Goldoni about a servant so hungry he takes on two jobs to survive. In this contemporary American adaptation, no two performances are the same. The actors improvise along with the written text in the style of commedia dell’arte. Masks, playful costumes, and original music by Aaron Halva and Christopher Curtis create a fresh, bold, surprising event.

Theatre for a New Audience is thrilled to present the New York Premiere of this award-winning Servant, first produced in 2010 by Yale Repertory Theatre and toured nationally. Goldoni’s classic inspired the 2012 Broadway hit, One Man, Two Guvnors.

The heart of this Servant is its acting and staging. Steven Epp, who plays the title role, and director Christopher Bayes, have honed a “brilliant, new-vaudeville style” that is “smart” and “unhinged” (The New York Times). The entire cast displays fresh and vibrant comedic talents and includes TFANA veterans Liam Craig, (The Killer), Andy Grotelueschen (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Taming of the Shrew,Cymbeline), and Emily Young (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Cymbeline), as well as Allen GilmoreEugene Ma, Orlando Pabotoy, Adina Verson, and Liz Wisan.
 
Run time: Approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes, with one intermission.

CLICK HERE to read the 360° Viewfinder production guide, with facts and perspectives on THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS

Video Trailer

 

Production Photos

THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS

 

Video: First Rehearsal of
THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS

 

In Rehearsal

THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS in rehearsal

 

First Rehearsal

THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS First Rehearsal

 

Set Models

Set Models for THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS

 Costume Sketches

Costume Sketches for THE SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS

Endowment support for The Servant of Two Masters is provided by The Howard Gilman Foundation Fund for Classic Drama.
Pictured: The cast of 
The Servant of Two Masters, photo by Richard Termine.