Marie King

Providence theatre-goers have the opportunity to spend considerable time in 18th century France this spring--both at Trinity Rep's A Tale of Two Cities, and now at Brown/Trinity's MFA production of MARIE ANTOINETTE.  Seeing both productions back-to-back makes for an interesting juxtaposition as Tale of Two Cities takes us into the lives of the over-taxed working class, and MARIE ANTOINETTE takes us into the opulent palace that those taxes built.  While Marie Antoinette is not exactly an empathetic figure, it's easy to see why movies and plays are produced about her life. Excess -- in fashion, wealth, and consumption of all kinds -- makes for a visually spectacular extravaganza, and this production leans into that in the most delightful way.