New York Classical Theatre to Present PLAYING MOLIERE, 2/21-3/11

From February 21 through March 11, the theatre troupe will present 18 free performances of three one-act intertwining Molière comedies, Employing its signature staging style, Panoramic Theatre, the company will make use of the entire glass-vaulted Winter Garden, marching up the famous Italian marble staircase, trading bons mots amid the grove of 45-foot palm trees, and hurling hijinks with the Hudson River as its backdrop.

 

The 12-year-old New York Classical Theatre has presented classical plays in Battery Park, Central Park, and the World Financial Center, where standing-room-only audiences have been treated to Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and Aphra Behn’s rarely seen restoration comedy The Rover. This past summer, the company presented an acclaimed production of Shakespeare's Henry V that moved the audience via ferry boat from Battery Park to the Battle of Agincourt on Governors Island.

Hearkening back to Molière's Commedia del’Arte roots, the selection of plays weaves together recurring characters and the playwright’s favorite themes involving social pretensions and misplaced affections. The lineup includes Two Precious Maidens Ridiculed, a devastating satire of snobbishness in which a pair of rejected suitors enact revenge on the objects of their unrequited affections; The Forced Marriage, featuring the protagonist of the previous play as a middle-aged man beset with doubts about his impending marriage to a beguiling young woman; and Sganerelle or The Imaginary Cuckold, the story of a husband who mistakenly questions his wife's fidelity while, at the same time, failing to defend her honor.

 

The free production will be directed by New York Classical Theatre founder and artistic director Stephen Burdman and will feature Nick Salamone* (Molière), Kristin Dawn Calgaro* (Armande), Maggie D’Ambrose (Madeline), Ian Antal (Joseph), Brendan McMahon* (Du Parc), Anthony Reimer* (Hubert), John Michalski* (Du Croisy) and Max Waznak (Apprentice).

 

“We're thrilled to continue our relationship with New York Classical Theatre, whose past performances charmed audiences of all ages while redefining the theatre-going experience,” said Debra Simon, Artistic Director for Arts Brookfield.  "Each new production invites us to see the World Financial Center Winter Garden through new eyes. It will be exciting to see how the company transforms our 21^st-century business hub into the streets and sitting rooms of 17^th-century France."

 

Rehearsals will be open to the public and will take place throughout the venue from February 4-17. For a daily schedule of rehearsal times, please see http://www.worldfinancialcenter.com/arts-events.