The Ventura College Theatre Department presents “The Underpants,” a 1910 play by Carl Sternheim, adapted for the modern audience by Steve Martin. “The Underpants” will open with a preview performance free to the public on Thursday, April 24 at 8pm, and continue with performances on Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26 at 8pm, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, May 1, 2, and 3 at 8pm, and Sunday May 4 at 3pm. Tickets, which may be purchased only at the door, are $9.00 general admission and $7.00 for students, staff, and seniors.
Louise, a pretty young wife with an inattentive husband is thrilled to have the opportunity to see the King on parade. As she stretches to get a better view, her dainty underpants slide down around her ankles. Embarrassed, she quickly retrieves them and hopes no one has noticed. Her husband Theo, a stuffy bureaucrat, not only fails to comfort his wife, but expresses concern that her indiscretion may affect his reputation and career aspirations.
Louise’s charms have not escaped the attention of two men who witnessed the underpants “incident” and come to rent a room in the couple’s flat in the hopes of romancing Louise. Theo, oblivious to the threat to his marriage, conspires to split the room and rent to them both in an effort to double his money. Gertrude, a nosy neighbor, urges the naïve Louise towards an amorous affair with one of the men, while the men themselves try to outdo and undermine each other.
All this admiration brings Louise to a new understanding of her circumstances, her own worth and empowerment. When the King shows up looking to rent a room (it seems he, too, witnessed the underpants event), Louise has developed an understanding of how to get what she wants in the world.
The cast features Kevin Bass, Dayna Miles Dan Saad, and Elyse Sinklier of Ventura, TJ Mora of Oxnard, and James Culbertson and Drew Davenport of Camarillo.
For more information, contact Professor Jay Varela, Theatre Arts Department, 805-654-6400 ext. 3194 or by email at jvarela@vcccd.edu. |
