Review: Changes of Heart/ Remy Bumppo Theatre Company

Linda Gillum and Nicolas Gamboa/Photo: Johnny Knight

Remy Bumppo’s latest is like day-old champagne: light, sweet and a little flat. It’s missing the energy and inflection, the quick intrigue and the perfectly timed deception that make French farces so much fun.

Silvia (Alana Arenas) is in love with Harlequin (Nicolas Gamboa) but is abducted by the Prince (Steve Wojtas), who tries to win her away. The Prince’s loyal servant Flaminia (Linda Gillum) concocts a plan to drive the lovers apart and give everyone what they (unknowingly) want.

Gamboa’s oversize energy is just right for the indefatigable lout Harlequin; he skillfully abandons and employs it at will. I found myself wishing the rest of the ensemble were on the same page. Arenas and Wojtas’ love and frustration are sincere but they peter out. The updated “Mad Men”-esque 1960s inflections don’t really drive home the Chicago-based class differences the show shoots for; fun pop music alone does not a social revolution make. (Lisa Buscani)

Remy Bumppo at the Greenhouse Theater, 2257 North Lincoln, (773)404-7336. Through January 8.

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