THE METROMANIACS Coming to Middlebury Actors Workshop This Fall

Middlebury Actors Workshop, Central Vermont's premiere professional theater company, will present a new comedy by David Ives, The Metromaniacs.

The Metromaniacs (a person addicted to poetry, or to writing verses) is based on an obscure French Farce by Alexis Piron, but playwright David Ives has updated the script with modern references, zippy language and rhyming couplets, making it incredibly enjoyable for today's audience. One might call it "Dr. Seuss for adults".

Ives, famous for modern masterworks such as Venus In Fur and All In The Timing, has been described as a modern cut-up artist, a master magician, and a brilliant comic wordsmith.

The original Metromaniacs is based on a true life incident involving celebrated satirist Voltaire, who fell in love with the poems of a mysterious poetess from distant Brittany (read: Appalachia), and publicly declared his love for the lady, only to have it revealed that the poetess was actually a guy living in Paris who took his revenge on the poetry establishment for not appreciating his genius. Think of it as "Catfishing", 18th century style. The play takes place in a time where poets are the hot celebrities and everyone is in love with love.

Director Melissa Lourie explains, "I picked the play for our Fall Classic series because, in trying times, sometimes what we really need is an escape, to a world of champagne, love and gorgeousness. A world elsewhere. A purer world, where characters are drunk on language and high-comic passion. And that is what The Metromaniacs delivers in spades."

The cast features Burlington based actor Andy Butterfield as the famous poet Damis, Larry Connolly as his wealthy host Francalou, Chris Caswell as the saucy maid Lisette, Jennifer Catalano as Francalou's disaffected poetry loving daughter Lucille, Jory Raphael as her handsome but inarticulate suitor Dorante, Jack Bradt as Damis's grumpy uncle from Toulouse, and Will Larsen as Damis's scampish valet.

At Town Hall Theater October 19 - 22 only. 7:30 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a 2:00pm matinee on Sunday. Tickets are $22/ $12 students and may be purchased at towhalltheater.org, by calling or visiting the THT Box Office, 802 382-9222 (Mon-Sat noon-5 pm), or at the door, if available.

Pictured: Jory Raphael, Jennifer Catalano, Larry Connolly, Andrew Butterfield, Will Larsen, Chris Caswell and Jack Bradt. Photo by Haley Rice.

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