preloader

Theatre at UBC presents...

Theatre at UBC presents TRIUMPH OF LOVE
  • - A MODERN MUSICAL -

  • Book by James Magruder | Music by Jeffrey Stock | Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead | Based on the play by Marivaux

  • Directed by MFA Directing Candidate Barbara Tomasic

  • March 19 – April 4, 2015 | $7 Preview March 18 | Talkback March 25

  • Frederic Wood Theatre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CANADA

learn more

On the Subject

Welcome to the companion website of Theatre at UBC's 2015 production of
TRIUMPH OF LOVE.
On this showsite, you’ll meet the Company, see production photos, view design renderings, download the production program, and explore behind-the-scenes research.

Titian's restored Triumph of Love Photograph: The National Gallery

Theatre at UBC's production of Triumph of Love. Poster by Harry Bardal.

UBC logoTRIUMPH OF LOVE
Book by James Magruder
Music by Jeffrey Stock
Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Based on the play by Marivaux
Directed by MFA Directing Candidate Barbara Tomasic

Presented by the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of British Columbia

THEATRE SERIES | A Modern Musical

March 19 – April 4, 2015

Tickets: $11.50 - $24.50
$7 | Preview March 18 | Talkback March 25

Venue: Frederic Wood Theatre

Love can make a woman do strange things:

This modern musical adaptation of Marivaux’s 18th century romantic comedy follows Princess Leonide as she literally wears the pants so that her beloved Agis can return to his rightful throne. It’s not her fault if her deceptive dress-up causes the entire household to fall in love with her! With her confidante, Corine, by her side, Leonide must rescue her man before his stuffed-shirt uncle and sourpuss aunt find out who’s really beneath those ever-changing bodices and breaches.

"Triumph of Love is a hip fairy-tale…" – Variety

The Cast is comprised of 4th year BFA students Ghazal Azarbad (Hesione), Nathan Cottell (Dimas), Catherine Fergusson (Princess Leonide), Matt Kennedy (Hermocrates), Cassandra Szabo (Corine), Charlotte Wright (Harlequin), and Zach Wolfman (Agis). The Creative Team includes Stage Manager Becky Fitzpatrick and BFA Design students Patrick Smith (Set Design), Patricia Jensen (Costume Design), Andrew Pye (Lighting Design), and Kate De Lorme (Sound Design).

Download Production Press Release

Titian's restored Triumph of Love Photograph: The National Gallery

Theatre at UBC's production of Triumph of Love. L-R: Cassandra Szabo, Zach Wolfman and Catherine Fergusson. Photo: Tim Matheson.

ABOUT THE MUSICAL: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Resembling a chamber musical more than a traditional book musical, it is based on the 1732 Pierre de Marivaux commedia dell'arte play Le Triomphe de l'Amour and centers on Spartan princess Léonide, whose love for Agis is complicated by the fact her throne was wrongfully wrested by her family from the object of her affection. Agis has been raised an educated man ruled by reason rather than passion by his uncle Hermocrates and his aunt Hesione. The princess, conspiring with her servant Corine, disguises herself as Phocion in order to infiltrate the guarded "men-only" palace compound occupied by Agis, who is plotting her assassination. Complications ensue when both Agis and Hermocrates separately guess her secret, and she tells the former she's Cécile, on the lam from an undesirable paramour, and to the latter claims to be Aspasie, who wishes to study philosophy with him. Adding to the convoluted plot are Hermocrates' valet Harlequin and gardener Dimas.

After thirty previews, the Broadway production, directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Doug Varone, opened on October 23, 1997 at the Royale Theatre, where it ran for 85 performances

The cast included Susan Egan as Léonide, Christopher Sieber as Agis, F. Murray Abraham as Hermocrates, Betty Buckley as Hesione, Nancy Opel as Corine, Roger Bart as Harlequin, and Kevin Chamberlin as Dimas. Comedienne Elayne Boosler had been announced to play Corine but dropped out during rehearsals due to creative differences.

...based on the 1732 Pierre de Marivaux commedia dell'arte play Le Triomphe de l'Amour

 

 
Pierre Marivaux

Pierre de Marivaux

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT: PIERRE DE MARIVAUX

Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (February 4, 1688 – February 12, 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French novelist and dramatist. He is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, writing numerous comedies for the Comédie-Française and the Comédie-Italienne of Paris. His most important works are Le Triomphe de l'amour, Le Jeu de l'amour et du hasard and Les Fausses Confidences. He also published a number of essays and two important but unfinished novels, La Vie de Marianne and Le Paysan parvenu.

