'Theater for the people'

A farcical romp through a storybook Naples awaits audiences at "Scapino! A Long way off Moliere" this weekend. \nA comedy of love, "Scapino!" is based on the 1671 Moliere production "Les Fourberies de Scapin." Adapted in 1975 by Frank Dunlop and Jim Dale, "Scapino!" tells the tale of two wealthy young Italian men who have fallen madly in love with women whom their fathers would never allow them to marry. To solve their heartache, the two enlist the aide of the witty servant Scapino. \n"It's a theater for the people," director Murray McGibbon said. "What people are going to see is a new 'Scapino!' We've invented all the action and some of the dialogue too."\nDescended from the commedia del arte tradition, "Scapino!" actors and actresses regularly cross the boundary between stage and audience, interacting and engaging viewers.\n"A lot of the characters are so interactive," said senior Jenny Bulla, who plays Giacinta. "And this way there is so much variety for entrances and exits. You can use the actual stage so much more than in a traditional stage.\n"I really think it's a nice change. Especially in this season so far. The humor of the show appeals to all ages."\nThe play is set in Naples, Italy, where it was originally set by Moliere. And the cast trained with a voice coach to work on Italian accents.\n"We're using these fake Italian accents but without being disrespectful to Italians," McGibbon said. "I think there's something charming and fun about the Italian temperament."\nThe costumes, designed by graduate student Becca Jarrell, add a playful, cartoonish and futuristic aspect to the performance. \n"It was almost just like a blank slate," Jarrell said. "I pulled some historical aspects -- that's why you'll see a lot of corsets and period pieces like that -- but I also looked at a lot of avant garde fashion designers like Jean Paul Gaultier and Vivian Westwood and John Valliani. We wanted it to be very piecey and eclectic."\nJarrell said it was no oversight by the cast and crew in creating such a storybook atmosphere. \n"These are obviously not real people, and we're not asking the audience to believe that this is actually happening somewhere," she said, "So it's more about these are characters that are being presented to the audience. It's very, very presentational." \nMcGibbon agreed, praising the freeform style the production had taken on.\n"One of the beauties of directing in a university is that you've got the opportunity to experiment with style and to juxtapose a postmodern costume design on a fairly contemporary set design," he said.\nActors and actresses agreed that the playful attitude of the play was it's biggest draw.\n"It's just a lot of fun," said senior Peter Gerharz, who plays Argante. "There's not pretension of being anything more than a good time."\nMcGibbon urged that the show is one suitable for audiences of all ages.\n"We don't often get to see families come into the theater," he said. "One of my great loves is children's theater, and while this is not a children's play, it is a play that the family could come to see from grandmother right on down to 6- or 7-year-old child."\n"Scapino!" offers viewers a chance to be transported away from reality, McGibbon added. \n"This is not a play with a great message or issues to consider. The play is about love -- and that affects us all -- but it was written as a farce," he said. \n"Scapino!" will be performed in the Wells-Metz Theatre March 22, 23 and 25-30 at 8 p.m. and March 23 and 30 at 2 p.m.