If you expect The Servant of Two Masters to be a dull, dreary or slow show, you would be mistaken–it’s anything but dull, it’s a comedic wonder.

SMU’s theater department had its opening night of The Servant of Two Masters on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in the Greer Garson Theater. From the moment the actors entered the stage, they commanded the audience, filling the theater with laughter.

Directed by SMU theater professor Rob Clare, the actors take the audience to 18th century Venice, during a time of masters and servants, with a comedic twist.

The play focuses on a hungry servant named Truffaldino who realizes that he could ensure a greater supply of food for himself by working for two masters. He attempts to work for two men while also trying to conceal that from his masters.

Brady Bagwell plays Truffaldino and gives an incredible performance. Bagwell fully embodied Truffaldino, bringing the character to life with every scheming moment to cover up the fact he’s serving two masters. Bagwell’s comedic presentation and improvisation is what truly made the character great. Everytime he came on stage, the audience burst into laughter.

Arguably the best sense of the night was the dinner scene where Truffaldino had to serve both masters dinner at the same time. Bagwell made this scene. His ability to move across the stage and have the audience follow his every move remarkable. The anticipation of what Truffaldino will do next kept the audience on their toes.

Characters broke the fourth wall left and right to communicate to the audience throughout the show, making it a more open experience for audience members. It felt as if the audience was a part of the show, getting to hear all the snarky comments being made by the characters. These moments were some of the best of the show.

Sage Floyd, who played Pantalone De’ Bisognosi, did a particularly good job of breaking the fourth wall to get a laugh from the audience.

Will Schmitt who played Silvio, brought a different kind of energy to the stage, that when he wasn’t on stage, it felt like something was missing. Schmitt’s comedic presence on stage was truly amazing. I was impressed by his ability to make the scene come to life through his character. At one point, he did a cartwheel that left the audience cheering for more.

The best part about this show, other than the actors, was the costumes. The costumes were full of beautiful colors and matched each character perfectly. Costume designer April Hahn designed all the costumes for this show, and with help from the costuming department, brought the costumes to life.

“I wanted to jump back to the 15th century,” Hahn said. “I wanted to look into that world and see who I can bring that to life while not necessarily staying super true to it.”

The Servant of Two Masters is running until Dec. 8, so if you weren’t planning on seeing it, make sure to add it to your calendar. This is a show you’re not going to want to miss.