NOTE TO EDITORS: Photo call for "Triumph of Love" will be at 6 p.m. on Monday,
Feb. 19, in the Arena Theatre at Villard Hall, 1109 Old Campus Lane.

EUGENE–"Triumph of Love," a musical updated and adapted from an 18th-century French play, will open on Feb. 28 as the second production of University Theatre’s Second Season at the University of Oregon.

The play will continue March 1—3 and March 7—10. Curtain time will be 8 p.m. with no late seating allowed.

All performances will be at the Arena Theatre in Room 104 of Villard Hall, 1109 Old Campus Lane. Free parking is available nearby in the UO lot at East 11th Avenue and Kincaid Street.

"Triumph of Love" is adapted from the 1732 work by playwright Pierre Marivaux. The updated production– a spin on the Greek tale of a princess’s attempt to win the heart of a young philosophy student–is contemporary and timely, even playful at times.

Princess Leonide’s determination to win the heart of Agis, the man she loves, causes her to dress as a man to infiltrate the garden retreat of the philosopher Hermocrates, Agis’s uncle. The princess must woo Agis without revealing her true identity. In a fairy-tale twist, Agis is the true prince of the land, raised with the secret plan of overthrowing Princess Leonide.

The Washington Times raved that "it’s an old-fashioned book musical–the kind with scenes in which characters sprightly swap talk and don’t sing until there is a song worth singing. It’s a bouncy story with smart jokes, low groaners and cheerful songs that are great fun all around."

Deb Greer a second year doctoral degree student in theater arts from Riverside, Calif., formerly with the Missoula Children’s Theatre, is directing the first non-professional performance of "Triumph of Love." Last summer, she also directed the Mad Duckling Theatre performance of the musical "School House Rock Live."

"I love the challenge of putting a big Broadway musical successfully into the Arena Theatre," Greer says. "The intimacy of our space is perfect for this story."

She has been in constant contact with James Magruder, who wrote the adaptation of the play. Magruder was honored by the Society of American Literary Translators for an "Outstanding Translation of the Year" in 1997 for "Triumph of Love."

Musical director is James Reddan, a master’s degree student in choral conducting and music education from Waldorf, Md.

"The music is very intriguing," Reddan says. "Magruder takes the audience from the time of Marivaux and the late Baroque and Early Romantic eras through to the 1960s and ‘70s Latin swing and samba bands. The audience gets to watch and transform with the characters and the music."

The production team working with Greer includes assistant director Jon Sharpy, a junior theater arts major from Eugene; scenic designer Craig Willis, a doctoral degree student in theater arts from Seattle, Wash.; faculty technical director Janet Rose; lighting designer Tamara Hebbert, a senior theater arts major from Casper, Wyo.; costume designers Wendy Browne, a sophomore theater arts major from Cupertino, Calif., and Elizabeth Helman, a master’s degree student from Santa Clara, Calif.; props supervisor Lauren Armstrong, a junior theater arts major from Portland; and dramaturg Brian Boone, a senior magazine journalism and theater arts major from Portland.

The orchestra for "Triumph of Love" includes Janna Bates and Andrea Recik on piano; Jon Sharpy on bass and Jose Murillo on drums.

The cast for "Triumph of Love" features Kimberly Bates, a junior theater arts major from Eugene, as Leonide; Connor Dudley, a sophomore theater arts and French major from Hood River, as Agis; Curtis Williams, a senior theater arts major from Gresham, as Hermocrates; Corina Gomez, a senior English major from Portland, as Hesione; Kristen Schmieding, a senior psychology and theater arts major from Canby, as Corine; Matthew Woodburn, a junior comparative literature and theater arts major from Portland, as Harlequin; and Sam Super, a junior theater arts major from Clackamas, as Dimas.

Tickets for this show are $7 each for general public; $6 for UO faculty and staff members, senior citizens, and non-UO students; and $5 for UO students.

Tickets are available now on campus at the Ticket Office in the Erb Memorial Union,
1222 E. 13th Ave., (541) 346-4363. New this year, tickets will be sold only on days of performances at the University Theatre Box Office in Robinson Theatre at Villard Hall, 346-4191.

For more information, browse <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~theatre/> or call the University Theatre Development Office, 346-4190. A taped message about University Theatre productions and activities also is available 24 hours a day by calling GuardLine from a Touch-Tone phone at 485-2000, ext. 2287.

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