"Like most devised theater, 'Barococo' is driven by the performances...With so much going for it, it is a pity that 'Barococo' doesn't really go anywhere, persisting for 70 minutes as a live diorama of the ancien régime. Theater doesn't always have to have a story, but this show seems to really want one...Then again, this hour of conspicuous consumption and confrontation (complete with a table flip) contains about as much substance as your average episode of 'Real Housewives.'"
Read more

"A delightfully giddy hour of 18th century-styled frivolity speckled with just a twinge of satire...Filled with ennui and hindered with short attention spans, this collection of pampered pantaloons, dressed to the nines in period costumes, engages in childish games of hopscotch, hide-and-seek, riddles, charades, and the like...If all of this sounds light as a feather, it is. But the members of Happenstance Theater are so adept at what they do that they turn tomfoolery into an art form."
Read more

Each of the actors’ performances are as unique as their costumes. Grastorf gets many laughs from her wide-eyed, innocently naivety (or just plain dimwittedness), and Mark Jaster’s puffy bravura and expressive face are delightfully campy. Mandell’s cantankerous bawdiness is perfectly chosen for her character, and Thomas plays the narcissistic Dauphine with laughable presumptuousness. Vernon’s pretentious, foppish roguery is spot on for his role, and Caleb Jaster as the simple musician interacts perfectly when called upon. Each actor’s facial expressions, gestures and gaits are very distinct and in line with their characters.
Read more

"Directed with panache by the company’s co-Artistic Directors Mark Jaster and Sabrina Selma Mandell, the impeccably researched and performed pièce de resistance captures the late Baroque era of the Rococo...I can’t imagine that anyone who appreciates excellence in theater would not find this piece, theme, ensemble, and design highly entertaining, intelligent, masterful, and evocative."
Read more