Kirk Players to present 'The Ladies Man'

Kirk Players is anxious to present "The Ladies Man," a French bedroom farce that has been heralded in The New York Times as "Feydeau at his silliest ... " and in The Wall Street Journal as "an explosion of inspired craziness!"

The show, which is best enjoyed by an adult audience, will open at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, at Mundelein High School theater, 1350 W. Hawley St., Mundelein.

"It's a treasure of classical, hilariously timed gags and comical disasters that intends to leave the audience smarting from laughing til it hurt," said Kat Basso, veteran Kirk Player and co-director of the show.

"We are blessed with a very talented cast and a script that allows nonstop craziness and comic invention. When there is such serious intensity in our world, the audience will enjoy losing themselves for a couple hours in a bawdy, belly-laughing, zany farce."

"The Ladies Man" is playwright Charles Morey's adaptation of late 19th century French playwright Georges Feydeau's bedroom farce. In the play, Dr. Molineaux, played by Kirk Player Dominick Basso, suffers from an intimacy debility, but his wife thinks his recent strange behavior must be due to his infidelity.

The doctor, recently married to his beautiful young wife, Yvonne, played by Kirk Player, Amanda Villarreal, struggles to admit his problem, however, and lies about it. This inflames his wife's suspicions even further. The conflict is taken to full tilt with the addition of supporting characters focused only on their own ends.

Rounding out the cast of "The Ladies Man" are Kirk Player veterans Jon L. Lynn, playing Bassinet; Mike Lieberman as Etienne; Susie Hill as Madame Aigreville; and Mandy Stebbins as Marie. Guest performers Jim Stahl and Catie Hein play Gustav and Suzanne Aubin.

Kat Basso is complemented in her directorial duties with co-director and Kirk Player veteran Anna Lieberman and is supported by stage manager Nat Brautigam. Additional technical duties are shared by Kirk Player veterans Brenda Sparks and Gretchen Grassl as set design, James Torbeck as sound design, Martin Hill as lighting design, Lisa Soare as props mistress, Gary Gunther as special effects and Fred Vipond provides costume design.

Additional performances are at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3, and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 2.

For more information and tickets, visit www.kirkplayers.org or call (847) 521-6192.