Know the Show, Before You Go: Metromaniacs
The Metromaniacs is a witty, verse-filled comedy by David Ives, adapted from an 18th-century French farce by Alexis Piron, about a poetry craze in Paris where characters fall in love with poets they’ve never met, leading to mistaken identities, romantic chaos, and clever wordplay as a young poet falls for a mysterious poetess who is actually a middle-aged man. The play is known for its fast-paced, rhyming dialogue, anachronistic jokes, and intricate plot, all centered on the 18th-century obsession with “metromania,” or poetry addiction. We will take a dive into the style, meaning and edgy silliness. The class will also have an opportunity to go behind the scenes with the director and production designers.