Marivaux is said to have written his first play, the Père prudent et équitable, when he was only eighteen, but it was not published till 1712, when he was twenty-four. However, the young Marivaux concentrated more on writing novels than plays. In the three years from 1713 to 1715 he produced three novels – Effets surprenants de la sympathieLa Voiture embourbée, and a book which had three titles – PharsamonLes Folies romanesques, and Le Don Quichotte moderne. These books are very different from his later, more famous pieces: they are inspired by Spanish romances and the heroic novels of the preceding century, with a certain mixture of the marvelous.

Marivaux is reputed to have been a witty conversationalist, with a somewhat contradictory personality

Voltaire became his enemy and often disparaged him

Then Marivaux's literary ardour took a new phase. He parodied Homer to serve the cause of Antoine Houdar de La Motte, (1672–1731) an ingenious paradoxer; Marivaux had already done something similar for François Fénelon, whose Telemachus he parodied and updated as Le Telemaque travesti (written in 1714 but not published until 1736). His friendship with Antoine Houdar de La Motte introduced him to the Mercure, the chief newspaper of France, and he started writing articles for it in 1717. His work was noted for its keen observation and literary skill. His work showed the first signs of "marivaudage," which now signifies the flirtatious bantering tone characteristic of Marivaux's dialogues. In 1742 he became acquainted with the then unknown Jean-Jacques Rousseau helping him revise a play Narcissus though it wasn't produced till long afterwards.

Marivaux is reputed to have been a witty conversationalist, with a somewhat contradictory personality. He was extremely good-natured, but fond of saying very severe things, unhesitating in his acceptance of favours (he drew a regular annuity from Claude Adrien Helvétius), but exceedingly touchy if he thought himself in any way slighted. He was, though a great cultivator of sensibility and unsparingly criticized the rising philosophes. Perhaps for this reason, Voltaire became his enemy and often disparaged him. Marivaux' friends included Helvétius, Claudine Guérin de Tencin, Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle and even Madame de Pompadour (who allegedly provided him with a pension). Marivaux had one daughter, who became a nun; the duke of Orleans, the regent's successor, furnished her with her dowry.

 

Barbara Tomasic

Barbara Tomasic

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: BARBARA TOMASIC

MFA Directing candidate Barbara Tomasic is a Vancouver-based director, actor and Co-Artistic Director (Musical TheatreWorks). Barbara’s recent directing credits include the award winning Crazy For You (Gateway Theatre), Little One (UBC), Goblin Market and Back To You (Musical TheatreWorks).

Barbara was last seen on stage in as Anna in The King and I at Gateway Theatre, and her favourite performing credits include, Sound of Music (Maria), Annie (Grace) (Gateway Theatre), and The Last Five Years (Roaring Lion/Firehall Arts Centre).

Barbara’s recent directing credits include the award winning Crazy For You (Gateway Theatre)

 

James Magruder

James Magruder

ABOUT JAMES MAGRUDER (BOOK)

James Magruder is an American fiction writer, playwright, and translator who received his doctorate in dramaturgy and dramatic criticism from the Yale School of Drama. His dissertation, Three French Comedies (Yale University Press), was named an “Outstanding Literary Translation of the Year” by the American Literary Translators Association.

Today, his versions of Molière, Marivaux, Lesage, Labiche, Gozzi, Dickens, Hofmannsthal, and Giraudoux have been produced across the country. After fifteen years in show business as a playwright and dramaturg, he turned to fiction in 2002.

...his versions of Molière, Marivaux, Lesage, Labiche, Gozzi, Dickens, Hofmannsthal, and Giraudoux have been produced across the country.

 

Christopher King

Christopher King

ABOUT THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR: CHRISTOPHER KING

Music Director Christopher King is a Vancouver-based theatre director, writer, composer, and actor.

Christopher’s recent Music Direction credits include Crazy for You, The King and I (Gateway Theatre), Shrek: The Musical, How to Succeed in Business (Theatre Under the Stars), and The Buddy Holly Story (Chemainus Theatre).

Christopher’s recent Music Direction credits include Crazy for You, The King and I (Gateway Theatre)...

