College of Lake County offers comedy 'School for Scandal'
The outrageous comedy "School for Scandal" by Richard Brinsley Sheridan will be presented by the College of Lake County Theatre Department on April 18 and April 22-24.
Gossip, fashion and the pursuit of wealth take center stage in Sheridan's hilarious comedy, which has delighted audiences for more than 200 years. It concerns the domestic escapades of the aptly named Lady Sneerwell, Sir Joseph Surface, Lady Candour and Sir Benjamin Backbite. The Surface brothers (in this production played by real-life brothers Phil and Andy Montano) vie for both the good will of their rich uncle and the hand of an equally rich heiress.
Meanwhile, Lady Teazle finds herself caught in the scandalous web of Lady Sneerwell and her socialite set. The intrigue comes to a climax in a side-splitting screen scene that is one of the most famous in all of theatre.
Director Thomas B. Mitchell explains that after "School for Scandal" debuted in London in 1777, it ran for more than 100 performances and was constantly being revived. The play's extreme popularity, cultural significance, plot twists and domestic scandals can be compared to the influence of today's hit TV program "Desperate Housewives," according to Mitchell.
The play will be performed in the Studio Theatre of the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts on the Grayslake campus at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 18. The play will also be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, April 22-24. A daytime matinee for high school groups will be presented at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 23.
Tickets are available at the CLC Box Office in the James Lumber Center on the Grayslake campus, 19351 W. Washington St. Tickets also are available by phone at (847) 543-2300 or online at jlcenter.clcillinois.edu. Tickets are $10 for the general public and $8 for CLC students/alumni/staff/seniors 65 and over and JLC subscribers. Ticket prices include a $1 per ticket facility fee. For group sales information, call (847) 543-2431 or e-mail JLCgroupsales@clcillinois.edu.