TRIUMPH OF LOVE Lands at Olney, 4/14-5/9

What do you do when the only thing the man you're in love with wants to do is kill you? Seduce him, disguised as a man impersonating another woman, while fending off the affections of both his uncle and his aunt, of course... which is exactly what happens in Triumph of Love, a musical comedy romp.

Triumph of Love plays the Mainstage April 14 through May 9. Tickets are $26 to $54, with discounts available to groups, seniors, military, and students. Call the Box Office at 301.924.3400 or visit olneytheatre.org for tickets. In addition, Olney offers several special performances that include sign interpretation, audio description, and post-show discussions.  

Based on an 18th century comedy by Pierre Marivaux, Triumph of Love begins as Spartan Princess Léonide, with her maid Corine in tow, invades the home of the stern Hermocrates and his sister Hesione. Léonide's goal is to win the love of Hermocrate's pupil, the ravishing Agis, who is the rightful heir to the Spartan throne and has been raised to loathe her. Assisted by Agis' servants, Dimas and Harlequin, Léonide adopts various identities, male and female, ensnaring both Hermocrates and Hesione in an attempt to win Agis' affection, and in the process, teaching all involved the meaning and importance of love in their lives.

"It's bawdy. It's whimsical," explains Director Clay Hopper, associate artistic director for Olney. "It's a lush springtime musical farce, full of gender-bending seductions and plot-twists that will make your head spin."

The musical version of Triumph of Love got its start in 1993, when book writer James Magruder presented his non-musical translation of Marivaux's play at Baltimore's Center Stage, where he also served as dramaturg. The next year, composer Jeffrey Stock saw a production of the play, and was determined to write music for it. Completing the creative team were director Michael Mayer and lyricist Susan Birkenhead.

The original production, after opening at the Baltimore's Center Stage, was honed at Yale Repertory Theatre and transferred to Broadway with a cast that included Betty Buckley, Susan Egan (Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast), and F. Murray Abraham, an Academy Award-winner for Amadeus. Variety said, "(Birkenhead's) lyrics perfected a blend of sophistication and silliness that makes you think this is what Stephen Sondheim would be like if he were willing to be goofy." The New Yorker proclaimed, "The battle between heart and head gets a smart, funny twist in Triumph of Love."

Olney Theatre Center favorites Patricia Hurley, Helen Hedman, and Stephen F. Schmidt lead the cast of Triumph of Love. Patricia (Princess Léonide) returns after having just performed last season as Guenevere in Camelot. Additional Olney credits include Peter Pan, Doubt, Fiddler on the Roof, and Cinderella. Among Helen's (Hesione) many Olney performances are the title role in Piaf (Helen Hayes Award nomination), Omnium Gatherum, Broken Glass, and A Question of Mercy. She recently took on the one-woman play The Year of Magical Thinking at Studio Theatre. Stephen's (Hermocrates) Olney Theatre Center credits include Call of the Wild, Stuff Happens, Saint Joan, Crave, and She Loves Me. He recently appeared in Ford's Theatre's A Christmas Carol and One Destiny. He received the Helen Hayes Award for his performance of Lockstock in Urinetown at Signature Theatre.

Princess Léonide's object of affection, Agis, is played by new-to-Olney Jake Odmark. He has toured nationally and internationally with shows such as Grease (Kenickie), The Pajama Game (Joe, Sid US), and Fame (Nick). Regional credits include Curly in Oklahoma!, Jimmy in Millie, and Danny in Grease.

Those helping the Princess in her plight are Andrea Andert as Corine, JJ Kaczynski as Harlequin, and Lawrence Redmond as Dimas. Andrew is making her Olney debut; she has been seen in the National Tours of The Wedding Singer (1st National as Linda, u/s Julia Sullivan) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (u/s Narrator). A two-time Helen Hayes Award nominee, JJ returns to Olney where he was seen as Charlie in The Foreigner, Vince Fontaine in Grease, and Mordcha in Fiddler on the Roof. Lawrence's Olney credits include 13 Rue de L'Amour, Saint Joan, Anna Karenina, Becket, The Sweet Revenge of Louisa May, and Sight Unseen. He is an Affiliate Artist of Arena Stage, and a seven-time nominee and two-time recipient of the Helen Hayes Award.

The musical director for Triumph of Love is Christopher Youstra, whose most recent Olney production was Camelot. Rounding out the creative team are Cristina Todesco (Scenic Designer), Mark Lanks (Lighting Designer), Pei Lee (Costume Designer), Chris Baine (Sound Designer), Nan Flanagan (Wig Designer), and Renee E. Yancey (Stage Manager).

FACT SHEET
TRIUMPH OF LOVE
Book by James Magruder, Music by Jeffrey Stock, Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Based on the play by Pierre Marivaux

THE CAST:
Andrea Andert
Helen Hedman*
Patricia Hurley*
JJ Kaczynski*
Jake Odmark*
Lawrence Redmond*
Stephen F. Schmidt*

Corine
Hesione
Princess Léonide
Harlequin
Agis
Dimas
Hermocrates
THE ARTISTIC TEAM:
Director
Musical Director
Scenic Designer
Costume Designer
Lighting Designer
Sound Designer
Wig Designer
Stage Manager

Clay Hopper
Christopher Youstra
Cristina Todesco
Pei Lee
Mark Lanks
Chris Baine
Nan Flanagan
Renee E. Yancey*
*denotes a member of Actors' Equity Association

PERFORMANCE DATES AND TIMES:
April 14 - May 9 PRESS NIGHT: Saturday, April 17 at 8:00 pm
Wed. - Sat. at 8:00 pm; matinees on Sat. and Sun. at 2:00 pm; Sun. at 7:30 pm (except May 9); Tues. April 27 at 7:30 pm; matinees on Wed., April 21 and May 5 at 2:00 pm

SPECIAL PERFORMANCES:
§ Audio described performance: Wed., April 28 at 8:00 pm
§ Sign Interpretation: Thurs., April 29 at 8:00 pm
§ Post-show discussions: Sat., April 17 at 2:00 pm (with special guests) and Wed., April 28 at 8:00 pm (with cast members)

TICKETS: $26 - $54; discounts available for groups, seniors, military, and students

BOX OFFICE: 301.924.3400; www.olneytheatre.org

LOCATION: Olney Theatre Center
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney, Maryland 20832
Located just north of Washington, DC, the theater sits 1¼ mile from the intersection of Olney-Sandy Spring Road (Route 108) and Georgia Avenue (Route 97). Parking is free.

ABOUT OLNEY:
Olney Theatre Center is a 72-year-old nonprofit professional Equity theater in Olney, Maryland. Located in arts-rich Montgomery County, Olney Theatre Center is easily accessible from Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD. Olney Theatre Center's mission is to create professional Theater Productions and other programs that nurture artists, students, technicians, administrators, and audience members; and to develop each individual's creative potential using the skills and imaginative possibilities of theater and the performing arts.