A FLEA IN HER EAR Closes OCTA's 2018-2019 Season

Olathe Civic Theatre Association closes its 2018-2019 season with the fast-paced farce, A FLEA IN HER EAR. Georges Feydeau's comic masterpiece, adapted by David Ives, is directed by David Martin. FLEA runs at Olathe Civic Theatre Association through June 16, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm.

David Martin, a veteran actor and director at OCTA, describes the show as a traditional French farce set in modern times with contemporary twists. The leading lady, Raymonde, suspects her suddenly uninterested husband, Victor, is having an affair. Her solution is to cook up a trap to catch him in the act. Hilarity ensues as she and friend, Lucienne Homenides De Histangua, write a false love letter entreating Victor to join a mysterious admirer at the Frisky Puss Hotel. Everything inevitably goes horribly wrong, triggering laughs galore. Touted as the "greatest of French farces", and winner of the 2006 Jefferson Award for best adaptation, FLEA achieves levels of glorious ridiculousness only an absurdist of Ives' caliber can bring.

OCTA audiences will love Martin's take on mixed-up lovers and those who (almost) get caught in the crossfire. "In deciding to set this show in present-day, we are not seeking to make any comment on the current state of affairs in American politics. Think of this as an alternate universe Washington, D.C. along the lines of HOUSE OF CARDS... where powerful people meet, most of them are financially well off, and sex is a constant driving force in daily life. If that isn't Washington, D.C., I don't know what is."

Martin attributes the success of the story to the technical brilliance of his design staff. The characters are hilarious, but the context of the flurry of activity is what makes the audience really chuckle. The Frisky Puss Hotel, where lovers come to meet, is the location of most of the frisky flurry. Audiences will be amazed to see how set designer, Bill Wright, worked with the rest of the creative team to construct a surprise two-story set on the OCTA stage.

The cast of FLEA is as follows:

Victor Chandebise/Poche - Peter G. Leondedis

Raymonde Chandebise - Lauren Hambleton*

Romain Tournel - Brent Custer*

Don Carlos Homenides De Histangua - Dan Heinz

Lucienne Homenides De Histangua - Meghann Deveroux

Camille Chandebise - Griffin Leander*

Dr. Finache --Scott Shaw

Feraillon - Doug Ford

Olympia - Tracy Fox

Eugenie - Jeannie Blau

Etienne - Patrick Peterson

Antoinette - Amanda Bass

Rugby - Aaron Roose*

Baptiste - Wes King *Denotes OCTA Debut

The FLEA creative team is David Martin (director), D.K. Evenson (stage manager), Sarah Jeter (Costume Designer), Valerie Martin (Properties Designer), Dan Heinz (Fight Coordinator), Chuck Cline (Lighting Designer), David Martin (Sound Designer), and Bill Wright (Set Designer).

Approximate running time for A FLEA IN HER EAR is: Act 1 - 40 minutes, Act 2 - 40 minutes, Act 3 - 30 minutes. Some material is not suitable for children 13 and under. For further information or tickets, please visit our Web site at www.olathetheatre.org. Reservations can be made by calling the reservation hotline at 913-782-2990 or by writing tickets@olathetheatre.org.