A servant must have endless energy when he serves two masters and that?s the perfect way to describe Lee Hall?s new adaptation of “A Servant to Two Masters,” by Carlo Goldoni, which opened Thursday night at the University Theatre.

It was obvious that some of Sacramento State?s finest artists put forth a lot of time in preparation for this production so it is difficult to know where to begin with the praise. First of all, Robert Smart had quite a job to do as director of this energetic commedia dell?arte style comedy and he accomplished this task with success.

If you are open to a new twist on an old tradition and you can get past the British slang, (some of which was quite amusing), you will find that the cast does an excellent job in their presentation of this production. The entire cast is to be congratulated on a splendid performance.

But when it comes to performances, Truffaldino, played by Jason Rossow, takes the biscuit, (pardon the British slang), for his energy on stage. He was without a doubt at certain points, a one-man show alias the servant with the rubber legs who was all over the stage.

The countless times he ran up and down the stairs to the inn was enough to make even the audience tired. There were a couple of occasions that he could have slowed down just a bit so the audience could catch his lines and catch up with him but overall an outstanding performance.

Smeraldina, played by Samantha Ostermiller, as it turns out, is the perfect match for Truffaldino, she is as clever as he is quick, while Beatrice, played by Amber Lee does her best to stay just a step ahead of them (Not an easy task to accomplish).

Florindo (played by Hans Weichhart) and Beatrice did an excellent job of keeping the servant (Truffaldino) on the run.

Bonnie Busick and her assistants, Mark Haney, Sayuri Nina Pinckard, Richard Stockton and Francine West were masters at creating dazzling and colorful costumes with panache, and a set artfully done in the rich tradition of old Europe. Hats off to all who worked on set and costumes for a job well done.

If you are looking for a production filled with merriment and surprise, A Servant to Two Masters comes highly recommended.