The second play in what promises to be an exciting season for the Lambs Players Theater, “”A Divine Comedy,”” chronicles a newly hired pastor’s attempts to integrate himself into St. Hilaria’s, the church that employed him. As Pastor Bob Shephard encounters the various members of his congregation, however, the immensity of this task becomes hilariously obvious.
The strongest praises of the evening must go to Kathi Gibbs’ portrayal of Hellen Dalmnation, whose name is a spoof on the old sermons based upon hell and damnation. The assuredness and humor that Gibbs brings to her role creates the most lively character of the whole show.
Following in Gibb’s footsteps is Jennifer Austin’s portrayal of June, in which Austin takes a character that has no eccentricities or quirks and still makes her lively and seem wholly human. Indeed, Austin graces the audience as June, acting as a poised and strong accent to the happenings on stage rather than conspicuously stealing the spotlight.
Doren Elias’ Karl Marx is another joy to watch. An ever-present member of the Lambs Players Resident Ensemble, Elias never disappoints with his characterizations, and his portrayal of Marx is no exception. Acted with an over-the-top flair, Elias embraces the intentional tackiness of his character and plays it up as though each evening is his last performance. Unfortunately, such a vivacity and presence is added to the stage during Elias’ scenes that the other characters with whom Marx interacts are oftentimes overshadowed.
Such a lack of characterization is witnessed in Nick Cordileone’s portrayal of the lead role. Luckily for Cordileone, being surrounded by such a stellar cast keeps there from being any need for his lead character to do any more than propel the story along. While Cordileone’s Bob Shephard could be considered a well-rounded and well-thought out character, his portrayal of the role lacks any real distinction and is rather bland.
Additionally, Paul Eggington’s John Ripley ends up being sadly one-dimensional. Having little enough elbow room as a secondary character, Eggington does nothing to add depth or life to his character. Due to this lack of enthusiasm, Ripley’s presence upon the stage is occasionally so minimal that his importance to the story is questioned.
Following the lead role’s general lack of originality, and despite the general strength of the play’s cast, the show’s sets created by Mike Buckley are sorely lacking. Although Buckley’s sets do manage to capture the basic feel of a church and later in the show, a park, their simplicity is too severe and they add nothing to the show. The sets are clearly only pieces against which the actors can act; they do not possess an existence of their own.
Nathan Peirson’s lighting follows suit in its lack of variation. Peirson’s direction serves only to make the actors visible; it adds no emotion or life to the scenes and ends up only hurting the show. Jeanne Reith’s costumes, on the other hand, present an aspect to each of the characters that can only be brought about visually. Reith’s skillful hand has created some truly memorable costumes that subtly work to cover the gaps left by the less pleasing aspects of the stage.
Having so little to work with, “”A Divine Comedy”” falls squarely onto the shoulders of the actors. Luckily and despite some obvious flaws, this cast is able and capable of taking up such responsibility, and they do so with a grace that truly salvages the show.
“”A Divine Comedy”” is currently playing at Lamb’s Players Theatre through May 25. For more information call (619) 437-0600.
