MARAT/SADE Set for Players' Ring, 3/27-4/12

Seacoast theatergoers will be treated to a glimpse inside the mind of the infamous Marquis de Sade when Peter Weiss's "Marat/Sade" is staged at the Players' Ring. "Marat/Sade" runs from March 27th to April 12th with shows at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, 7 pm on Sunday, March 29 and April 5th, and 3 pm on Sunday, March 12th. Tickets are $15 general admission with discounts for members, seniors, and students. For reservations or more information, visit www.playersring.org or call (603) 436-8123.

The play's full title hints at its plot: "The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade."

In Weiss's political masterwork, Sade concocts a play-within-a-play about the French Revolution, utilizing fellow asylum inmates as actors and singers. A paranoid schizophrenic patient plays the French revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat, while a narcoleptic woman portrays Girondist sympathizer Charlotte Corday.

Weiss uses this dual lens to examine societal shortcomings, flaws in human nature, and the possible need for mass political change.

Since it was first staged in 1964, critics have hailed "Marat/Sade" as one of the most significant plays of the 20th century. The New York Times wrote that it "Startle[s] the mind with... slaps of incisive logic and stinging clarity." Winner of the 1966 Tony Award for Best Play, "Marat/Sade" is the rare piece that has found both literary celebration and audience favor.

Spectacle abounds in this take on "Marat/Sade," with song, dance, pantomime, audio/visual presentations, and more.

The show at the Players' Ring is produced and directed by Bretton Reis, with music direction by Patrick Dorow. The accomplished cast features Gary Locke as Sade and Jennifer Henry as Marat, while Seacoast standouts Emily Karel, Cullen DeLangie, Christine Gray, Tomer Oz, Kolby Hume, Michael Stailey, Teddi Kenick-Bailey, Bartley Mullin, Molly Dowd Sullivan, Brian Paul, Jasmin Hunter, Zach Cranor, Joi Smith, and Matthew Richards round out the ensemble.