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French Farce Premiers in Macomb

WIU Department of Theatre and Dance

A Flea in Her Ear is set in Paris and centers on suspicion, misunderstandings, and mistaken identity.

The production is is presented by the Western Illinois University Department of Theatre and Dance.

Brett Olson plays the role of Mr. Chandebise, whose wife suspects he's being unfaithful and attempts to catch him in the act. Hilarity ensues when the cast ends up a seedy hotel.

“They’re chasing each other around and there’s a lot of slamming doors and physical humor,” Olson said.

Olson also plays the role of Poche, the hotel’s bell boy.

“Every time you seen one of these characters, there’s a lot of mistaken identity and humor in that,” Olson said.

Credit WIU Department of Theatre and Dance
WIU students created all costumes and set design for play. Pictured: Jason Shores and Zoe Detlaf

But by the end of the show all is resolved and Mr. Chanderbise is reunited with his wife.

More than a dozen Western students are a part of the production. Students also created all the costumes and developed the sets for the show.

“The set for every act takes up the entire stage, so how do you have two sets that switch each other’s places? And there’s this huge dosey doe behind the scenes that takes place with each of the pieces to get them in place,” said Jeff Allen Young, who plays Mr. Tournel.

A Flea in Her Earwill be performed this weekend on Friday and Saturday, and again next week from Tuesday through Thursday at the Hainline Theatre on Western’s Campus.

Western's production is directed by Jeannie Woods.

The play was originally written in 1907 by Georges Feydeau. Western will be performing the 2006 adaption by Chicago playwright, David Ives.

Emily Boyer is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.