The Flea Presents PANTS ON FIRE'S METAMORPHOSES, 1/5-30

The Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation and The Flea Theater are thrilled to announce the US premiere of the critically-acclaimed production of PANTS ON FIRE'S METAMORPHOSES, adapted and directed by Peter Bramley. PANTS ON FIRE'S METAMORPHOSES comes to the US from the Pleasance Dome in Edinburgh, where it premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. PANTS ON FIRE'S METAMORPHOSES begins performances on Wednesday, January 5 for a limited engagement through Sunday, January 30 at The Flea Theater (41 White Street, between Broadway and Church). Press Opening is Sunday, January 9 at 5 PM . The performance schedule is Tuesday - Friday at 7 PM, Saturday at 3 PM and 7 PM; Sunday at 5 PM. For tickets, which are $42.50, call OvationTix at 212-352-3101 or visit www.theflea.org.

Pant's On Fire's actor-musician extravaganza relocates Roman mythology to 1940's wartime Britain. Ovid's epic tales of heroics, love, gods, monsters and the secrets of the universe are revealed through gasmasks, gramophones, live original songs, dance, puppetry, film and darkly comic, dynamic storytelling. A fun-packed exploration of man's relationship with nature.

In PANTS ON FIRE'S METAMORPHOSES, Cupid is an evacuee with a catapult. Narcissus is a Hollywood Matinee Idol drooling over his screen image. And an Andrews Sisters chorus finds close harmony amid cosmic chaos. The Guardian raved, "Welcome to the swell party that is Pants On Fire's glorious retelling of Ovid's tales of myth and fancy. A breakthrough show... Rich in inventions!"

"The concepts of a Hero or a Monster were very real during these times. The matinee idols of the 40's at the peak of the Hollywood studio system were very much like the gods and goddesses of the myths, worshipped by the audiences who flocked to see them," explains writer/director Peter Bramley. "The aesthetic of 1940's is theatrically bold. In addition to the visual elements, we also explore the style of acting found in British films of that era and the distinct BBC British voice of Received Pronunciation."

PANTS ON FIRE'S METAMORPHOSES stars Jonathan Davenport, Jo Dockery, Mabel Jones, Tom McCall, Alex Packer, Hannah Pierce and Eloise Secker.

The design team includes Ralph Stokeld (lighting design), Samuel Wyer (puppet and props designer) and Jonathan Davenport (projections). The song writer is Lucy Egger. Peter Bramley conceived the design concept.

Peter Bramley (adaptor/director) was in the final group of students to ever have trained with the late Jacques Lecoq in Paris. He has an MA in Theatre Practices and is the Head of Movement at Rose Bruford College. The founder of Pants on Fire, he has directed each of the company's five productions. Peter has worked internationally as a performer, director and teacher and has lead workshops at Yale University and the Moscow Arts Theatre School.

The Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation was established in 2004 to bring excellent dramatic work from Edinburgh Festival Fringe to the New York audience with the Best Of Edinburgh Award, the top honor at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. To be eligible, the production must receive a four star or better review from The Scotsman and be a US premiere. The mission is to support artists in their desire to be seen and produced. The Foundation provides support for a NY premiere with no future financial or commercial involvement in their success.

The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading Off-Off-Broadway companies. Founded in 1996, The Flea's mission is to raise the standards of Off-Off-Broadway for artists and audiences alike. From A.R. Gurney to Adam Rapp, from Mac Wellman to Will Eno, The Flea's two intimate spaces are home to established artists taking new risks, emerging artists developing their ideas, and mid-career artists building sustained identities. The Flea is known as a showcase for both well-known stars - Peter Eyre, John Lithgow, Bill Murray, Marisa Tomei, Sigourney Weaver, Irene Worth - and the esteemed young resident Acting Company, The Bats. The Flea has been awarded a Drama Desk, an Otto, and numerous OBIEs for its commitment to adventurous theater. Past productions include the premieres of Anne Nelson's The Guys, six plays by A.R. Gurney (Office Hours, A Light Lunch, Post Mortem, O Jerusalem, Screenplay, and Mrs. Farnsworth), Mac Wellman's Cellophane and Two September, Roger Rosenblatt's The Oldsmobiles and Ashley Montana Goes Ashore..., Elizabeth Swados' JABU and Kaspar Hauser, Karen Finley's Return of the Chocolate Smeared Woman, Yussef El Guindi's Back of the Throat, Julian Sheppard's Los Angeles, Adam Rapp's Bingo with the Indians, Will Eno's Oh, The Humanity and other exclamations, Thomas Bradshaw's DAWN, and Itamar Moses' Love/Stories (or But You Will Get Used to It). To learn more about The Flea, visit www.theflea.org.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world, has been ongoing since 1947. Fringe 2010 featured over 40,000 performances of 2,453 shows in 259 different venues throughout Edinburgh.

The Flea is located at 41 White Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines.

 

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