I saw the Miracle Theatre Group’s production of The Labyrinth of
Desire on the first really nice day of last week—it was
physically difficult to leave the blue skies and long-awaited summer
heat for the cool, dark confines of the Milagro Theatre. But if I
entered the theater with reluctance, two hours later I walked out into
the summer night happy and full of a sense of summer’s possibilities,
all teased out by the Miracle’s sultry little production.
The night I saw it, the theater was only about half full, which
perhaps explains why it took a while for the show to hit its
stride—Labyrinth is larger than life, an oversized comedy
of love-induced errors that would play best to a full house, and at
first the energy coming off the stage felt disproportionate to the
crowd and venue. By intermission, though, an initially sluggish crowd
had grown receptive and lively in their appreciation.
Labyrinth‘s plot is tricky to summarize, but roughly: Florela
(Jamie M. Rea) is in love with Alejandro (Dennis Kelly). Alejandro
wants to marry Laura (Clara Weishahn). Florela befriends Laura in an
attempt to sabotage Alejandro’s chances, and then Laura falls in love
with Florela. Et cetera. It’s the stuff of Shakespeare, with a dash of
the Greeks thrown in for good measure—the characters don
improbable disguises and bend gender in absurdly transparent ways, all
for the sake of true love (whatever that means). Who’s in love with
whom isn’t really important: What’s important is that all of the
complicated, passionate, fickle, irritating vagrancies of the heart are
on display here, with a sweet bravado that highlights how ridiculous
and irresistible the mating dance really is.
Some of Labyrinth‘s best performances come from supporting
cast members: As the two servants, Josh Spencer and Jennifer Rowe
revive the ol’ “there are no small parts” chestnut, wringing laughs out
of raised eyebrows and skeptical glances. Alexander Fox as a bike
messenger-turned-personal assistant earns most of the show’s laughs,
and if he flubs the occasional line, he largely makes up for it with a
cheerful, brassy charm.
The Miracle’s ensemble here juggles camp, bawdiness, and sincere
sentiment, with a sly sexiness that makes the whole thing go down easy:
It’s a perfect summer diversion for the long hot nights to come.