Ross Valley Players Presents THE LADIES OF THE CAMELLIAS

ROSS VALLEY PLAYERS is pleased to present Lillian Groag's hilarious farce, The Ladies of the Camellias under the direction of Bay Area theater veteran, Julian López-Morillas. López-Morillas is a professional theatre actor and teacher, and has directed for many years with the California Shakespeare Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, Berkeley Jewish Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and the American Players' Theatre in Wisconsin.

Set in late 19th century Paris, the play describes a mythical meeting between two real-life dramatic divas of the day and asks the question of whether or not they can share the same spotlight. "...just the right touch of slapstick, maximizing its deliberate and delightful artifice...In the best tradition of other theater-centric comedies such as Light Up the Sky, The Royal Family and Enter Laughing, Groag's play concentrates on the comical foibles of eccentric theater folk." - LA Times. "...a juicy tour de farce for actors..." - Variety.

The Ladies of the Camellias begins with a preview on Thursday, November 19th and runs through Sunday, December 20th. Opening night is Friday, November 20th at 8PM. www.rossvalleyplayers.com

In 1897 in Paris, the two biggest and most temperamental stars of their day, Sarah Bernhardt (Michele Wolpe) and Eleonora Duse (Adrianna Dinihanian) are each scheduled to perform back-to-back productions of the play, The Lady of the Camellias, written by Alexandre Dumas (Geoffrey Colton). Both productions will be performed in Bernhardt's own Theatre de la Renaissance overseen by Benoit, (Wood Lockhart), the ancient Chief Prompter and caretaker of the theatre. The two actresses' leading men, Worms (Frederick Lein) and Ando (Francisco Arcila) expect huge fireworks between the two competitive grand dames, and do what they can to stay out of the way. Into this comically tense situation comes Ivan (Mohammad Shehata), a young Russian anarchist who threatens to blow up everyone in the theatre, especially the two divas, unless his comrades are released from prison. Despite his ranting Ivan turns out to be a new breed of theatre person, someone whom the actors and playwright ridicule as a useless and passing fad: a director. Hoping to save the day is fellow actor Benoit Constant Coquelin (Liam Robertson), playing Cyrano de Bergerac in the theatre next door, who sneaks into the melee in full costume to challenge Ivan to a duel. A sword is no match for a gun and a bomb, so it is theatrical dialogue they must all use to try and convince Ivan to let them go. As Bernhardt insists, "Civilization changes the world, not bombs".

Michele Wolpe (Sarah Bernhardt), Adrianna Dinihanian (Eleonora Duse), Geoffrey Colton (Alexandre Dumas), Francisco Arcila (Flavio Ando), Frederick Lein (Gustave-Hippolite Worms), Wood Lockhart (Benoit) Mohammad Shehata (Ivan), Liam Robertson (Benoit Constant Coquelin/Cyrano de Bergerac), and Laine Flores (Girl).

Performances are Thursday, November 19th (Preview Night) through Sunday, December 20th, with Opening Night on Friday, November 20th at 8PM. Regular Thursday performances are at 7:30PM; Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM; Sunday matinees at 2PM. (Please note there is no matinee on Sunday, November 22nd OR evening performance on Thursday, November 26th - Thanksgiving). There will be an additional matinee on Saturday, December 12th at 2PM. All performances take place at the Barn Theatre, home of the Ross Valley Players - 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Ross, CA 94957. Ticket prices are $29 general admission, $25 for seniors 62+, and $14 for children (under 18) / student with valid ID. Thursdaynight tickets prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $10 for children and students with a high school or college ID. Preview night (November 19th) ticket prices are "Pay-What-You-Can" ($10 Suggested).

Audience members are invited to participate in "Talkback" with the director and actors after the matinee performances on Sunday, November 29th and December 13th. Buzz at the Barn, a pre-show cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres and wine, will take place on Saturday, November 21st at 7PM.

To order tickets, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1 or visit www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

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