A Flea in her Ear Essay

Submitted By tuc63040
Words: 615
Pages: 3

Jillian Mullen 4/6/11
Race on the Stage-Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon
“A Flea in her Ear” Response Paper

In the Temple Theaters production of George Feydeau’s, “A Flea in her Ear”, of which I saw a matinee this past Sunday, I was pleasantly surprised by what came to life on stage. Nervous about the three-hour time constraint, and also the fact I had no clue about the plot line, I received the play well and was not disappointed. “Flea” is in all sense of the word, a farce. In short summation, the main character, Raymonde, believes that her husband, Victor, is cheating on her because they hadn’t been intimate in some time. In reality, Victor actually had what I interpreted as a slight case of erectile dysfunction, but that could just be me. Anyway, the thought of there being infidelity in her marriage gives Raymonde “a flea in her ear”, and with the help of her friend, Lucienne, she cooks up a scheme of catching him in the act. The remainder of “Flea” is how the scheme unfolds and how it ties in many different people together in a comedic way. This was one of the better plays that I have seen in a while, and was very impressed that my peers could pull off a “period” piece so well. What I enjoyed about “Flea” was the successful use of farce. It was practically slapstick comedy, but that’s what kept the audience engaged. The jokes were timed perfectly and the blocking was out of this world. Having the actors run around spontaneously through the Hotel Coq d’Or was both entertaining to watch and mind-boggling. I can’t even imagine how long it took to perfect who goes through which door when, who utilizes the staircase at a certain time, and who’s going to be on the revolving bed the next time it spins around. There was so much movement of so many people that I could hardly keep track of who went where. I personally enjoyed the use of sound effects in this play as well. For example, when Lucienne’s husband, Homenides De Histangua’s, name was announced, and also whenever he entered the stage, Spanish music reminiscent of flamenco played to signal the significance of his character. Sound effects were also used when the owner of the Hotel Coq d’Or, Ferraillon, was kicking Victor in the bottom because he was confusing him for his servant, Poche, who looked