The Girl In The Frame

The regular theatre season has almost come to an end. This week, the Tenth Street Theatre plays host to one of the final openings of the season as In Tandem Theatre opens its production of The Girl In The Frame. It’s an offbeat musical comedy by Jeremy Desmon featuring an unmarried romantic couple unable to make a commitment and their two fantasy lovers. The show’s director, In Tandem co-founder Jane Flieller took the time to answer some questions about the production:

Still in its infancy, your new space there at the Tenth Street Theatre has served as quite a few different settings: everything from a farcical version of ancient Greece to contemporary church to an other-dimensional space beyond earth. How is the space being transformed to represent a residential apartment? Is it a very detailed set?

One of our favorite things about our new space is its diversity. Seating can be moved around, there’s access from several points …. so our creativity can really shine. Part of In Tandem’s mission is to produce shows that focus on the collaborative effort between the written word and the audience without the use of elaborate sets. Through resourcefulness and innovation, we have created scores of different locales not only here at the Tenth Street Theatre but at several other venues. Girl in the Frame is set in a nice apartment. It’s not posh, but it’s slightly higher scale than the norm. The designer, Chris Flieller, looked at several downtown condo/apartments to get some ideas. Combining those with the requirements of the play, we’ll be looking at the combination living room/dining room of Alex and Laney’s apartment. We needed a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and front door. That seemed like a tall order with our space being smaller, but having looked at some models, we got the ideas we needed to fix the problem.

It looks like a great cast. Who plays who?

Simon Provan, playing Alex, appeared at Oedipus, the husband, and one of the teachers in our fall production of “HA!”. He received his BFA from UW-Parkside and after working for a few years, went to graduate school in Texas. Having completed his degree, he has recently returned to Wisconsin with his wife and two small children to be near family. Alison Mary Forbes, who has delighted audiences as the tipsy librarian in A Cudahy Caroler Christmas with us for the past two seasons, plays Alex’s fiancé, Laney. She’s just excellent in the role. Our two fantasies are Evelyn, played by Courtney Jones. She received her training from the UW-Steven’s Point, earning an undergraduate degree in Musical Theatre. We haven’t worked with her before, so we’re very excited to have the opportunity. Tomas, the firefighter, will be played by Travis Knight, who recently received his BFA in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Having embarked on a career as an EMT prior to discovering a passion for acting, Travis is a perfect fit for the role. He has a lovely voice and he’s very funny.

The story here seems to walk the line between serious emotions and absurdist farce. How thin is this line in the musical? We need Alex and Laney’s serious emotional side in order to connect-up with them for the comic bits, but is this really more a comedy than a comic exploration into the nature of fantasy or more of a screwball farce?

This is a musical comedy; neither absurdist nor screwball.

The issue that arises in Girl in the Frame is universal: Is it truly better to live in a fantasy world than to embrace reality – warts and all? So many people today, at various ages and stages in life, seem so dissatisfied with whatever their lot in life is at any given time. Someone else’s life always seems better. Commitment is hard to come by (in love, careers, etc.) because one is always afraid that once a choice is made, one will lose out on something better. And while busy chasing the ultimate fantasy life, one misses out on all the amazing things that happen day-to-day. Comedy, like drama, is born of conflict. In comedy, however, situations are often taken to fantastical extremes to make a point and gain perspective on the issue at hand. Audiences take that leap of faith, a suspension of disbelief, in order to fully grasp the issue the play is addressing.

The Girl in the Frame is a fresh, funny (Midwest premiere) about Alex and Laney, who embrace a world of fantasy because it’s easier than facing their own relationship dilemma. A great girls’ night out, date play, or a guide for anyone who’s ever wondered if the grass is greener (or even exists) on the other side.

THE GIRL IN THE FRAME opens May 29th.