“Crisp and juicy…a sweet and very smart ride” – New York Theatre Guide
Bas Bleu Theatre Company of Fort Collins is thrilled to announce the first mainstage production of its 32nd season: the wickedly funny “The School for Lies,” a sweet and saucy farce by Tony-nominated playwright David Ives.
Famed comic playwright Moliere meets his match in this rollicking, contemporary adaptation of his classic farce, “The Misanthrope.” The result is a combination Baroque reality show and deliciously off-color tribute featuring a gaggle of glamorous gossiping goofballs and glittering contemporary couplets, and underneath it all, the throbbing heart of a true love story.
As the beautiful young widow Celimene, so known for her satiric tongue that she is being sued for it, meets Frank, a traveler from England known for his own acid utterances, they match each other barb for barb amidst a world of shallow suitors, and with the help of a few well-placed lies, they learn how to love.
Brimming with wit, humor and outrageous gags, “The School for Lies” cast includes several Bas Bleu favorites, with Jeffrey Bigger as Frank the ultimate crank and Julia Jones as the vivacious and alluring Celimene.
Also featured are Elisabeth Sells as Eliante, outwardly sweet but inwardly a seething pool of passion, and Brett Schreiber as Philante (“My equanimity keeps me abob”), navigating a raging river of rumor, hearsay and scandalous suggestions, plus a band of bogus beaus, furious frenemies and the most put upon butler in theatrical history.
Rounding out the production team are the always creative award-winning designers Brian Miller on set and Grant Putney on lights. The ingenious sound design is put on by Bryce Effenbeck, firing up a genre-bending mix of rococo rock and roll.
Called “A deliciously high verbal souffle…passionate and beguilingly silly” by The New York Times and “Outrageous..prime-time rhyme time” by The Washington Post, “The School for Lies” will be presented Sept. 20-Oct. 13, 2024, at Bas Bleu Theatre, 401 Pine St. in Fort Collins.
Performances begin on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and at 2:30 p.m. for the Sunday matinees. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors, $8 for students and $6 for low income attendees (contact the box office for details about this rate).
There will be a pay-what-you-will/preview performance on Friday, Sept. 20, with no reservation necessary (first come, first served). Tickets can be purchased at basbleu.org or by calling or visiting the Box Office Wednesday-Saturday from 1-6 p.m. at 970.498.8949.