2008 Woodie Awards
RSSRisqué production takes to stage
By Kelsey Stone
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Lifestyle
A play considered too shocking to perform from 1754 to 1924 due to an overwhelming presence of sex, adultery and hypocrisy debuted Friday on Diamond Theater's stage in Zoellner Arts Center. The theater department's production of "The Country Wife" is a "rollicking comedy," said director Augustine Ripa.
Written in the 17th century by William Wycherley, "The Country Wife" is a restoration-era comedy. The title alone offers a few reasons why the production was long-viewed as sexually explicit. During the time it was written, the word "country" was a euphemism for sex, according to Ripa, and "country matters" was another way of saying sex.
"Sex is had under people's eyes," Ripa said. The play's risqué nature and controversial past could definitely spark interest among the Lehigh community, he said.
The underlying theme of the play revolves around people deceiving each other and getting what they want, according to Ripa. One of the subplots is based on a man called Horner, played by Kareem Lucas, '08, who spreads a rumor throughout London that he is a eunuch so he can spend time alone with all the wives of London.
David Wassel, '08, plays the role of Harcort, a suave, confident man who steals peoples' fiancées. According to Wassel, the play is based on sex and cheating, and yet, he says, it maintains a light-hearted tone.
Wassel said the play's rehearsal process was made more difficult by the complexity of reading and understanding how to convey 17th century English. But the obstacle was quickly overcome, he said, and the cast was rehearsing without scripts in a very short amount of time.
"We went off-book after the second week, so we will have four weeks of off-book preparation overall," Wassel said.
The play was written largely in response to the puritanical movement, Ripa said.
According to Wassel, this movement was the next step after Shakespeare.
Another subplot revolves around a man called Pinchwife, played by Justin Howe, '09, who marries a "country wife" and hopes that she won't cheat on him.
Written in the 17th century by William Wycherley, "The Country Wife" is a restoration-era comedy. The title alone offers a few reasons why the production was long-viewed as sexually explicit. During the time it was written, the word "country" was a euphemism for sex, according to Ripa, and "country matters" was another way of saying sex.
"Sex is had under people's eyes," Ripa said. The play's risqué nature and controversial past could definitely spark interest among the Lehigh community, he said.
The underlying theme of the play revolves around people deceiving each other and getting what they want, according to Ripa. One of the subplots is based on a man called Horner, played by Kareem Lucas, '08, who spreads a rumor throughout London that he is a eunuch so he can spend time alone with all the wives of London.
David Wassel, '08, plays the role of Harcort, a suave, confident man who steals peoples' fiancées. According to Wassel, the play is based on sex and cheating, and yet, he says, it maintains a light-hearted tone.
Wassel said the play's rehearsal process was made more difficult by the complexity of reading and understanding how to convey 17th century English. But the obstacle was quickly overcome, he said, and the cast was rehearsing without scripts in a very short amount of time.
"We went off-book after the second week, so we will have four weeks of off-book preparation overall," Wassel said.
The play was written largely in response to the puritanical movement, Ripa said.
According to Wassel, this movement was the next step after Shakespeare.
Another subplot revolves around a man called Pinchwife, played by Justin Howe, '09, who marries a "country wife" and hopes that she won't cheat on him.
