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LOVE AN ILLUSION?: A TIME HONORED CLASSIC CHARMS ITS WAY TO THE LSU
STAGE
October 6, 2004
 BATON
ROUGE -- LSU Theatre discovers magic, fantasy, and romance as its
season continues in the Reilly Theatre November 17-December 5 with
Tony Kushner's adaptation of Pierre Corneille's classic play, The
Illusion, directed by Steven Young.
In The Illusion, a father seeks the assistance of a magician to
discover the fate of his wayward son and learns that all is not
what it seems. In this fanciful tale, the love of a father for his
son is put to the test and leads the audience to one simple question:
is love an illusion?
This production is a showcase for the third-year MFA Resident Ensemble.
"It's a great classical play," says Young. "Any time
an artist can work with material this prolific, it hones their skills
and helps them develop a command of language."
When asked about working with these actors, Young says "It's
exciting. These are actors who have really honed their craft. At
this point in their careers, they bring a tremendous intensity,
excitement, and passion to the stage. The Illusion is a perfect
match for these talented actors."
 That
intensity, excitement, and passion is also found in Kushner's 20th
century adaptation of Corneille's 17th century French comedy. "Kushner's
adaptation is very clear to the audience," says Young. "He
makes an addition to the ending, which helps clarify what the illusion
is. Different versions put the emphasis on the nature of theatre
vs. reality or reconciliation between father and son, but Kushner
takes it one step further and challenges our notions of love."
Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Kushner is best known for his
ground breaking play, Angels in America, which was recently adapted
into an Emmy-award winning HBO miniseries.
Kushner demonstrates his diverse talent with this adaptation as
he steps away from politically driven and controversial topics into
this classical world that is a joy for all ages.
"It's just a charming story, funny, heart-rending, swashbuckling
piece. I have wanted to direct this play for some time and am very
excited to be doing it at LSU." says Young.
Because the Department of Theatre is preparing for its move to Hatcher
Hall in anticipation of the M&DA Building renovation, The Illusion
will be presented at the Reilly Theatre, which is ordinarily the
home of Swine Palace. Performances run November 17-19, 30, and December
1-4 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on November 21 and December 5 at
2 p.m. The run starts with a Pay-What-You-Can Preview performance
on Wednesday, November 17, followed by a Sneak Preview Performance
(all seats $8.50) Thursday, November 18. The Illusion officially
opens Friday, November 19. Tickets are $8.50 for students, $13.50
for LSU faculty & staff and senior citizens (65+), and $15.50
for adults. Discounts are available in advance for groups of 10
or more. All performance dates and times are subject to change.
More information is available at (225) 578-3527 or www.theatre.lsu.edu.
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