Flawed Rendering of Shaw’s ‘Destiny’

Who needs a theater reviewer when George Bernard Shaw comes onstage and delivers his own verdict on the proceedings?

In “The Man of Destiny,” an early Shavian comedy at the Knightsbridge Theatre in Pasadena, director Priscilla Finch has “allowed” the playwright (Jerry Neill) to become a de facto fifth character, reading aloud his ironic notes on the play and making the occasional ad-lib.

“At least they’re not doing ‘My Fair Lady,’ ” he winks at the audience in one aside.

This bold conceit is, alas, the Knightsbridge production’s sole selling point. Clunky staging and bland performances otherwise mar Shaw’s imagined encounter between a 27-year-old Napoleon Bonaparte (Peter Asle Holden) and a beautiful Austrian spy dubbed the Strange Lady (Barbara Naylor).

In a dress rehearsal for more mature efforts such as “Pygmalion,” Shaw here uses a quick-witted battle of the sexes to explore issues of love, equality and androgyny. Yet the cast members generally spoil the fun by declaiming the lines with hideous French and Italian accents.

They might have been better off with “My Fair Lady.”

* “The Man of Destiny,” Knightsbridge Theatre, 35 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena. Fridays at 7 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Ends July 31. $10-$15. (818) 440-0821. Running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes.