The Decameron Project

An adaptation of tales from Boccaccio's The Decameron
Clemson University
C Chambers Street

The Decameron Project is the result of a research project undertaken by the English and Theatre department of South Carolina's Clemson University under the direction of professor Mark Charney. It takes a number of the tales told by the Florentine refugees from the plague, linking them together with interaction between those refugees.

As storytelling it works very well, and there are some clever ideas, like the very versatile set which consists of blocks of stone of varying sizes and shapes which can be moved into a variety of combinations, but the company has made some very odd decisions, such as the naming of the refugees (probably the names of the actors, actually). Names such as Lauren and Jason do not sit very well with the medieval Italian setting and costumes, nor with the fact that the original names are used in the tales. A minor point, perhaps, but one which does tend to grate a little.

Still, it does entertain and the performances are, at worst, competent and at times excellent.

Reviewer: Peter Lathan

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