TRK Presents LE MOCHE This Week

Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK) presents the Los Angeles premiere of Le Moche (The Ugly One), a satirical comedy that explores society's fixation on physical beauty, tonight, May 28 and tomorrow, May 29, 2015.

Written by Marius von Mayenburg and performed by members of La Troupe du Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, the exhilarating Le Moche follows talented engineer Lette who struggles for recognition, thwarted by an ugly face.

Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students, and tickets are available here. The play runs for 75 minutes with no intermission. Performances start at 7:30pm and are in French without subtitles. A no host bar will be available. Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is located at 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310-286-0553). To learn more about Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, visit www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.

"When I read the script, I immediately loved the play," says Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz Director Pierre Leloup, who also directs the play. "It makes you laugh as well as think, a rare combination on stage."

Cynically humorous Le Moche is a black comedy that follows the story of Lette, a talented engineer who specializes in electrical security systems. One day, his superior decides to send an assistant to an important conference to present Lette's latest achievement, arguing that Lette is not presentable. Lette, realizing that his face is hideous, decides to pursue plastic surgery.

The satirical comedy explores society's fixation on external beauty. Author von Mayenburg questions the very notion of identity in a culture where physical beauty is a condition for recognition and social success. His social satire investigates the widespread phenomenon of our estrangement from our bodies, holding up a mirror to vanity. Le Moche challenges audience members to assess their own relative beauty, to question how the gaze of others might change if one's appearance is altered, as well as consider the implications of making such a change. Engaging these notions, Leloup's direction plays with the magic trick of theatre, toying with illusion to adjust our perceptions of the characters.

"What I like most about the play is that it is provocative yet never didactic," says Leloup. "The author does not judge his characters, but he holds up a mirror to society, posing questions for us to answer."

Marius von Mayenburg, Playwright - German playwright Marius von Mayenburg was born in Munich in 1972. He studied Old German at university in Munich, before moving to Berlin in 1992, where he did a course in playwriting at the Hochschule der Künste from 1994 to 1998. In 1998, he became a member of the artistic direction team at the Baracke, the studio theatre of the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. In 1999, he went with Thomas Ostermeier to work as artistic director and playwright-in-residence at the Berliner Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz.

His first play, Haarmann, was initially performed at Baracke (Deutsches Theater in Berlin) in 1996. Fireface, written in 1997, was his breakthrough as a dramatist. The play was performed at Munich Kammerspiele the following year. His play Perplex saw its English-language premiere in April 2014 at the Sydney Theatre Company (Australia). For Fireface, von Mayenburg was awarded the Kleistförderpreis für junge Dramatiker and Preis der Frankfurter Autorenstiftung.

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