A Clever Confection

Get away to a fool’s paradise, where wit and money swirl like confetti to the beat of a big band. In this verdant garden estate, plans are set in motion to increasingly ridiculous results. Ignited by a mélange of egos, libidos and rivalries, and the staff that watches on in wry wonder at their foolishness. Lavish, musical and ever-so-clever, there are few companies in the country that handle this kind of high comedy with the elegance of APT. Come see them in all their charmed and charming glory. Running June 8 - September 20.

Featuring La Shawn Banks, Nate Burger, David Daniel, Phoebe González, Barbara Kingsley, Colleen Madden, Sam Luis Massaro, Elizabeth Reese, Laura Rook, Triney Sandoval

Summary

Join the charming (and clueless) elite for a ridiculous night of fun. Twins Hugo and Frederic may look identical, but could not be more different. Frederic, a romantic, spends his nights in the flowers beneath his beloved Diane’s window, while Hugo mocks the very idea of love in all its embodiments. Family tensions come to a head during a ball attended by all the very best people. Alongside them, Isabelle, a poor ballerina and her mother smuggled in by Hugo to wreak chaos and mock the wealthy partygoers. Things go hilariously off the rails before the night is through, with all romantic matches thrown to the wind in this lush and witty comedy

Casting subject to change

Ring Round the Moon is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

'Ring Round the Moon' is a romp
Dan Koehn, Isthmus | June 18, 2024

"...a glamorous production that offers a delightful escape while provoking deeper reflection on the nuances of human relationships"

Laura Gordon Paints A "Ring Round the Moon" At American Players Theatre
Ed Heinzelman, An Intuitive Perspective

Portable Prologue - Apple Podcast

Director's Note

Written by Jean Anouilh in 1947 as Invitation to the Castle, and adapted by Christopher Fry in 1950, Ring Round the Moon takes place in the Winter Garden on the grounds of a resplendent estate in the French countryside over the course of one very long night of music, dancing and Dior gowns.

Ring Round the Moon is a play that I find difficult to classify. It’s a comedy. It’s a romance. It contains farcical elements, yet it’s not a farce. We see characters pretending to be someone they’re not…pretending to love someone they don’t…pretending not to love someone they do…disguising true identities from others and concealing genuine emotions from themselves. It is witty and charming and delightful and ridiculous.

And yet it also delves into themes of wealth, privilege and class in a remarkable way. This sneaky play is able to do two things at once: it is gossamer and delicate with a touch of melancholy, while also being an explosion of popping champagne corks and fireworks. It is tango and ballet, peopled with characters not larger than life, but as large as life can be.

I can’t think of a better setting for this evening under the stars than where you find yourself sitting right now.

- Laura Gordon, Director of Ring Round the Moon