THEATER REVIEW: Alfridge von Waddlegrave @ Underground Arts at the Wolf

Watching Alfridge cope with the realization that he may not actually be the best actor in the world is only half the fun.

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THEATER REVIEW: Alfridge von Waddlegrave @ Underground Arts at the Wolf

POSTED: Thursday, June 16, 2011, 4:00 PM

“I am theater incarnate!” proclaims Alfridge von Waddlegave while telling his life story about how he got his start in acting. He believes it, too — and given that he was born in the rafters of a theater and raised by a stagehand, he just might be right.

The Most Inspiring and Magnificent Tale of Alfridge von Waddlegrave, the Greatest Actor Who Ever Trod the Boards of Earth, on stage now at Underground Arts at the Wolf, is an Aggrocrag theater company production about Alfridge (Alex Fast), who is both a bit of an egomaniac and a bit gullible in his thinking that the troupe he has put together will help him prove himself to be the greatest actor in the world.

That band of actors is one he assembles rather unexpectedly. His first company member, Utz (Andrew Farmer), is an avant-garde toy maker whom Alfridge and his mute sidekick/stagehand, Batholomew (Max Reuben), come across in the darkest of forests. Utz hasn’t had too much luck with his toy sales, so when Alfridge starts finding some functionality for them in his shows, he decides to join their journey.

Along the way, Alfridge crosses paths with his nemesis, Blind Peggy (Keilly McQuail), who seems to be more out of her mind/drunk than anything else. Somehow she knows more than Alfridge realizes, and predicts that his company will just let him down. As they continue traveling, they pick up a crochet-needle-wielding cowboy costume maker, Broncho Wakely (Evan Watkins), and a pretty ensemble lady appropriately known as Ensemble (Kim Blanck), who plays the role of the tree on set.

Watching Alfridge cope with the realization that he may not actually be the best actor in the world is only half the fun of this show. The laughs came from every actor, and all of them delivered perfectly. Each character in this unpredictable was so unique, they seemed to play off one another just right, and there was never a dull moment.

Alfridge von Waddlegrave runs through June 24, Underground Arts at the Wolf, 1200 Callowhill St., aggrocrag.org.

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