The Huntington delivers a 'Triumph of Love' with a hilarious ruse

In a beautiful garden where ivy covers an arched wall and lemon trees flourish, a princess and her maiden hatch a devious plot while disguised as men. The princess, Léonide, has set her sights on a fair young man named Agis, the rightful heir to the throne she sits on. To get close to him and profess her love will take some conniving, a sketchy partnership or two, and boatloads of charm in the Huntington Theatre’s production of “The Triumph of Love,” through April 6.

This 18th-century comedy, written in 1732 by French playwright and novelist Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux, and adapted by Stephen Wadsworth, receives intelligent, tight direction by Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco. It requires viewers to suspend their beliefs a bit, but the tradeoff is worth the fun if a little slapstick is thine cup of tea.

Led by Allison Altman as Léonide, the entire ensemble is top-notch. They work well together, attaining audible crowd reactions through dialogue and physical comedy. One moment that had the crowd on the edge of their seats was when Altman’s princess professes her devotion to Hermocrate, Léontine and Agis and almost gets caught in the same room with two of her supposed lovers.

It’s also fun to witness seasoned actor Nael Nacer, a dependably fantastic thespian, in a lighter role. Nacer recently starred in the Huntington’s “Leopoldstadt,” and was great in “The Winter’s Tale.” And he’s just as wonderful as the notoriously stern and powerful Hermocrate. Marianna Bassham (“The Band’s Visit,”“Hurricane Diane”) portrays his equally prim and proper sibling, Léontine, who gets caught up in this messy love fest and ultimately lets her hair down. Rob B. Kellogg charms as the affable Agis whom the princess is truly after. A key partner in the ruse is Broadway actor Patrick Kerr, known for “Travesties” and “The Lion King,” who gets a few moments as Dimas to make his mark and delivers. He has cleverly rendered some of the more hilarious lines of the script.

As the play progresses, the sky — a lovely watercolor-esque painting — brightens and dims with pink-hued warmth by lighting designer Christoper Akerlind. The lush garden with tall trees and the gorgeous silk suits and gowns by scenic and costume designer Junghyun Georgia Lee, along with makeup and perfectly quaffed wigs and hair by Tom Watson, help keep us in the time period waiting for truth and love to prevail. Of particular note are Vincent Randazzo’s Harlequin, costumed in colorful patches, white bib and mask, and Léontine’s midnight blue and black gown with its full skirt and draping.

It's hard to imagine that the combination of secrets, lies and disguises will lead to a great end. But in “The Triumph of Love,” which does offer a few serious lines about what we really pine for, princess Léonide is willing to take the risk. And with the help of her faithful maiden, a ride-or-die Avanthika Srinivasan as Corine, she’s almost certain it will pay off.

The Huntington Theatre’s production of “The Triumph of Love” runs through April 6.