The acclaimed avant garde comedy, The Bald Soprano, will make a brief appearance on the Covenant College stage this 2016-2017 season, ripping tired tropes into a confetti of non sequiturs and nonsensical hilarity. The play, written by absurdist playwright Eugéne Ionesco, toys with the differences between speaking and talking, hearing and listening––and the chaos inspired by miscommunication.
“I don’t know if farce is the right word, but at least you will hurt yourself laughing at some point,” says director and theater professor Camille Hallstrom. The Bald Soprano, a well-circulated classic, has worn many hats over the years, but Hallstrom hopes to crown the production with its most light hearted if not bizarre toupé.
The Bald Soprano begins with the necessary ingredients for any living room comedy: two married couples, a grandfather clock, two armchairs, a maid, and an unsuspected visitor. But, that’s where the similarities end.
And if the dialogue sounds like it was copied from an English primer like Fun with Dick and Jane, it’s because it was.
“Ionesco was this Romanian sitting in a Paris hotel trying to learn English with one of those phrasebooks and you know how absurd-sounding those phrases are,” says Hallstrom. “That’s what gave him the idea for this play.”
Junior Abigail DeGraaf ―playing hostess Mrs. Smith―says the production reminds her of the confusion at a family reunion where all the in-laws meet for the first time.
“The play doesn’t make sense and that’s why it’s so funny,” says DeGraaf. “There will definitely be some humor coming from the blocking and staging, but the majority will come from the absurd dialogue, the spontaneity of it all―the actions and reactions as well: Somebody will say something random, then somebody will say something more random and it just builds on itself!”
The Bald Soprano plays Friday, September 30th and Saturday, October 1st at 8 p.m., Friday, October 7th at 6:30, and Saturday, October 8th at 2:30. Tickets will be $7 for adults and $5 for seniors, students, and staff. Viewers can also attend a final dress rehearsal Thursday, September 29th with $5 tickets for adults and $3 for seniors, students, and staff. To reserve tickets or ask any questions, call the box office at 706-419-1051 or boxoffice@covenant.edu.