By Marley Malenfant/se news editor
SE student actors playing in The Love of Three Oranges want their audience simply to laugh.
The comedy tells of a prince cursed by a witch and pushed on a voyage into distant lands. To relieve the curse, the prince must find three oranges. While on the island, the prince meets three princesses.
The production runs Nov. 19-21 in the Roberson Theatre on SE Campus.
The play was written by Giambattista Basile, an Italian writer. John Dement, SE drama assistant professor, said it is a way for people to relax.
“The play is like a grown-up fairy-tale comedy for comedy’s sake,” he said. “It’s for fun. Our first show was very serious. I want the actors to have fun, and the audience will have fun too.”
Adapted from a 17th century play, it has been updated.
“This show is much more casual and more fun,” he said.
Dement said the play is an older style of comedy.
“Commedia del arte is a loose form of theater,” he said. “It’s a very popular form, and it’s where modern comedy comes from. The goal is to get people to laugh like crazy.”
Taylor Swift plays the narrator.
She said the play has new things added to the original Love of Three Oranges.
“It’s a big comedy mess. Everything is exaggerated,” she said. “It’s a fairy-tale story, but it’s turned into a huge gimmick. There are a lot of pop culture references added to the play.”
Preston Elkins, who plays the prince’s sidekick Truffaldino, said the play isn’t meant to teach the audience a lesson.
“This is just a way to forget any troubles in your life for a moment,” he said. “People are thinking too much. We need to just laugh. It’s just a really funny two hours of laughter.”
Nick Livingston, who portrays Brighella, said the plot of the story is about laughter.
“Most of it is trying to get the prince to laugh,” he said. “The prince is cursed, and he is not supposed to laugh, but that’s what makes the play so fun.”
Jaritza Encarnacion, who plays Smeraldina, said she wants the audience to understand that a play doesn’t have to be serious.
“People think live acting is just a high-class thing,” she said. “But this is not Shakespeare. We want people to know that comedy is not just some high-end thing. It’s art.”
Performances are 8 p.m. Nov. 19-21 with 2 p.m. matinees Nov. 20-21.
Ticket prices are $6 for general admission, $3 for seniors and other students and free for TCC students, faculty and staff.
For reservations, call the SE Box Office at 817-515-3599.
