Review: 18th-century ‘Triumph’ revived onstage in Berkeley

“The Triumph of Love” is a comedy as cruel as it is clever.

Now enjoying a revival by Berkeley’s Shotgun Players, the 1732 French comedy by Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux centers on the schemes of the princess Léonide.

Although she’s still called princess, Léonide has risen to the throne originally usurped by her uncle as part of a complicated revenge plot. But she has discovered that the previous king has an heir, born in a dungeon and whisked away to safety.

Having fallen in love with this prince in exile at first sight, she wants to marry him and give him the throne, but she knows he’s been raised by the philosopher Hermocrate to hate the princess. So she decides to dress up as a man and infiltrate the philosopher’s home to woo prince Agis in disguise. In order to be allowed to stick around long enough to do that, however, she plans to make both the philosopher and his sister fall in love with her as well. All that comes out in exposition in the very first scene.

Using the same English translation by Stephen Wadsworth that Berkeley Repertory Theatre did in 1994, Shotgun’s “Triumph” proves amusing if unpolished in a lively staging by artistic director Patrick Dooley, who’s fresh off of codirecting Shotgun’s extended hit production of “Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.”

Malcolm Rodgers’ set pleasingly transforms the space into an elegant garden with a stone circle surrounded by hanging vines and silhouettes of the forest beyond. A few audience members are seated onstage, occasionally addressed directly by the cast in asides.

Veronica Renner, who was in that “Great Comet,” is a sharp-witted Léonide, confident and charismatic and callous about the Machiavellian manipulations she uses to get her way. Though handsomely attired by costume designer Ashley Renee, her male guise would hardly fool anyone, but almost everyone either sees through it or learns about it soon enough anyway.

The main exception is Mary Ann Rodgers as Hermocrate’s severe sister Léontine, a long adherent of her brother’s teachings of eschewing emotion for pure rationality. Rodgers, who directed Shotgun’s recent production of “A Small Fire,” heartbreakingly embodies the confusion and distress of someone long resigned to remain unloved, who can’t believe this is happening to her.

David Boyll’s Hermocrate is a mixture of stony pomposity and comical bewilderment for some of the same reasons, in addition to his own awareness of being a fraud. Edward Im is all blandness and childish naivete as Agis, who’s beside himself with happiness even to have a friend.

Everyone else is in on the scam. Susannah Martin, a great director who’s helmed several Shotgun productions, is somber and businesslike as Léontine’s lady in waiting, also dressed as a man though it’s never much of a plot point.

Jamin Jollo is an animated, limber and ceaselessly bawdy Harlequin, the commedia dell’arte stock character of the mischievous servant, complete with a mask and colorful motley clothing. (Longtime Shotgun characters may recall the same character as Arlecchino in “Truffaldino Says No.”) Wayne Wong is broadly goofy as the greedy, malapropism-spouting gardener, Dimas. Both Dimas and Harlequin get to do some extratextual comedic patter that’s amusing but can drag on a little long.

Hermocrate has been filling Agis’ head with fears about the cruel Princess Léonide, and part of her mission is to demonstrate how wrong they are to despise her. And for Agis, sure, that may be true. But in the process she gives Hermocrate and Léontine more justification to hate her than ever before.

“May love bless this lie,” she says before stringing them along, but it’s a lot to ask. Her “Triumph” leaves a lot of damage in its wake.

Contact Sam Hurwitt at shurwitt@gmail.com, and follow him at Twitter.com/shurwitt.

‘THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE’

By Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux, translated by Stephen Wadsworth, presented by Shotgun Players

Through: April 30 (live streaming Apr. 13)

Where: Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave,, Berkeley

Running time: Two hours and 40 minutes, two intermissions

Tickets: $10-$48; 510-841-6500, www.shotgunplayers.org