What I liked
I first want to commend the use of doors. They’re a staple of farce, and having produced a Fringe show and knowing how much time is available for setup and breakdown of sets, I was amazed with how quickly they cleared the set from the theater.
The cast is fun and quirky, jumping into their roles with verve and bouncing off each other. Gildra prime and the reporter ground the show while the clones, each one wackier than the next, wreak havoc! And, of course, there’s also a thief running around! The (mostly) laconic cameraman is also wonderful, becoming a surprising wild card.
While the overall tone of the show is goofy and funny, the concept also got me thinking quite a bit. About how multilayered people are and can be. Gildra has the chance to see what her life would be like if she solely pursued the arts, or scientific inventions, or even just went boogie-boarding at the beach all day. What could we accomplish if we set aside all other aspects of our personhood? Would that be worth it?
What I didn't like
Some performances could have used a bit of refinement, but at the end of the day everyone did what they needed to do, and the show was quite a success!
My overall impression
A zany, fun farce! Delightfully frenetic performances and whip-smart writing make The Key to Success a rollicking good time from start to finish!
