are confronted with situations where emotions get in the way of actions. The mixture of death (tragedy) and marriage (comedy) is one manifestation of this. Adaptations The play has enjoyed renewed popularity in recent years, since Tony Kushner adapted it as The Illusion. The Comédie Française commissioned an adaptation in modern dress from the actor/director Mathieu Amalric and that film débuted on French television in 2010. Among other changes, Matamore has become the designer of a shooter video game, while the final act takes place in a night club. Ranjit Bolt's translation was dramatized and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 25 September 2011 directed by Peter Kavanagh with original music composed and performed by Russell Taylor and Steve Cooke. The cast included: Richard Johnson as Alcandre, Michael Maloney as Clindor, John Sessions as Matamore, Hattie Morahan as Isabelle, Benjamin Whitrow as Géronte, Pip Torrens as Adraste, Rosie Fellner as Lyse, Paul Moriarty as Pridamant, Simon Bubb as Dorante and Victoria Inez-Hardy as Empress/Queen. In 2012, a new adaptation of the play opened at Under St. Mark's in New York City. The production was adapted and directed by Kevin P. Joyce, and transposes the play from 17th century France to Turn-of-the-20th Century Louisiana, specifically the Atchafalaya Basin (Alcandre's lair), the Garden District (Isabelle's home) and a showboat (the Fifth Act). The role of Alcandre was rewritten for a woman and modeled after Marie Laveau. The production was directed by Mr. Joyce and featured Christopher Fayne as Pridamant, Rebeca Radozskowicz as Alcandre (understudied by Juanita Pearl Johnson), Matt Alford as Clindor, Alexandra Scardapane as Isabelle, Maisie Salinger as Lyse, Chris Lemieux as Matamore, Jesse Keitel as Adraste, Evan Pearson as Geronte, Andrew Meyer as Dorante/Jailer and Joshua Wise as the Page. It also featured music by PJ Rassmussen, designs by Justin West, Matsy Stintson, George Scholes Robson V, Vincent Coviello & Brian McManimon, as well as fight choreography by Brian Walters. The production received positive reviews from audiences but no reviews were publicly published due to the play's limited run. The end credits of Illusion (2004 film) cite the play as its inspiration. References Hutier, Jean-Benoît, "L'illusion comique" (1635–1636), Pierre Corneille, Paris, Hatier, 2001. Chapiro, Marc, L'illusion comique, Paris, PUF, 1940. Margeat, Danielle, L'illusion comique, Corneille, Paris, Bordas, 1990. Fumaroli, Marc, Héros et Orateurs : rhétorique et dramaturgie cornéliennes, Genève, Droz, 1990. Kintzler, Catherine, "L'Illusion de Corneille : l'optique philosophique et