"The Servant of Two Masters" at Parkland Theatre

Madcap comedy, first of season, opens Sept. 27 at Second Stage

Parkland Theatre opens its newest season Sept. 27 with "The Servant of Two Masters," written by Carlo Goldoni and translated and adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher and Paolo Emmilio Landi.

The show will be performed in Parkland Theatre's Second Stage through Oct. 7.

A modern mashup between traditional Italian commedia dell'arte and 1950s sitcoms, this new version of Goldoni's classic pits the madcap servant Truffaldino ("Dean Oliver Truffle") against masters, mistresses, lovers, lawyers and 27 plates of fast food. Imagine a Bob Hope comedy written by Monty Python and performed with the likes of Chaplin or Keaton.

Michael O'Brien directs a cast of campus and community players including Matthew Harper, Gabrielle Smith, Jake Smith, Zoë Dunn, Emaline Johnson, Parker Evans, Neil Ryan, Dave Heckman, Jarrod Finn, Melissa Goldman, Maya Hammond, Thom Billam, and Lindsay Wisniewski.

Parkland Theatre will hold a talkback immediately following the Sept. 27 show. O'Brien and members of the cast and crew will be on hand to discuss the show and answer audience questions.

Performance dates are Sept. 27, 28, 29 and Oct. 5, 6 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for students and seniors (65+) and $9 for youth (12 and under), with groups of 20 or more $11 each. Opening night (Sept. 27) is half-price night.

To make reservations, visit parkland.edu/theatre or call the show hotline at 217/351-2528.