'Le Roi' unfolds in Chateau Students take French beyond the classroom

Author: Andre Estanislao

Existentialism and the confrontion of death, two very somber and serious subjects, were rendered light-hearted and more palatable in last weekend's staged theatrical performance of Eugène Ionesco's "Le Roi se meurt" ("Exit the King") at the new Château Performance Space. The play is the culmination of French 306: "Staging a French Play" taught by Associate Professor in French Charles Nunley, who also directed the play. King Bérenger the First (Pascal Losambe '07) is afflicted by a serious disease and was predicted to die "by the end of the play." This sort of tearing apart of this fourth curtain that divides the audience and the stage added to the emotional realism and impact of this tragicomedy. Losambe was powerful in his performance, very able in his ability to convince his audience, as much as he would like to deny, that he is dying. His two queens, Marguerite (Revathi Avasarala '05) and Marie (Melissa Klein '07), represent two polar opposites of viewing death - the former a stoic, indifferent and logical voice and the latter a hopeful, dedicated, romantic optimist.

Supporting the claims of logic and the technical aspects of dying is the Doctor of the King who is also simultaneously the "surgeon, bacterioloigst, torturer and astrologist of the court" (Katharine Perekslis '06). Jessica Levine '07 was very reminiscent of Frankenstein's assistant Hugo with a hint of a fatigued old Mother Hubbard. She convincingly played the part of Juliette, the maid of the court. She said, "The great thing for me was that I had to completely change myself, from the way I stand, the way I laugh, the way I see the world. She was a fun challenge." Nunley was also part of the play and he played a sympathetic yet ridiculous Guard-cum-royal army. Nunley related his guard role to that of a professor, "In some ways the Guard is a concrete example of a professor's role. The Guard offers empathy but without taking control; he offers support but also prepares others to do without him."

Nunley, who has been in several other French performances on campus, admited that "professors do not routinely act in plays with students. However, in this case the casting worked out in a way that I had a small role, and I found this to be a rewarding experience, as it gives the production a highly collaborative quality, with students and professor working together in the creation and acting of the play."

The effectiveness of this collaboration was very much seen in the entirety of the performance. Despite some minor line slippages, the play was a powerful success. This success came from not only from the actors' convincing rendition of their roles but also because of the effective mise-en-scène. Complementing all of this is the new Château performance space which is a delightful venue intended exactly for this sort of production.

Both performances were well-attended and well-received by the audience. Eric Vos '05 hailed the performance as "spectacular" and demonstrative of the "professor's and students' dedication to the task," while Kris Sukanic '05, who does not speak any French, was nevertheless impressed by the "actors' extraordinary use of facial expressions and empathic characterization." The King may be dead, but Middlebury's commitment to language excellence is very much resilient and alive.