A & E

"It has long been on my list of plays to direct. I teach it in my Intro to Theater class, and it's a play that I talk about a lot," says the assistant professor of theater at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. "I've always wanted to do it."

But a problem with his eyes required medical attention, which took him away from rehearsals for two weeks. Whether or not the curtain could go up was uncertain.

"My assistant and the cast took over. They just kept working and really picked up the slack," Schrum says. "It's that old theater rule that the show must go on. And it's going to."

With the drama behind him, Schrum, at last, could concentrate on his comedy. "The Miser," which opens today in Ferguson Theatre on the campus, is a 17th century farce by Moliere.

The show's main character, Harpagon, is a money-hungry father, who treasures his riches more than his children. In an attempt to build on his wealth, Harpagon's strategy is to marry off his son, Cleante, and daughter, Elise, to rich mates. However, the children already have done their own matchmaking.

All the while, Harpagon secures his own romance with a much younger woman, who just happens to be the love interest of his son.

"He's a greedy son of a gun. He doesn't care about his family. His wife is dead, and he's not the least bit torn up about that," says Roy Gloeckl, who plays the role of Harpagon. "It's really fun to do this character and come up with a way to act out his part."

Gloeckl, 20, says the best part of his role is being able to become a character that is not closely related to his own personality.

"He's a jerk, and it's fun to pretend to be like that," the junior from Moon Township says. "It's pretty refreshing."

Ashley Peer, a 20-year-old sophomore from Hollidaysburg, Blair County, acts the part of Elise. She says that although her father on stage is controlling, she and her brother are bold with their dad, and spend a lot of time trying to pull the wool over their father's eyes.

"So this is a challenging role for me, because in real life, I am pretty shy, and usually off alone daydreaming and in love or something," she says.

Gloeckl says the play gets its spark from the humor, which oftentimes mocks other plays of its time.

"When I first heard that we were doing an old French play, I thought it was going to be boring," Gloeckl says. "But it's a newer adaptation with some modernizing of the dialogue, so a lot of things can translate to our times."

Peer says the tricky plot and slapstick comedy will be a pleasant treat for the audience.

"It's really something the audience can relate to because of the confusion of everyday life and intertwined situations," Peer says. "The fact that it's a comedy that's lighthearted about the many problems that many of us face in our everyday lives makes it fun to watch."

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