Regional Premiere of THE ENCHANTED at Walnut Street Theatre Studio 5

Described as "...a fascinating, absorbing adventure... full of grace and wit," Jean Giraudoux's mercurial, magical meditation on life and death previews Tuesday, February 7 and Wednesday, February 8, opens Thursday, February 9 at 7:30 pm and runs through Sunday, March 5. Curtain is 7:30 pm for the Tuesday preview and Wednesday through Saturday performances and 2:30pm for Sunday matinees. The IRC production is a regional premiere for Giraudoux's work, written in 1933. Giraudoux's musical language showcases nimble variations on the themes of life and death delivered with humor and grace.

The plot: a schoolteacher in a provincial French town is seduced by the ghost of a murderer. With the aid of the village doctor, she seeks answers from the ghost regarding the riddle of death. Fearing that life will tarnish her spirit, the ghost hopes to spare Isabel the diminishing returns of old age. Enter Isabel's lover--an ardent bureaucrat-who hopes his well-calibrated love will keep her earthbound. More akin to ballet than theater, the clash between the struggles of life and the mystery of death is the platform for Giraudoux to exercise his signature playful theatricality: characters hilariously and whimsically debate whether our fear of death fuels our love of life, and whether the dead could outvote the living if they imprudently returned.

The Enchanted features IRC stalwart performers David Stanger, Anna Lou Hearn, Jane Moore, Tomas Dura, John D'Alonzo, Jerry Rudasill and Bob Schmidt, and welcomes newcomer Melissa Amilani to the IRC stage. The Enchanted is directed by Tina Brock. Costume and set design are by Erica Hoelscher. Peter Whinnery is the Lighting Designer. Rob Cutler will direct the puppetry, designed by Mark Williams.

Tickets for The Enchanted are $15 - $25, and available at TheEnchanted.bpt.me or by calling 215.285.0472. The writing of French novelist and dramatist Jean Giraudoux (1882 - 1944) is described as being to literature what Impressionism is to painting.

Critics of his era (Giraudoux prospered in the 1920s and '30s) often remarked on the imagistic, playfully experimental quality of his work. A prolific and well-loved dramatist who came to theater later in his career, Giraudoux wrote over 15 plays. He found an artistic partner in actor-director Louis Jouvet, who was responsible for staging most of his works in the Early Stages of Giraudoux's career. Giraudoux's plays explore themes of war and peace, life and death, man and woman, and the philosophy of human destiny. His style is not one featuring the character's psychological conflict, but a style highlighting philosophical investigation, discussion, and reflection through the characters' musings. Giraudoux's plays are lyrical, poetic, and rich with metaphor, paradox, and allusion. His sense of humor is evident in his plays, marked by brilliant wit and a wonderful sense of the absurd.

2016 marks The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium's tenth season presenting rarely produced absurdist gems from authors around the globe. Known for their humorous and thoughtful interpretations of seldom seen works, the IRC's 2016 season included critically-acclaimed sold-out productions of French playwright and the father of absurdism, Eugène Ionesco's The Chairs, and Nikolai Gogol's The Government Inspector.

The IRC is a 501C3 non-profit organization, and a member of The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and a participant in the Barrymore Awards, a program of Theatre Philadelphia. The IRC's 2016 season is funded in part by generous grants from from Wyncote Foundation; The Samuel S. Fels Fund; The Philadelphia Cultural Fund; The Charlotte Cushman Foundation; The Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, with support also provided by PECO and administered regionally by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and the Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia.

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