THE TRIUMPH OF ALLISON ALTMAN
There are many reasons to see The Triumph of Love, director Loretta Greco’s gender-bending comedy that channels equal parts Shakespeare, Billy Wilder, and a dash of John Cleese. But at the heart of its success is Allison Altman’s dazzling turn as Princess Léonide.
Vincent Randazzo, Avanthika Srinivasan
Patrick Kerr, Vincent Randazzo
Disguised as a young man for the entire show, Altman’s Léonide is a masterful schemer with a heart of gold, wielding deception not for power but for love and justice. She maneuvers through the play’s intricate farce with relentless energy and pinpoint comic timing, maintaining a riveting balance between mischief and sincerity. She is on stage through most of the two-hour production, but she never falters, keeping both her co-conspirators and the audience spellbound.
Marianna Bassham, Allison Altman, Vincent Randazzo
Rob B. Kellogg, Nael Nacer
Have no fear that Pierre de Marivaux’s 18th-century French comedy will be overly formal for your taste. Stephen Wadsworth’s brisk, witty adaptation is fully accessible. As Wadsworth himself describes it, Marivaux’s style is “witty, ironic, suggestive, and glistening”—a perfect summary of the delightfully risqué banter and sharp wordplay that fuel this production. Vincent Randazzo, as the naughty Harlequin, delivers bawdy lines with a knowing smirk, while Patrick Kerr’s dyspeptic gardener spews suggestive malapropisms with an apparent lack of awareness of their meaning.
Allison Altman, Rob B. Kellogg
Marianna Bassham, Nael Nacer
An almost ludicrous situation drives this story. Princess Léonide, whose family usurped the throne, is determined to restore Agis (Rob Kellogg), the rightful heir, to power. But Agis has been raised in isolation by rationalist philosopher Hermocrate (Nael Nacer) and his sister Léontine (Marianne Bassham). Both reject the irrationality of love, and both believe Léonide is Agis’s mortal enemy, given the family history. Having fallen in love with Agis from afar, Léonide infiltrates the estate disguised as a young scholar, aiming to win Agis’s trust—and his heart.
The cast of The Triumph of Love
But in order to gain access to Agis, Léonide must first win over both Hermocrate and Léontine. Thus she sets out to convince each of them that they are the true object of her desire. It’s a premise rife with comic opportunity, and Greco’s direction ensures that every twist and deception lands with precision.
By the play’s end, Altman’s Léonide has bewitched Hermocrate, Léontine, and Agis—as well as the audience—and both love and Princess Léonide emerge triumphant.
photos by Liza Voll
The Triumph of Love
Huntington Theatre Company
The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue in Boston
ends on April 6, 2025
for tickets (starting at $29), call 617-266-0800 or visit Huntington
for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston
