SYHS Theatre Group’s production of The Love of Three Oranges

I just found out at this production of The Love of Three Oranges happening in Santa Ynez, California this weekend and I just had to share their poster with you because, well, look at it…

Do you not love Ace the royal cat in the bottom right corner? I died of laughter, I tell you. Died.

Ace never gets any respect and it was nice to see him featured like the key player he is.

Anyway, if you want to check out the production, you can get the info directly from the school’s website here. There was also a nice write-up in the Santa Ynez Calley News that I have reproduced below for posterity.

The Santa Ynez High School Theatre Group will present its spring 2014 production of the slapstick comedy fairy-tale, “The Love of Three Oranges.” It will be staged at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, March 20-22 and March 27-29, in the Little Theatre at Santa Ynez High School.

The work was adapted by Hillary DePiano from an 18th-century commedia dell’arte scenario by Carlo Gozzi.

Director Jeff McKinnon has assembled a cast of 25 for what he promises will be “a rollicking evening of madcap physical comedy, slapstick, bad puns and a fairy tale with a happy ending.”

The plot is simple (and familiar): A melancholy prince, besieged by evil, plotting and bad-tempered courtiers, is bewitched into freeing, then falling in love with, three princesses trapped inside giant oranges.

First he must go on a quest to free the oranges from the castle of, what else, an evil witch. Many obstacles must be overcome on their quest including a belligerent gate, a donkey with a bad attitude, a sinister talking rope, two bad-tempered witches, a well-meaning but bumbling father and his keystone cop-like bodyguards and a homicidal group of palace rivals. Along the way, he is assisted by a quartet of bumpkins, a wizard, and his personal clown and sidekick Truffaldino.

McKinnon promises to “pull out all the comic stops for an evening of unrelenting silliness.” He cites as influential the comic influence of early Hollywood comedians such as the Marx Brothers and Laurel & Hardy; the Merrie Melodies cartoons from Warner Brothers; and the commedia dell’arte work his students have been practicing for several years under the tutelage of professional clown and physical theater master Gale McNeeley.

“The wonderful thing about this piece is it contains both physical and linguistic humor. There is literally never a dull moment, no opportunity for a laugh left untested,” McKinnon said.

[SOURCE]

Break a leg, everyone!