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Boston Globe

‘Triumph of Love' lives up to its title

Wadsworth's work was so well-received in its 1992 debut staging at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, NJ, that the folks at American Theatre Magazine referred to it as 'the greatest play that Shakespeare and Molière never wrote.' They're not wrong. Advertisement 'Triumph of Love' is enjoying a colorful, full-throttled production at Boston's Huntington Theatre under Léonide (Allison Altman) is a princess by circumstance who leaves her court to return the throne to Agis (Rob Kellogg), its rightful heir. Accompanied by her maid Corine (Avanthika Srinivasan0), Léonide is driven by doing the right thing, but has also fallen in love with Agis's 'nobility, elegance, charm, and beauty.' Because his crown was usurped by Léonide's ancestors, Agis has been brought up to despise the princess. She must convince him otherwise, but must go through his controlling guardians, Léontine (Marianna Bassham) and her brother Hermocrate ( Both are middle-aged, loveless, and well-trained to resist frivolous emotions. This makes them easy fodder, given commedia dell'arte sensibilities and 18th century morality. In disguise, Léonide's plan is for Agis to fall madly in love with her, so they can wed, and for Léontine and Hermocrate to fall madly in love with her, so the guardians will come to understand her feelings for their ward. She recruits the assistance of Hermocrate's smarter-than-he-looks gardener Dimas (Patrick Kerr ), and ever-observant valet, Harlequin (Vincent Randazzo). Advertisement Patrick Kerr and Vincent Randazzo in "Triumph of Love." Liza Voll Much of the hard work in this play is making sure Léonide's deceptions come across as honorable rather than cruel, and that her love appears authentic. Failure to do so would paint Léonide and Corine as malicious instead of heroic, and everyone else as hapless victims rather than romantic fools. Not to worry. This brilliant corps of performers handles the script with ease and grace, and never loses sight of the comedy that drives everything. They also approach the work with a contemporary cadence and air of spontaneity that makes it immediately accessible. Altman as Léonide wins everyone over with her immense charm, and her passionate expressions of love are so earnest that they make that emotion palpable. This passion breaks down the essence of Léontine's painful repression, which results in Bassham's master class in slow-burn emotional transformation. It erodes the wall that supports Nacer's ramrod-stiff Hermocrate, leaving in its place both laughs and sympathetic pathos. Her passion gently replaces Agis's innocence, which Kellogg so brilliantly manifested, with enlightenment. And it rallies the support of Kerr's stoic Dimas and Randazzo's delightfully sardonic Harlequin. All this takes place in a gorgeously rendered three-tier country estate garden (designed by Junghyun Georgia Lee), complete with lemon trees, a rhododendron, overhanging tree branches, and grass. There's a backdrop of a cloud-swept sky that subtly changes hues (designed by Christopher Akerlind) to complement the shifting humors of the characters. A soft underscoring of original music (designed by Fan Zhang) does the same. Period French costuming (also designed by Lee), with its classical elegance, offers attractive eye candy. Advertisement Everything about this play and this production is intoxicating. Eighteenth century theater goers sure missed out; modern-day Bostonians should not. THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE Play by Pierre Carlet de Marivaux. Translated/adapted by Stephen Wadsworth. Directed by Loretta Greco. At the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston. Through April 6. Tickets: $29-$165. 617-266-0800, Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle. Connect with him .