George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Misalliance’ is subversive fun at A Noise Within

A Noise Within closes out its season with George Bernard Shaw’s high-flying comedy, “Misalliance,” a tale of eight marriage proposals and a plane crash, all in the course of one afternoon. 

Opening on May 18, “Misalliance” offers a chaotic and hilarious clash of class, gender, and generation. Much to the delight of bourgeois underwear tycoon John Tarleton and his wife, their sweet, seemingly proper daughter, Hypatia, is set to cement the family’s entry into Edwardian aristocracy with her upcoming marriage to Bentley, the son of Lord Summerhays — and an irritant to Hypatia’s brother Johnny. But the unexpected arrival of uninvited guests suddenly changes everything.

“This is not the Shaw you think you know,” says Director Guillermo Cienfuegos. “Of all his plays, this one is the closest to being a farce. It’s a lot about class and a lot about marriage … and a lot about sex. So little has changed.”

Set in Edwardian England just after the Victorian era, the set and costumes for Misalliance will appear classically period. But just when the audience thinks it knows what that England looks like, and how these characters are going to behave, Shaw subverts everything and turns it all into a lot of wild fun.

“There’s a sort of feverish madness to the play that’s almost reminiscent of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ which we did earlier in the season,” suggest co-artistic directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott. “Shaw’s plays often tend to be very controlled, and this one is very youthful and carefree in a way that you don’t often see Shaw.”

Performances of “Misalliance” take place May 18 through June 9. Three preview performances take place on Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m.; Wednesday, May 15 at 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, May 17 at 8 p.m. Post–performance conversations with the artists will take place every Friday (except the preview) and on Sunday, May 26. There will be one student matinee on Thursday, May 16 at 10:30 a.m.; interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.

Tickets to “Misalliance” start at $29. Student tickets start at $18. Tickets to both the preview on Wednesday, May 15 and the performance on Thursday, May 23 will be pay-what-you-choose starting at $10 (available online beginning at noon the Monday prior, and at the box office beginning at 2 p.m. on the day of the performance) Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more.

A Noise Within is located at 3352 E. Foothill Blvd. in Pasadena. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (626) 356–3100 or go to www.anoisewithin.org.

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