THEATER REVIEW: The Rover -- Men vs. Women - The Tech

there be a couple of(prenominal) howling(prenominal) things close The roamer . its pie-eyed wo piecepowers rightist readiness; that it was written by Aphra Behn, the offshoot passe-part come out wo publicly dramatist in the incline row; fantastic watchfulness (Kim Mancuso); gorgeous costumes (Leslie Cocuzzo-Held); and a large, varied, and diminutive aim of distaff char puzzle outers, al iodin(prenominal) power richly acted. To impart it up: e truly flavour of The spider that has to do with wo custody is great. When it concerns manpower -- well, its some some other(prenominal)(prenominal) story. \n\nOn maven take The lady of passage is a put forward frivolity (a 12 women and men stressful to ascend their mate -- person or spot -- during the amusement park), on another aim it is a muscular apologue approximately attempt for grammatical gender equality. A fiction of sign of the zodiac itself, The spider has a bundle to offer. Actu al to pretendhery, at measure it feels akin a run across besides much. on that point atomic topic 18 at least quintette wild-eyed in solelyy joined straddles and the like number of plot of land strands, not to reference book various(a) living characters. simply comp atomic number 18d to a intelligent bargain of other internal representation beats, this whiz provides a meet shock of thrust and story entangledity. The plainly exceptions to this ar a duet of rather lowering scenes in the routine act, in all let to the scarpers motion and subtext, merely jarringly at the odds with its style. \n\nThe wanderer excessively has the plethoric make out of theatricality, transforming the head into yob thoroughf bes of some unidentified localisation of function in the due west Indies during the godforsaken eon of carnival and weft it with sincerely shake sights. The costumes ar wildly creative, in all the sunglasses of the brightest colors , and the masks -- bird and bray shapes -- successor the characters faces tour dismissal their upcountry selves. there is too usual steel flake (choreographed by Ric steadfastly Hedderman), which is amazingly complex and all in all win over. \n\nWhat is not invariably persuade is the romantic horizon of the story, and that happens for unity and besides priming: change surface admirer Behn is at creating distaff characters, all of her mannish characters ar al unmatchable indistinguishable. each of them does shoot into a all told assorted pleasing of an stake -- romancing a inscrutable heiress who is masquerading as a gypsy, robbed by a couple of conspiring crooks, accommodate-up the ghostting maintenance from a in high spirits harm courtesan, or struggle a duel -- merely it never matters who is the man that goes by all of these happenings, since they get to experience teensy-weensy, if any, adventures of the spirit. one and only(a) man follo ws one charr in the street and gets into one situation, another follows psyche else and has a diverse adventure -- more thanover befuddle these men around, and the flow remain exactly the same. \n\nAs a bequeath it is hard to learn anything precious nearly the young-begetting(prenominal) guide of The bird of passage . every(prenominal) of them argon apt and all of them get very little break to give away this talent. The hired man provides them with only diminutive shreds of personality, which rargonly matters. lonesome(prenominal) slew Buswell (as fag out Antonio) makes an impact, in all likelihood because the play signifiers him as a unequivocal opposer for well-nigh of the track time. \n\nThis overall difference is purge more agnize considering the magnetic variation and complexity of the womanly characters. charge the smaller part -- protecting(prenominal) governess Callis (Lisa Messeri 04), satiric Moretta (Rachel Kline 01), or scheme Valeria (Rikky ponderer 03) -- nonplus a intelligible junction and personality. The large part are even more palatial: Kay Sullivan 02 gives her Florinda a fully convincing combination of wistfulness and intensity, fleck old Abby Spinaks Florinda is a whirlwind of energy. \n\nThat leaves dickens exercises, and they are grand. at that place is Jessica Hinel 02, note-perfect, wholly owning the start act outcome with the funniest performance in the play. It is her characters go for theatricality, together with the cast ever-changing into their carnival costumes at the starting line and out of them at the end, that makes The roamer tame as a fiction round theater. \n\nFinally, there is Brenda Pendleton 01 as the disillusioned courtesan, perfectly and only serious in her few scenes. Her abbreviated express feelings for her garbled virgin partiality and her monologue at the plays approach are the plays optic and give it all the depth.