Hilberry Theatre's A FLEA IN HER EAR Opens Today

Celebrate the spring season with a visit to Midtown Detroit's destination theatre, concluding its 53rd season with the classic farce A FLEA IN HER EAR, written by Georges Feydeau, with a new translation by acclaimed playwright David Ives. Performances begin tonight, April 22.

We invite you to 1950s Paris with a raunchy, witty farce. Raymonde, the wife of insurance mogul, Victor, suspects her husband is having an affair. Raymonde quickly enlists her long-time friend, Lucienne, into a scheme to catch her husband in the act! Comedy and chaos ensue in the streets of Paris and in a mysterious hotel.

Additional performances will be seen on April 23, 27-30, and May 5-8.

The Hilberry welcomes guest director Shelley Butler to helm this production. Describing the production, Butler comments, "David Ives' translation maintains all of the fantastic, joyful, absurdity that makes A FLEA IN HER EAR a beloved classic comedy, while adapting his delicious wordplay perfectly for a modern audience. Our production, set in fabulous 1950s Paris, capitalizes on a time where the bourgeois were still buttoned up enough to be scandalized by the naughty elements, and presents a sumptuous and sexy style and verve that further energizes the comedy."

Butler has worked extensively with writers on new plays and musicals with over thirty Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional credits to date. Recent productions include the world premiere and New York premiere of The Most Deserving by Catherine Trieschmann (Denver Center Theatre Company, Women's Project), the world premiere of This is Fiction by Megan Hart, starring Richard Masur at Cherry Lane (InViolet Rep), Agamemnon 2.0 (Cadbury Theatre, UK) and the world premiere of Oz 2.5 by Catherine Treischmann for South Coast Repertory. Ms. Butler spent two seasons as artistic associate in charge of new play development for Hartford Stage and three seasons as artistic associate for Great Lakes Theater Festival. She has developed over two dozen new plays and musicals at prestigious companies across the country and served as Associate Director on the Broadway production of It Shoulda Been You last season. Next season Ms. Butler will direct the Bulgarian premiere of Avenue Q in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Performances:

Wednesday 2:00 p.m. (April 27)

Thursday 8:00 p.m. (April 28 and May 5)

Friday 8:00 p.m. (April 22, 29 and May 6)

Saturday 2:00 p.m. (April 23 and May 7)

Saturday 8:00 p.m. (April 23, 30 and May 7)

Sunday 3:00 p.m. (May 8)

Cast (in alphabetical order): Ernest Bentley (Tournel), Wesley Cady (Antoinette), Devri Chism (Eugenie), Santino Craven (Homenides), Kyle Mitchell Johnson (Camille), James Kern (Rugby), Antonia LaChe (Lucienne), Michael Manocchio (Etienne), Cody Robison (Finache), Mary Sansone (Raymonde), Nick Stockwell (Ferraillon), Michael Phillip Thomas (Chandebise/Poche), Tiffany Michelle Thompson (Olympia) and Brandon A. Wright (Baptiste).

The production team includes Shelley Butler (Director), Lyndee Hallahan (Stage Manager), Brian Haven (Assistant Stage Manager), Tonae Mitsuhashi (Scenic Designer), John Woodland (Costume Designer), Amos Woodard (Lighting Designer), Tom Libertiny (Sound Designer), Brian Dambacher (Technical Director), Stephanie Baugher (Properties Master), Mario Raymond (Master Electrician), and JP Hitesman (Publicist).

Wayne State University's Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance serves students as a nexus of performance, production, and research in the fields of dance, theatre, and performance studies. It provides a wide variety of degree programs that allow students the flexibility to study these disciplines broadly or to concentrate more specifically in performance, design, or management. The Hilberry Theatre hosts a professional theatre company that is staffed by graduate students and runs on a rotating repertory schedule. Each academic year, graduate students receive assistantships to work for the Hilberry Theatre and study for advanced degrees. The company performs and produces an annual season of six plays, including high school matinees for nearly 6,000 students. Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students.

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