at Hopkins Center news.
Hopkins Center audiences can immerse themselves in French humor this month, as two Hop ensembles present modern adaptations of classic French comic works.
The wonders of 17th-century French theatrical farce are on display as the presents American comic playwright David Ives鈥 2010 adaptation of Pierre Corneille鈥檚 1644 play Le Menteur. The Liar is directed by Associate Professor of Theater . Assistant Director Josh Feder 鈥08, a New York-based actor and director/choreographer, directs a troupe of eight a cappella vocalists in musical scene transitions written expressly for the show.
The Liar will be performed in the Moore Theater February 15, 16, and 17, February 21 through 23, and February 24.
On Friday and Saturday, February 15 and 16, in the Hop鈥檚 Spaulding Auditorium, the takes audiences into 18th-century France, when humor took on a distinctly political edge. The ensemble presents Leonard Bernstein鈥檚 musical , a farcical retelling of Voltaire鈥檚 1759 politically satirical novella Candide, or Optimism (Candide, ou l鈥橭ptimisme). The fully staged and choreographed production, conducted by Glee Club Director Louis Burkot and accompanied by a full orchestra, features Evan Ross 鈥13 as Candide, Amber Dewey 鈥12 as his love, Cun茅gonde, and Tyler Putnam 鈥09 as Pangloss; and is staged by Broadway veteran David Beach 鈥86.
Both The Liar and Candide feature period settings and costumes, but the modern adaptations reveal the timeless humor of the original works while tuning up the comedy for contemporary ears, such as having a 17th-century gent open The Liar with a cellphone-turn-off reminder delivered in rhyming couplets and pun-filled wordplay. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a rare treat, like one of those meals in which you have to have both desserts,鈥 says Horton.
