Lord Fancourt Babberley (Michael Valvo) takes his turn as woman to help his friends in the SUNY Fredonia production of “Charley’s Aunt,” which runs through Oct. 23 in Marvel Theatre. |
They say that sometimes, it’s hard to be a woman.
And it can be even harder to be a man playing a woman – just ask Michael Valvo, the actor who has the lead role in the current production of “Charley’s Aunt” at the State University of New York at Fredonia.
Mr. Valvo, a musical theater major, plays Lord Fancourt Babberley, an Oxford University student who is roped into donning women’s clothing and posing as an aunt to help his love-sick friends in the classic British farce.
Set at Oxford University in 1890, “Charley’s Aunt” follows the antics of a pair of love-sick students – Charley Wykeham and Jack Chesney – who are in need of a chaperone to spend time with the young ladies they would like to marry. A solution is at hand when Charley’s aunt from Brazil plans a visit.
However, when her arrival is delayed, the pair recruits Mr. Valvo’s character to take her place. Mayhem of all sorts ensues.
The Department of Theatre and Dance production of this classic opened Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 23 in Marvel Theatre at Rockefeller Arts Center on the SUNY Fredonia campus.
This comedic dual role of Lord Fancourt Babberley/Charley’s aunt was a challenge for everyone involved, from the costume designer to the director to the actor. “It took mental and physical preparation, physically to get the voice right and mentally to think like and have the mannerisms of a woman,” Mr. Valvo said.
To help prepare for the role, he watched movies from the 1930s to see how woman of an earlier era carried themselves.
“My biggest inspiration was Lucille Ball. I watched her to see how to do physical comedy as a woman,” Mr. Valvo said.
The task of dressing him for the part fell to Anna M. Slocum, a junior Theatrical Production and Design major, who is the costume designer.
Some of her previous work at SUNY Fredonia includes having served as assistant costume designer for “Electra” and as wardrobe head for “Charlotte’s Web” last season and serving as a dresser for “Romeo and Juliet” and “Urine town” in 2008-09.
Rounding out the all-student cast are Jake Bradley, Rebecca Davidson, Charlotte Foster, Nicholas Gerwitz, Lauren Gismondi, Lisa Michaels, Will Reilly, Richard Rosenthal, Nicholas Stevens.
Director Paul Mockovak praised the ensemble.
“Their talent, training and commitment to their craft are apparent to me at every rehearsal. They have all done exceptional work,” he said.
“Charley’s Aunt” is one of the longest running plays in history, having debuted in 1892. Mr. Mockovak said there are several reasons it has stood the test of time.
“First off, even though light, the story is a good one with mixed identities, love conquering all and a happy ending,” he said. “The script is flexible enough to hold a more traditional sense of comedy as well as the faster-paced physical comedy elements found in farce. There are fun, engaging recognizable characters just trying to fall in love.”
“Charley’s Aunt” continues with performances at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21; Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23. For more information, visit www.fredonia.edu/rac. Tickets are available through the SUNY Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center (673-3501 or www.fredonia.edu/tickets).
The production is sponsored by Coldwell Banker Phil Mathyer Realty as part of the Lake Shore Savings Season.