Theater Review: Asolo Rep finds something to laugh about in 'Living on Love'

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From left, Rebecca Caine, Josh James, Karl Hamilton and Ally Farzetta in a scene from "Living on Love" at Asolo Rep. CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/ASOLO REP

From left, Rebecca Caine, Josh James, Karl Hamilton and Ally Farzetta in a scene from "Living on Love" at Asolo Rep. CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/ASOLO REP

Joe DiPietro’s romantic comedy “Living on Love” is the slightest of plays, with a story so predictable you know what’s going to happen within the first 10 minutes. But it hardly matters, until the end, in the charming, bigger-than-life and funny production that Peter Amster has staged for Asolo Repertory Theatre.

Even considering a supportive, opening night crowd, I’ve rarely heard such loud and consistent laughter at Asolo Rep. But it’s understandable because of the skill and personalities of the six-member cast, the elegance of the costumes and sets by Robert Perdziola and the flair that Amster always brings to even the smallest details that bring an extra punch throughout the performance.

Karl Hamilton as a tempestuous conductor and Rebecca Caine as his dramatic opera star wife in Asolo Rep's "Living on Love." CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/ASOLO REP

Karl Hamilton as a tempestuous conductor and Rebecca Caine as his dramatic opera star wife in Asolo Rep's "Living on Love." CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/ASOLO REP

Based on Garson Kanin’s play “Peccadillo,” “Living on Love” is set in 1957 in a beautiful Manhattan penthouse that is the home to a high-strung and long-married couple.

Rebecca Caine plays La Diva, Raquel DeAngelis, a prominent opera soprano who is no longer as much in demand. “How much longer can I play the young, tragic virgin? Ten, maybe twenty years?” she says to comic effect.

Karl Hamilton is the vibrant tempestuous conductor Vito DeAngelis, a stereotypical Italian lothario who boasts of his many romantic conquests and bristles anytime Leonard Bernstein’s name is mentioned.

Stars and director find some reality in "Living on Love"

They have been married 30 years but their careers have kept them apart so much they hardly know how to live happily together.

Vito is working on his memoirs with a ghost writer, a young man with literary ambitions named Robert Samson (played by Josh James), who is frustrated by the lack of truthful details he’s getting from Maestro and the slow pace of their work. In a competitive moment, Raquel decides to write her own book and hires Robert away, while Vito moves on to the buttoned-up Iris Peabody (Ally Farzetta) hoping to seduce her along the way.

Josh James, left, and Ally Farzetta, two third-year students in the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, play young writers working for temperamental artists in Joe DiPietro's "Living on Love" at Asolo Repertory Theatre. CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/ASOLO REP

Josh James, left, and Ally Farzetta, two third-year students in the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, play young writers working for temperamental artists in Joe DiPietro's "Living on Love" at Asolo Repertory Theatre. CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/ASOLO REP

The couple are wonderfully served by two efficient butlers (played by Roland Rusinek and Matthew McGee) who know what the couple needs before they’re asked and do everything as a pair. They have a wonderful scene in which they sing “Making Whoopee” while setting up an intimate dinner.

Caine gets to sing a bit (and beautifully) and practically floats about the stage as a woman who is accustomed to being the center of attention. Every move is graceful and calculated for maximum attention.

Hamilton is hardly different playing a man of big gestures and shameless flirting.

James is just right as the somewhat naive writer, and it’s a joy to watch him swooning when Raquel hands him one of her handkerchiefs or as he listens to one of her rare recordings. He struggles with well-placed compliments, and when he he compares Raquel to his idol, Eleanor Roosevelt, Caine has a fun moment trying to figure out how best to take in his intended kind words.

Ally Farzetta brings a wonderful spirit to Iris, who is starchy and all-business at first, trying to prove a woman can succeed in a man’s world. As Iris lets her hair down, she gets to reveal more aspects to her personality.

Matthew McGee, standing, and Roland Rusinek play devoted butlers in "Living on Love" at Asolo Repertory Theatre. CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/ASOLO REP

Matthew McGee, standing, and Roland Rusinek play devoted butlers in "Living on Love" at Asolo Repertory Theatre. CLIFF ROLES PHOTO/ASOLO REP

The cast members are clearly comfortable in their roles, so much so that even when something went wrong involving a champagne bottle on opening night, the cast found a way to generate the night’s biggest laughs.

It all plays beautifully like a well-rehearsed orchestra until about 15 minutes before the final curtain, when the plotlines are being tied up and you realize how much Amster and his fine company have done to make something so engaging out of a lot of nonsense.

THEATER REVIEW
“LIVING ON LOVE”
By Joe DiPietro. Directed by Peter Amster. Reviewed Jan. 16, Asolo Repertory Theatre, 838 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Through Feb. 25. Tickets start at $24. 941-351-8000; asolorep.org

THEATER REVIEW
“LIVING ON LOVE”
By Joe DiPietro. Directed by Peter Amster. Reviewed Jan. 16, Asolo Repertory Theatre, 838 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Through Feb. 25. Tickets start at $24. 941-351-8000; asolorep.org
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Jay Handelman

Jay Handelman is the theater and television critic for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, where he has worked since 1984. He also is President of the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association and a two-time past chairman of the association's executive committee. He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4931. Follow him at @jayhandelman on Twitter. Make sure to "Like" Arts Sarasota on Facebook for news and reviews of the arts.
Last modified: January 18, 2016
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