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Event
Ivona, Princess of Burgundia by Witold Gombrowicz
A Kingdom in Calamity: Gombrowicz's Absurdist Comedy of (No) Manners --
September 5 through 23, 2012 at Philadelphia's Live Arts and Fringe Festival
Coined "the city's theatrical absurdist aces" by The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium will present Polish playwright and novelist Witold Gombrowicz's dark comedy about "how we behave when faced with our own shortcomings," Ivona, Princess of Burgundia at the Walnut Street Theater's Studio as part of this year's Philadelphia Live Arts and Fringe Festival.
Gombrowicz, recognized by many international theatre artists and scholars as one of the 20th century's greatest playwrights, authored groundbreaking, influential absurdist plays and novels that revolutionized drama and greatly influenced generations of writers who followed. His novels were banned by the government of Poland, his native land, and also by the Nazis and the Communists.
In Ivona, the fictional kingdom of Burgundia is thrown into turmoil when Prince Philip announces he'll wed a young common woman of magical simplicity and depth, who lacks the quality of traditional beauty as determined by the King's court. The announcement ignites confusion and terror in the land; mayhem and comedy ensue as the court faces intractable attitudes in a world where appearance and self-importance reign. Samuel Beckett meets Shakespeare in Gombrowicz's absurdist and very modern fairy tale for our times. Ivona, Princess of Burgundia will preview Wednesday, September 5 and Thursday, September 6, and will open Friday, September 7, running through September 23, 2012 at the Walnut Street Theater Studio, as part of the Philadelphia Live Arts and Fringe Festival 2012.
Ivona's cast of 13, playing over 20 roles, includes new faces to the IRC stage: Robb Hutter, Susan Giddings, Lou Seitchik, Heather Cole and Emily Kleimo, teaming up with IRC stalwarts David Stanger, John D'Alonzo, Greg Day, Michael Dura, Tomas Dura, Bob Schmidt and Tina Brock, who also directs the show. Ivona features set design by Lisi Stoessel (Eugéne Ionesco's The Chairs and Tennessee Williams' Gnädiges Fraulein (IRC), costume design by Erica Hoelscher (Nikolai Gogol's Marriage ( IRC), Colleague's Theater Company's The Madwoman of Chaillot (NYC) and Shakespeare in Clark Park) and lighting design by Maria Shaplin (Boris Vian's The Empire Builders (IRC).
2012 marks the IRC's seventh season presenting difficult and rarely-produced absurdist gems from authors from around the globe. In February 2012, the IRC presented Russian playwright Nikolai Gogol's farce Marriage: An Utterly Improbable Occurrence in Two Acts. The Philadelphia Inquirer said "plot is not the point, and the IRC production carries Marriage off with considerable ridiculopathy." Philadelphia Weekly wrote about the IRC: "...IRC has produced five seasons of odd but fabulous plays that would otherwise never grace a local stage" and Stage Magazine Online reported: "as interpreted by IRC's excellent ensemble and boldly boisterous direction, the period satire of sought-after status, ignoble behavior, and the loveless pairing of aging singles with ulterior motives is both hilarious and timeless..." In 2011, The IRC presented critically acclaimed productions of French playwright Boris Vian's The Empire Builders and Swiss dramatist Max Frisch's The Arsonists. The Broad Street Review wrote of The Empire Builders, "deep and philosophically dazzling this intense and creepy production is tremendously entertaining." Online publication Stage Magazine wrote of The Arsonists "the IRC set the Fringe on fire with The Arsonistsabsurd yet eerily familiarthe appropriate level of preposterousness to the proceedings."
Witold Gombrowicz and his works were basically unknown until 1957, when the Communist government in Poland briefly lifted its ban on his work (in place since the Nazi invasion in 1939) and his controversial novel Ferdydurke was reissued. Ferdydurke was interpreted as an insightful premonition of totalitarianism and became an overnight success. Other publications followed, as did stage performances of his plays -- which were compared in style to the plays of Beckett and Ionesco. A new ban in 1958 removed his work from Polish shelves, but not before they gained notice in the west. Though his works have been translated into 30 languages, Gombrowicz remains largely unknown outside of Europe. He won the prestigious International Prize for Literature in 1967 for Cosmos (his novel Pornografia previously missed the prize in 1960 by one vote). He was a candidate for the Nobel Prize in 1968.
Ivona will have seventeen performances at the Walnut Street Theater Studio 5. The show will preview Wednesday, September 5 and Thursday, September 6, opening Friday, September 7 and running through September 23, 2012 at the Walnut Street Theater Studio 5. Curtain is 7:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday nights and 2:30 pm for the Sunday matinee. Doors open 30 minutes before curtain. Tickets are $20.00 (Preview performances: $15.00). Seating is very limited: reservations are recommended. Reservations may be made by visiting the IRC website a www.idiopathicridiculopathyconsortium.org, the Brown Paper Tickets website at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/253448, the Philadelphia Fringe Festival website at www.livearts-fringe.org, or by contacting the Fringe Festival Box Office directly at (215) 413-1318.
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LocationWalnut Street Theatre Studio 5 (View)
825 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
United States
Categories
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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