Aurora Theatre Company to Present THE HEIR APPARENT, 4/15-5/15

Master playwright David Ives (Venus in Fur, All in the Timing) reinvigorates Jean-François Regnard's 1708 comedy about greed, love, and intrigue in Aurora's Bay Area Premiere of THE HEIR APPARENT. Josh Costello (Detroit, Wittenberg) helms THE HEIR APPARENT, featuring Julian Lopez-Morillas, Kenny Toll, Patrick Kelly Jones, Elizabeth Carter, Lawrence Radecker, Khalia Davis, and Katie Rubin. THE HEIR APPARENT plays April 15 through May 15 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-50) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

Penniless Eraste desperately wants to marry Isabelle, but first he needs to secure an inheritance from his elderly uncle, Geronte. The ailing Geronte, however, is not yet ready to be fitted for a shroud. In fact, he's ready to be measured for bridegroom's attire and is eager to marry Isabelle himself. The plot unravels as Eraste and his resourceful servants enact a series of increasingly absurd schemes to part the old man from his money and his life. The New York Times hailed THE HEIR APPARENT as "Boisterous, bawdy and endlessly funny... lavishly spiced with contemporary slang that springs from the prancing verse like little jack-in-the-boxes and never fails to delight," and the Washingtonian declared, "This over-the-top farce is clever, funny, and fast...a gem of a play." Commissioned by Shakespeare Theater Company in 2011, this comedy of avarice and errors is hell-bent on drawing laughs.

David Ives is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He attended Northwestern University, majoring in English. Ives moved to New York City, where his play Canvas, was staged at the Circle Repertory Company in 1972, followed by Saint Freud in 1975. In 1987, his short play Words, Words, Words was presented at the Manhattan Punch Line Theatre, followed by Sure Thing, Variations on the Death of Trotsky, and Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread (1990). Ives' other works for the stage include: Ancient History (1989); All in the Timing, (1993, Outer Critics Circle Award); Don Juan in Chicago (1995); The Red Address (1997); Mere Mortals and Others (1997); Polish Joke (2001); Venus in Fur (2010); and Lives of the Saints (2015).

Ives' translations include Georges Feydeau's classic farce A Flea in Her Ear (2006), Yazmina Reza's drama A Spanish Play(2007), and Pierre Corneille's 1643 comedy The Liar (2010, MacArthur Award). In 2011 Ives' version of Molière's The Misanthrope premiered Off-Broadway under the title The School For Lies. His 2011 adaptation of Jean-Francois Regnard's Le Legataire universel premiered at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. under the title THE HEIR APPARENT, opening Off-Broadway in 2014. In addition to his works for the stage, Ives was a contributor to Spy Magazine, and wrote occasional humor pieces for the New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker. He is the author of three young-adult novels: Monsieur Eek, Scrib, and Voss, and has adapted 32 American musicals for New York City's Encores! series. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama and a former Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting.

Aurora Theatre Company has assembled a gifted ensemble for THE HEIR APPARENT. Julian Lopez-Morillas, who appeared in the company's productions of The Birthday Party, The Master Builder, Hedda Gabler, and The Homecoming, returns as Geronte in THE HEIR APPARENT. Credits include productions at Berkeley Repertory Theater, American Conservatory Theater, Magic Theatre, California Shakespeare Theater, Marin Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among others.

Making his Aurora stage debut is Kenny Toll as Eraste. Additional credits include productions at Shotgun Players (Eurydice, Coast of Utopia Trilogy, Antigonick), San Francisco Playhouse (Seminar), TheatreWorks (Peter and the Starcatcher), Cutting Ball Theater (Ondine), and Magic Theatre (Bad Jews), among others.

Patrick Kelly Jones returns to the Aurora stage as Crispin in THE HEIR APPARENT; he previously appeared in the company's critically acclaimed productions of Detroit and Metamorphosis. Additional credits include productions at TheatreWorks (Peter and the Starcatcher, Water by the Spoonful), Marin Theatre Company (Failure: A Love Story, It's A Wonderful Life), Magic Theatre (Buried Child), Crowded Fire Theater (Exit, Pursued by a Bear), San Francisco Playhouse (Abigail's Party), and Shotgun Players (The Coast of Utopia Trilogy), among others.

