“It’s fast and furious, physical and funny,” said director Michael Fields. “But it’s also a love story.” The lovers are star-crossed, not in their circumstances, but in their characters. “Alex is an iconoclast, but Celine is a social animal—she says she can’t stand not being in a group.” Yet Alex is overwhelmed by Celine’s beauty and charm—he knows his attraction is irrational. “Celine is attracted to Alex because he’s an iconoclast. He tells the truth and it’s so funny—because at first it sounds like gossip, but he actually means it.”

Fields uses music and staging to make connections to the contemporary world. Inspired by a Ralph Lauren extravaganza he saw in Versailles, the stage is a fashion show runway, with the audience seated around it. Outrageous clothes (not to mention the shoes!) and the actors’ poses accentuate the theme.

“These are young characters, and these are obsessions that are as much a part of being young today as they were in Moliere’s time.”