Le bal des voleurs (Jean Anouilh) 2017

For this performance, we revisited Jean Anouilh, this time with Le Bal des Voleurs, a romantic comedy that recognizes the absurdity of life, and the first play by Anouilh to be a hit in New York when presented Off-Broadway in 1955. Rich Lady Hurf and her sassy nieces Eva and Juliette are bored by the 1930s summer season at Vichy, but the arrival of some rather dishy young men and the quizzical commentary provided by a period musical trio (Les Trois Moustiquaires) livens things up. Further spice is added by revelations that the boys are apprentice thieves in multiple disguises under the tutorship of the conscientious but inept Peterbono; Lady Hurf appears to accept his subsequent appearance as a Spanish duke, whereas she roundly rebuffs the equally inept attempts by failing bankers the Dupont-Duforts (father-and-son) to get in on the chase for the girls and their money. Silly wigs, fake facial hair and the determination of anglophile Lord Edgard to involve Scotland Yard in confirming his suspicions lead to further complications; a touch of true romance and some wry glances at its more usual failings leave us guessing as to what is real and what is illusion in this most theatrical of romps.