Through tomorrow, CHS Theatre will perform this year’s fall production “The Beaux’ Stratagem.” According to senior Aaron Jacobs, who portrays Tom Aimwell, with changes in the stage set-up and a unique genre,  “The Beaux’ Stratagem” will be a very interesting play to see.

The fall production will be based on an adaptation by playwrights Thornton Wilder and Ken Ludwig instead of the original 1707 play by George Farquhar. According to senior Duncan Moran, who portrays  Jack Archer, the comedic play was rewritten to make the language a little more modern, so current audiences can understand it.

Director Jim Peterson said the original play by Farquhar was also very sexist. “There was a lot more male-centric, the ‘women belong in the kitchen’ kind of talk,” Peterson said. “There is still a little bit of sarcasm towards marriage, some comments about how marriage works, but that was indicative of the Restoration period. There is kind of a little tongue-in-cheek message about marriage.”

Another clear difference will be in the stage set-up. While using theatre-in-the-round in past productions, this year’s fall production will be using a raked stage which slopes upwards away from the audience. Many of the performers in the production, like Jacobs, have not performed on this type of stage, but are excited to have the opportunity to do so.

Senior Kristin Barnes, who plays Dorinda, said, “It was tough at first (to perform on a raked stage), but once you kind of get your balance and your feel for it, it’s basically the same as any other show. The first couple of days when you run on stage, and you go from a flat surface to a slanted surface, you kind of stumble a little bit. It’s a really interesting obstacle, but it make the visual look really cool (to the audience).”

According to Peterson, CHS hasn’t done a Restoration comedy since 1998. Moran said this year’s production also contrasts with last year’s fall production, “The Crucible,” one of the 10 high school productions he participated in.

He said, “I would say in comparison to last year, we had a more serious play that left the audience feeling sad or angry because it conveyed a message that would bring you to that. This play is very comedic. It has a message, but the message is not one that would bring you down. It is one that would make you happier and bring laughter to you. It’s definitely a light-hearted show.”