No Argument: UWM Finds Success With ‘Lovers’ Quarrels’

Scenic designer R.H. Graham's set for the UW-Milwaukee production of Lovers' Quarrels rendered the background in visuals that could be from the sketchbook of a classical master artist. In contrast to the precise sketches in black, white and gray, bright colors crafted by costume designer Louella Powell adorned the cast members as they moved about the foreground of the Peck School of the Arts' Mainstage Theatre. It's a dynamic visual dichotomy that mirrored some of the conflicts at the heart of Molière's classic, lighthearted comedy, which ran through Dec. 12.

Lovers' Quarrels, one of Molière's first full-length comedies in verse format, consists of a large cast of characters, many of which don't directly interact with one other. The plot ends up feeling like a series of interconnected episodes. Director Bill Watson did a brilliant job of orchestrating individual scenes into a gracefully fluid program.

Brittany McDonald portrayed Ascagne, a woman who has lived in the disguise of a man her entire life for the sake of an inheritance. McDonald brought a very intelligent Ascagne to the stage. There was no attempt to affect an overly masculine identity for the male side of her character, which made the seemingly unlikely situation work well. Naturally, there is conflict between Ascagne and the man she has fallen fora man who doesn't know she's a woman.

Another part of the comedy illustrated a misunderstanding in romance between a gentleman named Eraste and a woman named Lucile. The two were played with brilliant comedic exaggeration by Marques Causey and Liz Faraglia.