A Flea in Her Rear

by Georges Feydeau. Directed by Stephen Buescher. 

About the Show

A Flea in Her Rear is a contemporary take on a 100-year-old classic French comedy. Originally written in French, this contemporary version includes multiple languages including Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, French, and English.

The basic plot centers around a suspected marital infidelity that runs completely amuck. The expertly written physical comedy coupled with the Actor's physical skills and ability to improvise will make this show one you want to see again and again. Don't miss it!

The Cast

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Dramaturg's Note

The original production of A Flea in Her Ear is culturally and physically distant from our world
today. Set in the early 20th century, a central aspect of George Feydeau’s original piece is
playing with traditional gender and societal norms within marriages. This new production
acknowledges the history of the play while also allowing it to transcend across cultures and
generations as shown through the inclusion of contemporary pop fixtures such as K-pop and
punk aesthetics. Our modernized version is deserving of its updated title, A Flea in Her Rear,
which represents an adaptation that speaks more directly to the current times.
In a whirlwind of door slams, sexual repairings, and alter egos, Feydeau creates a sense of
“human pinball” as these characters navigate spontaneous comedic encounters. When Gisele
gets a suspicious package of suspenders from the Hotel Paramour – a hotel known as a place
for couples engaging in adulterous rendezvous – this sends Gisele into a spiral as she is
convinced her husband is cheating on her although she has no proof. What else is a wife to do
but create an elaborate and secretive plan with her best friend to catch him on the basis of an
assumption? Seems perfectly logical. Except for the fact that logic and reason don’t exist in this
world. Instead, everything goes from zero to one hundred in an instant. And all the chaos is
sparked by Gisele’s “flea in her ear” – i.e., the unshakable gut feeling that her husband is being
unfaithful. For a night of misadventures and peak farcical comedy, come ready to laugh, play
and engage with the vibrant company of A Flea in Her Rear.

About the Director

Professor Stephen Buescher is an actor, director, and teaching artist who has designed and led movement training curriculum for various master’s programs including Brown University/Trinity Repertory Consortium and the American Conservatory Theater. He has also taught physical theater in the master’s programs at the Yale School of Drama, University of Missouri Kansas City, and the University of Connecticut. He has choreographed Hamlet, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Orphan of Zhao, Stuck Elevator, Monstress, Let There Be Love, and Underneath the Lintel at the American Conservatory Theater; The Imaginary Invalid at the Old Globe Theater (Fiasco); A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Private Lives at Long Wharf Theater; A Christmas Carol at Trinity Repertory Company; Love’s Labour’s Lost at Shakespeare Santa Cruz; Blues for an Alabama Sky at the Lorraine Hansberry Theater; and Black Maria at The Providence Black Repertory Theater. He has directed numerous productions in the MFA Conservatory including The Bacchae Communion Rite, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, Galileo, The House of Bernarda Alba (Moscow Art Theater), Hotel Paradiso, Black Orpheus, and Crazy for the Country. Professor Buescher has been a long time company member with Dell’ Arte International where he has performed both nationally and internationally. International Festivals include the International Small Scene Theater Festival (Croatia), The Festival of New Adaptations (Hungary), and The Festival International de Teatro Caribe (Colombia). He has also performed with the National Theater of Greece, Oktana Dance, and Tanz Theater Heidelberg. Nationally he has performed with Dell’ Arte International, American Conservatory Theater, Smith Wymore Disappearing Acts, Scott Wells and Dancers, Shotgun Players, and Deborah Slater Dance. He is a first round recipient of TCG’s New Generations Grant, a member of SDC, and the Network of Ensemble Theaters. Professor Buescher is a graduate of the Dell’ Arte International School of Physical Theater and California Institute of the Arts.