A noted interpreter of 18th century works, opera and theatre director Stephen Wadsworth directs his latest translation/adaptation of Marivaux's The Game of Love and Chance premiering at Princeton, NJ's McCarter Theatre, May 6-25. Artistic director Emily Mann says of Wadsworth, now directing his fifth production at the McCarter, that "His ongoing relationship with McCarter has provided a unique opportunity to explore and rediscover the great contributions of classic writers such as Marivaux."

The Game of Love and Chance has all the elements of a classic French farce-- a woman, promised in marriage to total stranger, hires a servant to test her husband-to-be. A handful of yearning hearts and mistaken identities collide in a confusion-filled, panic-driven storyline.

Returning to the McCarter stage in the role of Harlequin is Michael John Higgins. Best known for guest spots on TV's "The Single Guy" and "Seinfeld," as well as playing David Letterman in the HBO film The Late Shift, Higgins appeared as Harlequin in Wadsworth's previous Marivaux adaptations at the McCarter, The Triumph of Love and Changes of Heart.

Wadsworth says of the character, "I wanted very much to bring Harlequin back to the McCarter audiences so they may know him as his original audiences knew him-- an irresistible perennial who cropped up in hundreds of plays. He is one of the theatres most important, influential and endearing characters."

Also appearing with Higgins is Francesca Faridany, Neil Maffin, Laurence O'Dwyer, Margaret Welsh,Jared Reed and Reid Armbruster.

For tickets or more information for the McCarter production, please call (609) 683-8000, or refer to the McCarter Theatre regional listing on Playbill On-Line.

--By Blair Glaser