REVIEW: LCC's "A Flea in Her Ear" Naughty, but NICE

Whoa! I was blown away from the moment I walked into the auditorium and it was up from there on in. The set, by Robert Cochran, was magically fantastic! The lighting, by Donald A. Correll, perfect. The script, by David Ives (original version by Georges Feydeau), is exceptional. The direction, by Donald A. Correll, is genius!

The Ploy

Call it a farce, a screwball comedy, or Shakespeareanesque humor; call it what you will, but you cannot call it dull. Fun, fun, fun and funny. And quirky. “A Flea in Her Ear” is must see. If you live in Vancouver, take the drive; you will NOT be sorry.

Of course this is about SEX and maybe about infidelity, but the material is handled so very well. Yes, it's riddled with innuendo, double-entendre and risqué humor, but it’s not overly bawdy or crass.  The comedy comes right up to line of bad taste at times, but it does not cross it. While I wouldn't recommend it for children, most of the scandalous dialogue would go right over their heads if it were not for the knowing looks. I don’t think most adults will be offended. Naughty and nice, but not nasty.

The Plot

Now, with that bit of set up (and without giving too much away), some characters MAY be “involved” with other characters and they all aim to find out. Nuff said. I will also say that you are in for a big surprise. And I will say one thing more: This is the kind of thing that The Bard wrote over and over in his comedies. If he were writing in today’s vernacular, this is what he would have written. Trust me, it’s just as brilliant. Maybe Ives is channeling him; I don’t know.

The Performers  

The cast, in general, is quite good; a few are exceptional. The standouts I mention are cream of the crop. They are: Shae Coleman as Lucienne whose comic timing and expressions are idyllic, and Michael Cheney is truly amazing as an actor, but the show-stealer is Daniel Fox-Telford as the Spaniard (who’s name I will not endeavor to spell). Fox-Telford’s performance—his facial expressions, his physicality, his verbiage and his delivery—were absolutely stunning (and quite funny). I love him!

“A Flea in Her Ear” is a hilarious hoot. Don’t miss it!

Remaining show dates are November 15-17, 23 and 24; all times are 7:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased in advance from the LCC Bookstore in the Student Center, at Encore Concession in the Rose Center, or from the online ticket store. Tickets may also be purchased one hour before performances at the Rose Center Box Office. General Ticket Prices are $8.00 for Adults, $7.00 for Seniors and are free to LCC students, faculty, staff, and children (12 and under).

WARNING: As stated, they play is a tad racy and there is some language.

info@lowercolumbia.edu

By Gregory E. Zschomler

NOTE: I am trying to get some photographs to post, so check back soon.

LCC to Open Season with the Bedroom Farce "A Flea in Her Ear"

Here's a heads-up on the Season Theater Schedule for Lower Columbia Community College:

The Fall Quarter 2012 show is "A Flea in Her Ear" by Georges Feydeau and is billed as the funniest bedroom farce ever. Show dates are November 7-10, 15-17, 23 and 24; all times are 7:30 p.m.

A woman suspects her husband of infidelity and she and her best friend concoct a perfumed letter to trap him at the Hotel Pussycat. In true Feydeau fashion the plan misfires; the plot is complicated by confused identities, revolving beds and a great many slamming doors.

Tickets may be purchased in advance from the LCC Bookstore in the Student Center, at Encore Concession in the Rose Center, or from the online ticket store. Tickets may also be purchased one hour before performances at the Rose Center Box Office. General Ticket Prices are $8.00 for Adults, $7.00 for Seniors and are free to LCC students, faculty, staff, and children (12 and under).

info@lowercolumbia.edu

We're still waiting to hear if we'll be reviewing the show, but if we do the review will be posted here the morning of Thursday, November 8.

* * *

For the Winter Quarter 2013 they will be offering An Evening with Tennessee (Three Tennessee Williams One-Acts: "The Long Goodbye," "The Purification," and "Something Unspoken"), February 20-23 and 28; March 1, 2 and 7-9.

"The Long Goodbye" is about a young man who moves out of the family house filled with memories. "The Purification" concerns a woman who has died and the people who knew her that gather to judge the man who killed her. But did he kill her, or just an image? "Something Unspoken" explores the relationship between a southern aristocratic woman and her private secretary. The Winter plays have not yet been cast. Auditions for An Evening with Tennessee will take place, 6-9 p.m., January 7 and 8 at the Rose Center for the Arts Center Stage on the LCC campus.

* * *

The Spring Quarter 2013, a time shifting British African comedy by Caryl Churchill, will be "Cloud 9" presented May 22-25 and 30; June 1 and 6-8. It is both a parody and spoof of the 1880s Victorian Empire and its rigid attitudes towards sex. The play shifts twenty-five years later to London in 1980 where all the characters' repressed sexual longings have evaporated along with the British Empire. It has not yet been cast. Auditions for Cloud 9 will be April 8 and 9, 2013 at the Rose Center for the Arts Center Stage on the LCC campus. Roles for 4 men and 3 women.