Onstage: Mt. San Jacinto College reveals 'The Real Inspector Hound'

October 29, 9:39 AMTemecula Performing Arts ExaminerLori Craig Torok

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

'The Real Inspector Hound,' Menifee Lab Theatre

Photo: Lori Craig Torok

Ask the director about the play and you first get a sly chuckle. That’s the key--the director has to be tickled by the piece; and he is. Don Rosenberg has brought to life Tom Stoppard’s terrific and timely piece that explores the nature of reality and how it is perceived on stage and, perhaps, on the small screen. “The biggest fun about this and Stoppard is the toying with your concept of reality,” says Rosenberg, “all these things we think we can solve…Stoppard presents them one at a time, none of which go together.” A common theme in much of Stoppard’s work (“Shakespeare in Love,” “Arcadia,” Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead”) “The Real Inspector Hound” raises the issue of the relationship between real life and art.

Despite the lofty theme and existential undertones, the piece is quite a bit of fun, both intellectually and physically. Produced in the Menifee Lab Theatre (200 building) on the Menifee Valley Campus, the work in performed with arena staging (‘in the round’), which offers the perfect setting for this type of work. The set and lights are designed by Christopher Kiser, who wears many hats behind the scenes of this production. The cast, comprised of some of the top theatre arts students at the college, is headed by Kristen Mowry, Evan Rayner, Elizabeth Haefner, Anthony J. Croupe, Bri Dennison, Paola Horta, Andrew Gutman, Eryk Waligora, and John Manning.

“The Real Inspector Hound” opens on Thursday, October 29th, with performances continuing this weekend on Friday, October 30th at 7:30pm. The theatre is dark on Halloween night. There is a matinee on Sunday November 1st at 2:30. The second weekend has performances on November 6 & 7 at 7:30 PM and matinees on November 7 & 8 at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $9.00 for the general public, $8.00 for students with a valid ASB sticker. The box office reservation line for the Menifee Lab Theatre is 951-639-5790. Reservations are recommended but are not required. This is not a play or a venue suitable for young children.

For more information, directions, or the college calendar:  www.msjc.edu