THE HANGOVER REPORT – Charles Ludlam’s brash CONQUEST OF THE UNIVERSE OR WHEN QUEENS COLLIDE is giddily revived at La Mama

The company of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company's "Conquest of the Universe or When Queens Collide" by Charles Ludlam at La Mama. Photo by Theo Cote.

The company of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company’s “Conquest of the Universe or When Queens Collide” by Charles Ludlam at La Mama. Photo by Theo Cote.

Earlier this week, I attended the opening of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company’s rare revival of Conquest of the Universe or When Queens Collide, Charles Ludlam’s madcap absurdist if lightweight 1967 comedy, a (very) loose intergalactic adaptation of Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great. This staging at at La Mama brashly marks the 30th anniversary of Ludlam’s passing, as well as the 50th anniversary of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company (which Ludlam founded).

So how does Ludlam’s early work hold up? Surprisingly well, particularly given the absurd, almost surreal, times we currently find ourselves in. In text, Conquest of the Universe is a hodgepodge of high brow inspirations. Yes, it obviously channels Marlowe’s Tamburlaine, but also a healthy dose of Shakespeare (Hamlet, Titus Andronicus) is also in the mix. In performance, however, the significance of these dour Elizabethan tragedies is giddily diminished, in favor of unabashed absurdity and insolence. By discrediting the play’s influences, Ludlam has turned the sacred to profane, as if a prescient mirror turned onto the world we live in.

The production is gleefully directed by longtime Ridiculous company member and Ludlam devotee Everett Quinton (who also appears in the show). The production values are surprisingly impressive, yet happily do not betray the play’s rowdy downtown origins and anything-goes aesthetic. Oh, and at the performance I attended, the cast was clearly having a ball bringing this somewhat lost classic to life; their enthusiasm was infectious and spread through the auditorium like wildfire.

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CONQUEST OF THE UNIVERSE OR WHEN QUEENS COLLIDE
Off-Broadway, Play
The Ridiculous Theatrical Company at La Mama
1 hour, 40 minutes (without an intermission)
Through November 19

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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