Elizabeth Carter returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Argante in THE HEIR APPARENT; she last appeared at Aurora in the company's productions of Wittenberg and Trouble in Mind. Additional credits include productions at Berkeley Repertory Theater, TheatreWorks, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Magic Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, California Shakespeare Theater, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Word for Word, and San Jose Stage, among others. She teaches Shakespeare performance at San Francisco School of the Arts.

Making her Aurora debut is Khalia Davis as Isabelle. Credits include productions at Berkeley Playhouse, Bay Area Children's Theatre, Center REPertory Company, 42nd Street Moon, Broadway by the Bay, Willows Theater, and TheatreWorks, among others. Lawrence Radecker makes his Aurora debut as Scruple in THE HEIR APPARENT. Credits include productions at Magic Theatre, Crowded Fire Theater, Marin Theatre Company, Impact Theatre, and Brava Theater, among others. Rounding out the cast is Katie Rubin as Lisette. Credits include productions at Capital Stage, B Street Theater, Foothill Theater, and Marin Theatre Company.

Jean-François Regnard (1655-1709) was a French dramatist and one of the most successful of Molière's successors, whose wit and style he openly imitated. Born into a wealthy family, Regnard travelled extensively as a young man. On one of his trips he was captured by Algerian pirates and imprisoned for seven months until ransomed by his family; his experiences and impressions provided material for a series of books. In 1683, Regnard became treasurer of France, a profitable post that he held for 20 years. From 1688 on, he devoted most of his time to writing, first for the Italian comedians in Paris and then for the Comédie-Française. He depicted a decadent society, focusing on making audiences laugh as often as possible. His best known plays include Le Joueur (The Gamester, 1696), Le Légataire universel (The Heir, 1708), and La Sérénade (1694).

Following THE HEIR APPARENT, Timothy Near makes her Aurora directing debut with the company's season closer in June, Athol Fugard's modern classic "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys.

Voted Best Theater Company in 2012 by SF Weekly, Aurora Theatre Company continues to offer challenging, literate, intelligent stage works to the Bay Area, each year increasing its reputation for top-notch theater. Located in the heart of the Downtown Berkeley Arts District, Aurora Theatre Company, declared "one of the best regional theaters around" by 7x7 magazine, has been called "one of the most important regional theaters in the area" and "a must-see midsize company" by the San Francisco Chronicle, while The Wall Street Journal has "nothing but praise for the Aurora." The Contra Costa Times stated "perfection is probably an unattainable ideal in a medium as fluid as live performance, but the Aurora Theatre comes luminously close," while the San Jose Mercury News affirmed Aurora Theatre Company is "arguably the finest small theater in the Bay Area," and the Oakland Tribune stated "it's all about choices, and if you value good theater, choose the Aurora."
FOR CALENDAR EDITORS:

Master playwright David Ives (Venus in Fur, All in the Timing) reinvigorates Jean-François Regnard's 1708 comedy about greed, love, and intrigue in Aurora's Bay Area Premiere of THE HEIR APPARENT. Penniless Eraste desperately wants to marry Isabelle, but first he needs to secure an inheritance from his elderly uncle, Geronte. The ailing Geronte, however, is not yet ready to be fitted for a shroud. In fact, he's ready to be measured for bridegroom's attire and is eager to marry Isabelle himself. The plot unravels as Eraste and his resourceful servants enact a series of increasingly absurd schemes to part the old man from his money and his life.

Josh Costello (Detroit, Wittenberg) helms THE HEIR APPARENT, which The New York Times hailed as "Boisterous, bawdy and endlessly funny... lavishly spiced with contemporary slang that springs from the prancing verse like little jack-in-the-boxes and never fails to delight," The Wall Street Journal called "Brilliant! Prepare to laugh and laugh and laugh-and laugh!" and the Washingtonian declared, "This over-the-top farce is clever, funny, and fast...a gem of a play." Commissioned by Shakespeare Theater Company in 2011, this comedy of avarice and errors is hell-bent on drawing laughs.

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