Brightest Young Things

It’s true that you can’t always get what you want—but the Spanish Golden Age play, Dog in the Manger, you only want what you can’t get and you can only get what you need by pretending to be the long-lost, ship-wrecked son of a grief-ridden Italian Duke.

The expression a “dog in the manger” comes from an old fable in which a dog, who didn't want hay, seized a manger and refused to let the other animals eat. In the case of Lope De Vega’s play, the dog is the Countess Diana; Teodoro, her secretary, is the hay; and the starving animal is Diana’s lady-in-waiting, Marcela, who craves Teodoro’s love. Though Diana also loves Teodoro, he is only a commoner and therefore below Diana in rank. Diana refuses to pursue marriage with Teodoro, but also prohibits his relationship with Marcela—which was functioning just fine until Diana came along. “She may be a dog in the manger, but when she bites, she licks,” proclaims Teodoro. When Diana bites, he scurries back into Marcela’s arms; and when Diana licks, Teodoro drops Marcela like a piece of dead weight. Ultimately Teodoro’s assistant, Tristan, manages to dupe the above-mentioned emotionally vulnerable Duke Ludovico into thinking that Teodoro is his offspring. Ludovico gains a son, Teodoro a title, and Diana a husband. It sounds shallow and depressing, but it’s actually both devastatingly hilarious and intelligent.

"From jealousy, love was born," is the mantra which guides the plot's conflict--and Michelle Hurd relishes being in the driver's seat playing the part of Diana. Hurd posses the kind of striking beauty and sass that, when merged with her natural talent and de Vega's snarky script, transform her into a charging force of both temptation and intimidation. Michael Hayden [Teodoro] meanwhile effectively plays a wish-washy male and Golden Age social climber, clumsily riding the waves of Diana's mood swings. Yet the brilliance of the play comes from the periphery. As Tristan, David Turner leaves the audience breathless with laughter. Beginning with his summary of the "Art of Not Loving," and ending with a brilliant charade as the Greek-Armenian merchant who--with a thick and unidentifiable accent, pillow-stuffed belly, and a fake mustache that can't keep up with his eccentric gesturing--convinced Duke Ludovico that his son, Teodoro, fell off a ship, landed in Greece, impregnated his sister with a young child named Baklavah, and fled back to Italy out of shame. John Livingstone Rolle and Jonathan Hammond radiantly play Diana's suitors--side-splitting douchebags who sacrifice every ounce of dignity as they put out all the stops to win Diana's love. Julie Craig also provides nice musical interludes with her sweet soprano voice.

The music is even better when it's accompanied by a full-cast flamenco dance that opens the second Act. The set of intricately carved wooden screens and warm lighting are also worthy of praise. It helps that Dog in the Manger is performed at the Shakespeare's Theater Company's old Lansburgh Theater, which is actually friendlier and cozier than its snazzy new counterpart, the Sidney Harman Theater.

David Johnston managed to translate a four hundred year old script into contemporary English, allowing the actors to elegantly transcend centuries and tickle the minds, hearts, and funny bones of a modern audience. Johnston, writes,

..As a translator I’m also aware that performance takes place in the here and now of a specific audience, and that if that audience is going to maintain its engagement they have to have some sense of issues that concern them too. For this play, “ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with?” does it for me. Some measure of adaptation is always necessary to act as a bridge between us and any time or culture that is distant from us; translations and theatre are about two-way traffic.

It's one of the Shakespeare Theatre Company's greatest feats yet.

DOG IN THE MANGER

Starring Michelle Hurd, Michael Hayden, David Turner, David Sabin, James Ricks, Stacey Cabaj, Jonathan Hammond, and John Livingstone Rolle. Directed by Jonathan Munby, set design by Alexander Dodge, and costumes by Linda Cho. Presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company at Lansburgh Theater, 450 7th Street; Washington, DC. Through March 29.

Previously in Live DC:

• 2/13: LiveDC: Veronica Falls/ Brilliant Colors @ Black Cat
• 2/13: LIVE DC: Steve Aoki/ Datsik/ Alvin Risk @ Fillmore
• 2/13: LiveDC: The Darkness @ 930 Club
• 2/9: LiveDC: Theophilus London @ 930 Club
• 2/9: Best Weekend Bets
• 2/8: LiveDC: Kathleen Edwards @ 930 Club
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/8: LiveDC: Thurston Moore/ Kurt Vile @ Black Cat
• 2/7: LiveDC: Demetri Martin @ Warner Theatre
• 2/7: LiveDC: Augustana/ Graffiti6 @ 930 Club