The greatest French writer of comedy since Moliere: that's the way Georges Feydeau is generally introduced. Even funnier than Feydeau's A Flea in Her Ear, DON'T RUN AROUND IN THE NUDE!—is considered one of his masterpieces. A long one-act play divided into 10 French scenes (but with no blackouts or other pauses in the action), playing time is about one hour. Its excruciatingly funny nonsense derives from the age-old conflict between the sexes and the inability of husband and wife to communicate with each other—not even the simplest ideas.

Clarisse likes to wear as few clothes as possible, to the embarrassment of her husband Ventroux, a prominent politician. When Ventroux asks her to put on more clothes when others are around, Clarisse gives disarmingly logical reasons for not doing so. The more he insists, the more she takes off—to the delight of everyone except poor Ventroux.

First presented in Paris in 1911, it reflects some of the customs and fashions of that pre-WWI period. With a few changes in the dialog, the action can easily be set in the present. Feydeau's stage directions—always lengthy and precise—are held inviolable by some directors. They are presented here substantially as the playwright gave them in his original manuscript. The floor plan is also a reproduction of the original. Practicality sometimes dictates violating inviolable rules in the theatre; (if we wanted to be absolutely faithful to Feydeau, we would have to perform the play in French). Producers and directors must make these decisions for themselves and their audiences. English version by Donald W. Tappan, professor of French at the University of New Orleans.

For adults and young adults. Set, the salon of a Paris home; about 1911.

Other classics: Alice in Wonderland, Around the World in 80 Days, A Christmas Carol, Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Cyrano de Bergerac, A Doll's House, Frankenstein, The Ghost Sonata, Gulliver's Travels, Heidi, The History of Tom Jones, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Hunting of the Snark, The Invisible Man, Jane Eyre, Just So Stories, Little Women, Pinocchio, The Princess and the Goblin, The Secret Garden, Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island, The Wind in the Willows, The Wizard of Oz