Service Industry

The leisurely practice of commedia is a tough act to pull off these days, when modern audiences are accustomed to attention-deficit comedy of the 22-minutes-plus-commercials variety. Fortunately, in re-imagining Carlo Goldoni’s 18th century commedia classic, “The Servant of Two Masters,” director Beth Milles and a superlative cast strike just the right balance of craft and goofiness to keep an audience--both adults and older children alike--richly diverted for the better part of three hours.

Arising out of an aborted production that had been scheduled for the Matrix last summer, this staging is presented outdoors at Bergamot Station in a charming Italian piazza. To ward off the autumn chill, heat lamps are interspersed throughout the seating area, and the company provides blankets, hot soup, coffee, desserts and various flavored vodkas as part of the admission price.

The technical elements are impressively seamless, especially considering the newness of the space. Richard Hoover, a Tony winner this year, designed the simple set--essentially just a raised platform stage onto which a nonstop flow of actors continually pours. Alix Hester’s colorfully ragtag costumes and David F. Hahn’s protean lighting complete the handsome package. Despite a couple of low-flying planes and the occasional squeaking bat, the acoustics are surprisingly good, as is the uncredited sound design.

As for the performances, they are so irrepressibly bouncy that we wouldn’t be surprised to see Tigger credited as co-director. The actors are all loose and off-the-cuff, keyed up on talent and sheer adrenaline and ready to handle anything--even a wild audience participation segment in which a bunch of kids are invited on stage to pummel lead character Truffaldino (Daniel Passer) with enormous ravioli. However, don’t let the spontaneity fool you. This comedy is serious business, in which every move has been stringently plotted, from first entrance to last gasping double-take.

And speaking of double-takes, there’s enough head-jerking here to put the entire cast in cervical collars for the duration. Occasionally the action is so heavily aerobicized it seems gimmicky. But, in Milles’ scrupulous staging, the breathless pace usually pays off, with seldom a dull moment.

Of course, as the tricky servant whose machinations keep the story flowing, Passer is in almost every scene--and he’s an unalloyed hoot, a deadpan Everyman just trying to make it through a weary world by the seat of his shabby pants. The cast includes Alison Tatlock, Alastair Duncan, Lisa Akey, Dean Robinson, Jeff Michalski, Douglas Weston, Oded Gross and Regan Forman--who play as ripe a gathering of zanies as can be seen this side of Capitol Hill. Especially side-splitting is the aptly named Hamilton Camp, whose doddering, dithering Pantalone is a particular treat.

BE THERE

“The Servant of Two Masters,” Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. Thursdays-Sundays, 7:30 p.m. Ends Nov. 21. $28. (310) 289-2999. Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes.