Sara Clark as Lucienne and Kelly Mengelkoch as Raymonde.
Farce at its finest with revolving beds, slamming doors, rampaging husbands, suspicious spouses, mayhem and misunderstandings!
Cincinnati, April 29, 2019 – Cincinnati Shakespeare Company finishes its 25th Anniversary Season at The Otto M. Budig Theater with a new version of Georges Feydeau’s farce by David Ives,A Flea in Her Ear. The production is directed by Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Director of Creative Education and Outreach, Jeremy Dubin and features a 14 person cast with CSC Resident Ensemble Members Billy Chace, Kelly Mengelkoch, Sara, and Matthew Lewis Johnson. A Flea in Her Ear is generously sponsored by Murphy Landen Jones PLLC and J.P. Morgan.
Widely regarded as one of the funniest farces ever written, A Flea in Her Ear teems with suspicious spouses, hotel liaisons, crossed wires, and physical comedy galore. Set in Paris at the turn of the 20th century at Paris’ most notorious hotel, The Frisky Puss, where the bourgeoist of the bourgeoisie let their peccadilloes out to play. Propriety takes a vacation, and ribaldry rules the roost, as a colorful cast of characters runs amok through the corridors, leaving chaos and occasionally clothing in their wake!
A Flea in Her Ear tells the tale of how, after a brief bout of impotence, Victor Chandebise’s wife Raymonde suspects her husband may have a wandering eye. She has a friend, Lucienne, pen a note to him luring him into a meeting with a mysterious lady at a nearby hotel to see if he will show up. Intrigued, Victor sends someone in his stead, leading to a series of mishaps and miscommunications, conjuring strange (and multiple!) bedfellows at the naughty hotel. Audiences who loved last season’s smash hit Noises Off will find themselves in similar (comedic) territory with A Flea in Her Ear.
A Flea in Her Ear is a play by Georges Feydeau written in 1907, at the height of the Belle Époque in Paris, a time when the arts flourished and many masterpieces of literature, music, theater, and visual art gained recognition. This translation and adaptation is by David Ives and was commissioned by Chicago Shakespeare Theater in 2006 where it won that city’s prestigious Jefferson Award for Best Adaptation. It has since been performed in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and more. Ives is best known for the Broadway hit and film of Venus in Furs, the book of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and for the adaptations of 33 musicals for New York City Center’s Encores! from 1995-2012. Long considered one of the greatest of the French farces, the Ives version has met with critical praises since its debut. Backstage wrote, “Ives’ adaptation maintains the original’s dazzling plot while communicating Feydeau’s playful use of language to an American audience.” Time Out Chicago called the play “[a] crisp, delightfully ridiculous translation, and Chicago Critic said it is “a hilarious evening of classic comedy.”
CSC is very pleased to welcome Jeremy Dubin back to the Director’s Chair for A Flea in Her Ear. Jeremy has long been a company favorite to helm the comedic and the hilarious including his annual 14 year running, sold-out audience favorite Every Christmas Story Ever Told (and Then Some!) as well as the comedic summer flings All the Great Books (Abridged) and The Complete History of America (Abridged).
The creative team transforming The Otto M. Budig Theater stage into turn of the century Paris is made up of Will Turbyne (Scenic Designer), Kristeen Willis (Lighting Designer), Kevin Semancik (Sound Designer), Abbi Howson (Costume Designer), and D’Arcy Smith (Dialect Coach). They are joined by Fight Choreographer, Gina Cerimele-Mechley.
A Flea in Her Ear runs May 17-June 2, 2019 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM, as well as Saturday May 18th, May 25th and June 1st at 2:00 PM. Preview performances are Wednesday, May 15th and Thursday, May 16th at 7:30 PM and tickets are $30. Advance sale single ticket prices start at $28. Day-of Student Rush tickets are $14 and may be purchased thirty minutes before a show with a valid student ID if available. This production is a part of this season’s subscription package. Visa, Discover, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Ticketing fees apply. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the CSC Box Office at 513.381.BARD (2273) ext. 1, or go online at http://www.cincyshakes.com.
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is located at The Otto M. Budig Theater at 1195 Elm Street in OTR, adjacent to Washington Park. There are many parking spaces available on the street and in nearby lots and garages- for more information visit http://www.otrchamber.com/pages/WheretoPark.
CSC also offers Valet Parking for every performance! Make reservations for $20 in advance when purchasing tickets or visit www.cincyshakes.com/parking. Purchasing in advance guarantees a spot. Valet is available right at the corner of 12th and Elm Street in front of the theater and begins approx. 1.5 hours before a performance. Cars can be picked up for up to one hour following a performance. (After one hour, you will need to arrange pick up with the valet service directly.) The valet will have your name on the list after you purchase- it’s that easy!
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About Cincinnati Shakespeare Company:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company dedicated to bringing Shakespeare and the classics to life for audiences of all ages. In the summer of 2017, the theater relocated to the Otto M. Budig Theater, a brand new facility in OTR. CSC’s repertoire is made up of the works of William Shakespeare, literary adaptations, and contemporary classics. CSC performs on a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Cincinnati Shakespeare is a member of the Theater Communications Group and the Shakespeare Theatre Association. Each year, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s Education and Outreach Programs reach over 50,000 young people and underserved community members each season by taking Shakespeare into schools, parks, community centers and by hosting educational matinees of mainstage productions. In 2015, CSC was proud to become one of the first five theaters in the United States to “Complete the Canon” by producing all 38 plays by William Shakespeare. CSC is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to be Cincinnati’s stage for the classics!
About The 2018-2019 25th Anniversary Season:
The season is generously sponsored by The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation. The 25th Anniversary sponsor is the The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, JR./U.S. Bank Foundation. This season is funded by ArtsWave. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company receives operating support from The Ohio Arts Council, the Shubert Foundation. The season’s marketing design sponsor is POSSIBLE. The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program/organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Production dates and information on the season are available online at www.cincyshakes.com.
Featuring Sophia Cotton-Riker as Kira, Sunny Dighe as Sonny, Christopher Vonderschmidt as Old Danny, Brando Donaldson as Young Danny, Ella Vaughn as Melpomene, Josie Leanza as Calliope, Diana Hutchinson as Erato/Siren, Sophie Hammons as Euterpe/Siren, Anika Vockell as Polyhymnia/Siren, Isabella Lachey as Terpsichore/Siren, Clare Graff as Thalia/Siren, Tierney Shafer as Urania/Siren, Owen Cummings as Zeus/Chorus, Kayla McGraw as Hera/Andrews Sister/Chorus, Sophia Rooksberry as Thetis/Andrews Sister/Chorus, Lily Canter as Aphrodite/Andrews Sister/Chorus, Nate Caudill as Hermes/Chorus, Adeleigh Karoutchi as Young Woman/Chorus, Mischa Sella as Cyclops/The Tubes/ Chorus, Avery Frank as Medusa/The Tubes/Chorus, Hannah Wardlow as Centaur/The Tubes/Chorus; and the Greek Chorus featuring, Kathryn Daniher, Annalise Smith, Katie Beth Christie, Katie Berich, Khara Rosebrook, Sophie Christian, Maya Busche, Joanna Lin, Kaelyn Carr, Lucia Johns, Rose Ellsworth, Andrew Kelm, and Aiden Brogen.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 