CRT’s “A Flea In Her Ear” a sparkling quality farce

STORRS — In 1907 Georges Feydeau’s “A Flea In Her Ear” opened in Paris during a golden period in France called Le Belle Epoque, or Beautiful Era.
Now, over 100 years later, this ribald, witty, wacky, and sexy French bedroom farce is still as improbable and hilarious as it must have been back in its heyday.
The ensemble cast of energetic students at Connecticut Repertory Theatre does a fabulous job with the complicated and ever-changing show that requires a high degree of physical and oral dexterity.
As with any good farce worth its weight in silliness, the plot revolves around a mistaken assumption by a society woman, Raymonde Chandebise, played by Grectchen Goode, that her husband, Victor (the versatile Tom Foran) is having an affair with another woman.
Her suspicions are prompted by his lack of amorous attentions along with a pair of his suspenders that arrived in a package from a notorious hotel called the Frisky Puss.
She enlists her childhood friend, Lucienne Homenides De Histangua, played by Christina Greer, to assist her by writing a love letter to Victor and instructing him to meet Lucienne at the rather obviously named hotel.
While the acting, tumbling, and comic timing by the whole cast is terrific, I would have loved it if they had spoken with French accents when playing the French roles. They had either had pseudo-English accents, none at all, or in the case of the character of the jealous Don Carlos, played by Phil Korth, a Spanish accent, and Rugby, played by Robert Thompson Jr. with an Australian accent.
There are lines when the hotel’s proprietors, Ferraillon (Kevin Coubal) and Olympia (Alison Barton) say that they can’t understand what the English guest Rugby is saying, but he is speaking the same language they are.
Of course they couldn’t stick to the original French, but director Art Manke could have certainly helped the suspension of disbelief along with having the actors speak with exaggerated French accents. It would have also added to the comedy — think Inspector Clouseau in the “Pink Panther” films.
The set, design by Cassandra Ireland Beaver, particularly in Act II when they are at the hotel, is a fantastic Art Deco vision in curvilinear lines painted in hot pinks and purples. As with any farce, there are plenty of doors slamming, but here there is also a revolving bed that works like a charm.
The period costumes by Sachiko Komuro work beautifully with muted beige, white and gray colors that pop against the hotel’s pink motif, and complement the Edwardian era living room in the first and last acts.
It’s a couple hours of rapid-fire hijinks that fly by at CRT’s “A Flea In Her Ear.” If you love French farces and quality theater at a reasonable price, you’ll find it in this sparkling production through Saturday.

A FLEA IN HER EAR

3 ½ Stars
Location: Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, Jorgensen Road, Storrs.
Production: Written by Georges Feydeau. Adaptation by David Ives. Directed by Art Manke. Scenic design by Cassandra Ireland Beaver. Lighting design by Michelle Ashley Mann. Sound design by Steven Magro. Fight choreography by Greg Webster. Technical direction by Ed Weingart. Dramaturg Dassia Posner.
Running time: 2 ½ hours with two 10-minute intermissions.
Show Times: Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. through Dec. 11.
Tickets: $11 to $29. Call the box office at 860-486-4266 of visit their website at www.crt.uconn.edu.
ACTOR…CHARACTER
Tom Foran … Victor Chandebise, Pouche
Gretchen Goode … Raymonde Chandebise
Leigh Miller … Camille Chandebise
Christina Greer … Lucienne Homenides De Histangua
Phil Korth … Don Carlos Homenides De Histangua
Philip AJ Smithey … Dr. Finache
Ryan Guess … Romain Tournel
Michelle Goodman … Antoinette
Brooks Brantly … Etienne
Kevin Coubal … Ferraillon
Alison Barton … Olympia
Brian Patrick Williams … Baptiste
Robert Thompson Jr. … Rugby
Kelsey Baker … Eugenie