Feb 22 2008
The Love of Three Oranges
Forget all your dusty misconceptions about the traditions of commedia dell’arte as The Love of Three Oranges, based on a scenario by Carlo Gozzi, provides a wild, raucous slapstick comedy that is completely retooled and revised for today’s audiences. Prince Tartaglia’s life is filled with misery until an evil witch and her equally evil henchmen curse him to search for three giant oranges. But this quest proves more fruitful than anyone could have imagined as a once-lonely prince discovers love, friendship, and laughter when he encounters wizards, monarchs, and a wild narrator who isn’t sure how far removed from the story he really is.
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Type of Play: Comedy, Based on Commedia Dell’arte Scenario
Educational benefits and relevance: History of Italian Theatre, Commedia Dell’arte, Carlo Gozzi and Carlo Goldoni, Improvisation, Stage Combat, Physical Comedy (Pratfalls, slapstick, etc), Masks, History of Comedy, Commedia Today
Performance Info:
- Male Speaking Roles: 8*
*=3 of the leading Male Roles are written to easily switch to female roles - Female Speaking Roles: 8
- Non-Gender Specific Roles: 8
- Minimum Number of Performers Required: 13
(Actors with smaller parts can easily play more than one role) - Maximum Number of Performers: Unlimited Ensemble (Ensemble of Ball Guest, Bumpkins, Servants, Guards, etc can be any size desired)
- Number of Acts: 3
- Intermission: 1 or 2 depending on your needs
- Staging: Changeable backdrop with basic staging to indicate different locations
- Run time: Full-length, 90-120 minutes
