Love's Labour's Lost is diverting entertainment

Maybe it was the heavy rain pelting down at Hawrelak Park, but I trudged up to the outdoor Heritage Amphitheatre with a deep sense of melancholy.

Instead of reviewing Love’s Labour’s Lost dodging rivulets of water, I would have rather sat in my toasty, dry living room watching TV.

In addition to the miserable weather, Shakespeare larded this play with a lot of dense verbal wit – something I wasn’t sure I could handle on a cold, wet night.

But surprisingly, Free Will Shakespeare Festival’s annual comedy turned out to be a colourful confection with several diverting surprises.

No shy bunny, guest director Jim Guedo guides this romantic comedy boldly through a brassy palette borrowed from the psychedelic ’60s – both in the text and set design.

The rainbow set and costume design is wild and fun – a reflection of the mayhem that develops when men go against natural leanings.

The plot thickens when Ferdinand, King of Navarre and three cronies – Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine – agree to forsake the company of women for three years as they apply themselves to scholarship.

Ferdinand takes it further. He decrees that no women will be allowed within a mile of the court. His men grudgingly acquiesce with various degrees of enthusiasm.

Here are four men with a healthy sex drive trying to shun natural desires. The plan is doomed to failure before the ink dries on the proclamation.

Sure enough, the Princess of France arrives with her entourage of three ladies – Rosaline, Maria and Katherine. Despite the vow of celibacy, flirtations develop and soon it’s obvious the intellect is powerless against the forces of passion.

The production has all the distinctive features of a Shakespearean comedy: twisty plots, switched letters, secret soliloquies, disguises and mistaken identities.

Best of all, the actors have mastered the script’s complex language and pacing to deliver a fluid rhythm that sounds completely genuine. If it’s too turbulent, the audience becomes exhausted. If too slow, the momentum dies, a sure show killer.

No worries here. By and large, with a few exceptions, the cast express themselves with crisp dialogue. And their small movements such as an arched eyebrow or hand snap convey more than words.

Nathan Cuckow as the King and Kristi Hansen as the Princess are the undisputable leaders with everyone falling in behind them. Mindful of their roles as rulers, their passion has a dignified edge.

On the other hand Jesse Gervais’ narcissistic Berowne and Mary Hulbert’s sharp-tongued Rosaline are delightful sparring partners who keep each other hopping.

Sheldon Elter creates a priceless interpretation of the pompous Don Armado while Ryan Parks as the clownish Costard cackles his way in and out of multiple scenes as a fumbling fool and driving force.

Both Elter’s and Ryan’s comedic thrusts took the edge off the melancholic weather. Elter, in particular, grooved his way across a bastardized version of MacArthur Park that had the crowd in the palm of his hand.

And in a surprise finale song, Louise Lambert’s soaring vocals led the cast through Avril Lavigne’s power pop ballad Keep Holding On.

At two and one-half hours, the play could have been trimmed. But at the risk of nit picking, I’ll just say “go.” Just remember mosquito repellant.