 

view image detail

Advance Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Cassandra Szabo and Catherine Fergusson. Photo Credit: Tim Matheson
→ view image detail

view image detail

Advance Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Cassandra Szabo as Corine.
Photo Credit: Tim Matheson
→ view image detail

view image detail

Advance Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Cassandra Szabo, Zach Wolfman and Catherine Fergusson. Photo Credit: Tim Matheson
→ view image detail

view image detail

Advance Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Catherine Fergusson and Zach Wolfman.
Photo Credit: Tim Matheson
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Cassandra Szabo and Catherine Fergusson
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Charlotte Wright and Cassandra Szabo
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Charlotte Wright and Zach Wolfman
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Charlotte Wright, Cassandra Szabo, Catherine Fergusson, Nathan Cottell
Photo Credit: Julia Carr. → view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Ghazal Azarbad and Catherine Fergusson
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Matt Kennedy and Ghazal Azarbad
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Matt Kennedy and Ghazal Azarbad
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Matt Kennedy, Zach Wolfman and Ghazal Azarbad
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Matt Kennedy, Zach Wolfman, Ghazal Azarbad
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Nathan Cottell and Matt Kennedy
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Production Photos: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Zach Wolfman and Catherine Fergusson
Photo Credit: Julia Carr
→ view image detail

view image detail

Set Design: TRIUMPH OF LOVE

Designed by Patrick Smith

 — The secret to making hedges for our Triumph of Love set? Green tissue paper, chicken wire, good music, and a patient army of theatre students! → view image detail

MEET THE PRODUCTION CoMPANY

Triumph of Love

 The Cast...

 

  The Creative Team...

Barbara Tomasic
Director

Christopher King
Musical Director

Patrick Smith
Set Designer

Heipo Leung, Jessica Routliffe, Li Zhou
Assistant Set Designers

Patricia Jansen
Costume Designer

Alix Miller
Assistant Costume Designer

Andrew Pye
Lighting Designer

Megan Lavergne
Assistant Lighting Designer

Kate De Lorme
Sound Designer

Chengyan Boon
Assistant Sound Designer

 

  The Production Team...

Becky Fitzpatrick
Stage Manager

Shan Fu, Kaylin Good, Ryan Yee
Assistant Stage Managers

Shota Ebi
Light Board Programmer

Chengyan Boon
Head, LIghting

Tory Ip
Head, LIghting

Shota Ebi
Light Board Operator

Lauren Stewart
Sound Board Operator

Lizzy Fu, Jingyi Gu, Chantal Rangeley-Davies, Xing Xu, Linda Yang, Chengyan Boon
Show Run Crew

Aya Yuhara
Costume Run Crew

Jingyi Gu, Megan Lavergne, Nandiivajra Ononbat
Light Crew

Vanka Salim, Suzanna Su
Scenic Paint Crew

Stefan Zubovic, Courtney Verwold
Follow Spot Operators

Jay Henrickson
Production Manager

Jim Fergusson
Technical Director

Keith Smith
Head Carpenter

Lynn Burton
Properties Department

Jodi Jacyk
Head of Wardrobe

 

  Faculty Advisors...

Stephen Heatley
Advisor to the Director

Robert Gardiner
Advisor to Set & Lighting Design

Jacqueline Firkins
Advisor to Costume Design

Marijka Asbeek Brusse
Advisor to Stage Management

Andy Horka
Advisor to Sound Design

 

  Administration...

Robert Gardiner
Acting Department Head

Cam Cronin
Administrator

Amy Lynn Strilchuk 
Marketing & Communications

Ian Patton 
Academic Administrator

Karen Tong 
Theatre and Film Studies Graduate Secretary

Zanna Downes
Theatre and Film Production Graduate Secretary

Tony Koelwyn
Box Office

Harry Bardal
Poster Design, Program Editor

Gene Boado
Custodial Services

Linda Fenton Malloy
Department & Production Website

 

 

BOX OFFICE

Purchase tickets to our shows online or in person!

Call or Email Us

Telephone: 604-822-2678
Fax: 604-822-5985
Email: box.office@ubc.ca

Write to Us

Theatre at UBC, University of British Columbia, Room 203, 6354 Crescent Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2

Contact us

Department of Theatre & Film:

University of British Columbia
6354 Crescent Road, Room 203
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2

Website:

theatrefilm.ubc.ca

Box Office Phone:

604.822.2678

Box Office Email:

box.office@ubc.ca

Map & Directions:

google.com/maps

Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Theatre & Film:

Amy Strilchuck

Phone:

604.822.3723

Email:

amy.strilchuk@ubc.ca

 

Web Developer, Theatre & Film:

Linda Fenton Malloy

Email:

lmalloy@ubc.ca

Administrator, Theatre & Film:

Cam Cronin

Phone:

604.822.2571

Email:

cam.cronin@ubc.ca

 

Theatre at UBC, the future of the theatre in Canada on the stage today...

Copyright © 2015 | UBC Theatre & Film | All rights reserved

Back to Top