Fantasy and reality are combined onstage in “The Double Life of Dr. Dapertutto,” which opened Wednesday at the University’s HopKins Black Box Theatre.The play tells the story of a renowned doctor and features a play within the play based on the fairy tale, “The Love for Three Oranges.” Ruth Bowman, associate professor of communication studies, adapted the play from several sources and is also serving as the director.”The external plot is about an artist type who uses tricks of theatricality to write a play, a fairy tale which takes up the bulk of the show,” she said. “It’s very lively, fun and strange.”Dapertutto’s play is the story of a man who is cursed and falls madly in love with three oranges. The play involves trickery, physical action and dancing.”It’s complex,” Bowman said. “We have all these things that we place in opposition — good and bad, love and hate … They are far more intertwined and complex than that. It’s not one extreme or the other.”Bowman said the play was inspired by old Italian fairy tales and the comedy of improvisation tradition, as well as the work of an early twentieth-century Russian theater practitioner, Vsevolod Meyerhold.”I thought it would be interesting to compose a show based on his principles of theatricality, like those used by silent movie greats Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton,” she said.Performances will be held in 137 Coates Hall today through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Donations will be accepted at the door, though admission is free. Follow Elizabeth Clausen on Twitter @ TDR_EClausen.
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