Eureka College Fine and Performing Arts to Present “A Little Night of Naughty Laughs”
EUREKA – This spring, Eureka College Fine and Performing Arts will stage five, one-act comedies of Molière in a production called “A Little Night of Naughty Laughs: Comedies of Molière” on March 31 and April 1.
The performances will take place inside Pritchard Theatre at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on both nights, and will include all the outrageous, laugh-out-loud, naughty, farcical slapstick a comedy lover needs to celebrate April Fool’s weekend.
The show will once again be directed by EC theatre director Nick LoChirco and feature many of the cast members from this winter’s rendition of the musical comedy/drama “Promises, Promises,” along with some newcomers.
The cast includes: Steven Bartkus (Seneca, Ill./Seneca), Sean Blair (Paris, Ill./Paris), Paige Brecklin (Washington, Ill./Washington), Sofia Bressner (Eureka, Ill./Eureka/Culver Stockton), Katherine Helms (Armington, Ill./Olympia), Robert Lira (Huffman, Texas/Hargrave), Jaden Randall (Secor, Ill./Roanoke-Benson), Nigel Robinson (Eureka, Ill./Eureka), Sean Sandrock (Tampico, Ill./Prophetstown) and Lukas Tinkham (Abingdon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon), and Kylei Anderson (Alexis, Ill./Galesburg) will be the stage manager.
This will be LoChrico’s fourth Eureka College production as director, following “Promises, Promises” – which broke attendance records and received acclaim earlier this semester – and last year’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” and “Story Theatre.”
Born in January 1622, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin – better known as Molière – created some of the most celebrated plays and comedies in history. Molière is considered France’s comedic equivalent of Shakespeare, and he is so historically important that the French language is often referred to as “the language of Molière.”
It is believed Molière fell in love with theater as a child when his grandfather would take him to see Italian improvisational Commedia dell'arte performances, which are filled with farce and slapstick. For many years, Molière failed as an actor, playwright and manager of his touring theater troupe, even spending time in a debtors’ prison. Molière eventually found his creative voice writing dramas, tragedies, ballets and poetry, but he garnered him the beloved attention of King Louis XIV with his farcical, slapstick comedies. The King gave Molière and his troupe their own theater at The Louvre, and they often performed at The Palace of Versailles.
Due to the adoration and protection of Louis XIV, Molière was given free reign to mock pretentious, hypocritical politicians, aristocracy, the arts, philosophy, arranged marriage and religious figures as he pleased. Molière’s plays emphasized individualism over conformity. This, along with his scathing, controversial commentary, earned him criticism and condemnation. Many of his plays ended up being banned by political and religious leaders.
Molière’s works have been translated into every major language, with some incorporating the melodic rhyming verse of the original French version, some omitting the rhyming, some advancing the story without the humor, some emphasizing the humor while omitting the naughty jokes, and some strongly emphasizing the naughty jokes. For this production, LoChirco blended, edited and abridged the many English translations while keeping many of the adult jokes.
“A Little Night of Naughty Laughs: Comedies of Molière” will present five of Molière’s seven one-act plays: “The Pretentious Young Ladies,” “The Flying Doctor,” “The Seductive Countess and The Forced Marriage,” all interwoven with excerpts from “The Rehearsal at Versailles.”
The production’s content is adult-oriented and not intended for children.
Seating will be limited, so to secure tickets fill out the online form at eureka.edu/theatre. Tickets are free, but donations are always appreciated.